Enbridge names successor to legal chief

Calgary, Alberta-based energy company Enbridge has appointed Reggie Hedgebeth executive vice president of external affairs and chief legal officer (CLO), effective January 1.

The move follows the decision by Bob Rooney, executive vice president and CLO, to step down on December 31, 2023, after which he will be an executive adviser to Enbridge to support the transition and outstanding projects until retiring in mid-2024.

In his new role, Hedgebeth will be responsible for legal services, ethics and compliance, corporate security, public affairs, communications and sustainability and aviation matters.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Hedgebeth joined Enbridge last month as executive adviser. He was previously CLO with Capital Group. Before that, he was executive vice president, general counsel and chief administrative officer for Marathon Oil Corporation.

Hedgebeth previously was general counsel, corporate secretary and chief compliance officer for Spectra Energy Corp. During his career he has also been senior vice president, general counsel and secretary for Circuit City Stores and vice president of legal for The Home Depot. Before moving in-house, he worked at law firm King & Spalding.

Rooney joined Enbridge in 2017 as executive vice president and CLO in 2017. He previously was managing director of RimRock Oil and Gas. Before that he had been executive vice president for corporate at Talisman Energy and vice chair and director of Repsol Oil & Gas Canada. Rooney was also previously a partner at law firm Bennett Jones, where he was a member of the executive committee and co-leader of the energy and natural resources group.

Enbridge has also announced that Laura Buss-Sayavedra has been appointed senior vice president for projects and chief administrative officer, effective January 1. That move follows the decision by Byron Neiles to step down as executive vice president and chief administrative officer at the end of 2023 to become executive adviser to Enbridge and support the transition and outstanding projects until retiring in mid-2024.

Buss-Sayavedra previously oversaw the implementation of Enbridge’s enterprise resource planning system. Prior to that, she was vice president responsible for treasury and strategy for Spectra Energy Corp and CFO of Spectra Energy Partners.

Greg Ebel, president and CEO of Enbridge, says in a statement: ‘I am pleased to welcome Reggie as he is an exceptional leader whose legal capabilities and experience in the upstream and downstream energy and financial services sectors will serve Enbridge well. At the same time, I am pleased to expand Laura’s accountabilities, increasing her already very diverse executive leadership contributions.

‘Lastly, I am very grateful to Bob and Byron for their many years of excellence in service of Enbridge, our industry, employees and communities, and for remaining on with the company until mid-2024 to support the transition and key projects.’