Bentley trustee Nick Stavropoulos ’79 has been named president and chief operating officer of San Francisco-based Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E). The formerly separate roles of president for the gas and electric businesses were consolidated into this single utility president.

Since assuming the new role on March 1, Stavropoulos has remained committed to work he led during the past five years to improve performance and strengthen the company’s safety culture, which has earned international recognition by several leading organizations. He is a sought-after keynote speaker on leadership and safety culture. In recent years, he has addressed the International Atomic Energy Agency (Austria), the Global Safety Culture Conference (U.S.), the Institute of Engineering and Technology/Institute of Asset Management Conference (U.K.) and the International Safety Culture Symposium (Canada).

Prior to joining PG&E in 2011, Stavropoulos was executive vice president and chief operating officer of U.S. Gas Distribution for National Grid, and held leadership roles at KeySpan Energy Delivery.

The former Accountancy major began his career with a summer internship at Lowell-based Colonial Gas, a small energy-distribution company facing hard times in the late 1970s. His effective work led to a permanent job there, followed by a steady rise through the ranks. His early push to incorporate information technology into operations helped Colonial earn the Smithsonian Award for innovation.

He shares expertise on several public and nonprofit boards. His eight years as a Bentley trustee include current service on the Administration and Finance, Student Affairs, and University Advancement committees. Earlier, he was instrumental in forming the Bentley Executive Club.

Stavropoulos credits the school as “a launching pad for my career. It instilled a drive to always expect more of myself and my teams as we continually strive to get better, along with a desire to help other people and find ways to give back to the community.”