DOVER, Del. (May 10, 2022) — Chesapeake Utilities Corporation announced today that Andrena Burd has been promoted to assistant vice president to head the company's risk management department, and Puru Buddha has been promoted to assistant vice president of enterprise applications.
Burd will oversee a dedicated enterprise risk management (ERM) team and coordinate with other organizational functions to enhance the risk management culture across the company. She will report to Jim Moriarty, executive vice president, general counsel, corporate secretary and chief policy and risk officer.
"In our ever changing world and industry, appropriately managing and promptly responding to evolving risk enables us to continue to transform and grow our company," said Moriarty. "Additionally, our bedrock commitment to ESG, including climate and cybersecurity risk management and reporting, compels increased enhancements in risk identification and mitigation. Andrena's appointment to this new role will accelerate our efforts across the enterprise."
The risk management department will work closely with various organizational functions in which processes such as risk identification, incident evaluation, implementation and monitoring of mitigation plans, continuous improvement and training are necessary components of successfully managing risk. Areas such as safety, business continuity planning and physical security cascade across the entire organization and require a consistent risk management approach as Chesapeake Utilities continues to transform its business.
Chesapeake Utilities has expanded its ERM process to include quarterly leadership meetings to evaluate emerging risks and mitigation strategies. Changes in the company's risk profile resulting from the quarterly ERM update are discussed with the audit committee and the full board of directors. Chesapeake Utilities also has expanded its business continuity and disaster response planning and has adopted a robust information security risk acceptance process as part of its overall ERM program.
Buddha, in his new role, will have responsibility for enterprise applications, data and analytics, and IT project management competency.
He will continue to provide technical and project leadership in modernizing billing systems, financial applications, work order management, human resource information systems and many other business systems. Buddha will report to Vikrant Gadgil, vice president and chief information officer.
"Enterprise applications are foundational to supporting all business processes and operations in the company," said Gadgil. "Information technology and enterprise applications are key enablers for business transformation, an important initiative within our company. Puru will be a key leader in delivering our technology roadmap."
Chesapeake Utilities continues to invest in communication and information technology to sustain current business and support growth. Communication technology and information technology applications are essential to supporting an expanding geographic footprint, investment in growth platforms, remote work, customer expectations, sustainability reporting and many other areas.
Andrena Burd
A seasoned auditing professional with experience in risk aversion strategy, cost reduction options and financial processes, Burd has served as director of internal audit at Chesapeake Utilities since 2019. Prior to that, she worked for more than 10 years as an auditor for the state of Delaware's Office of Auditor of Accounts where she oversaw the business continuity efforts of the office. Previous roles include the director of internal audit at Delaware State University; administrative auditor for the Delaware Office of Auditor of Accounts; and others. Burd also previously served at Chesapeake Utilities Corporation, beginning her career in 2004 in the company's internal audit department.
Burd serves as the audit chair for REACH Riverside, a nonprofit organization in Delaware focused on the ongoing redevelopment of Wilmington's Riverside neighborhood. Within Chesapeake Utilities, she is a member of the Women in Energy steering committee. Burd has a bachelor's degree in accounting, and she is a Certified Information Systems Auditor, Certified Fraud Examiner and Associate Business Continuity Professional.
Puru Buddha
Buddha is a leader with 21 years of experience aligning and delivering technology solutions in support of organizations' overall business strategies. He led large global IT organizations to drive company initiatives and growth with emphasis on continuous improvement. He has extensive experience in architecting and executing technology solutions across utilities (gas and electric), hi-tech (semiconductor), service, retail, distribution, chemical and manufacturing industries.
Buddha served as director of enterprise applications and projects at Chesapeake Utilities since 2016. Prior to that, he worked for seven years at Kennametal leading and managing global applications, development and integration teams in North America, Europe and Asia. Previous roles included managing and implementing technology solutions at multiple organizations across industries.
Within Chesapeake Utilities, Buddha serves as a member of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Council, co-leading the subcommittee on benchmarks and measurements. He is also a member of the hydrogen taskforce. Buddha has both a master's and bachelor's degree in electrical engineering.
