CEATI International Announces New CEO
Energy industry veteran James Wagstaff named chief executive officer; Alex Johnston to remain through year-end to
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MONTREAL, Sept. 23, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CEATI International, a leading research collaborative for the utility industry, today announced the appointment of James Wagstaff as chief executive officer, effective immediately, following an extensive search. Wagstaff succeeds Alex Johnston, who has led CEATI since 2021. Johnston will remain with the organization through the end of 2026, working closely with Wagstaff and the executive team to ensure a smooth transition.
“Helping CEATI build a world-class delivery team and modernize its operations has been incredibly rewarding and I am grateful for the opportunity to have supported some of the world’s leading utilities in their own modernization efforts over that time. But I believe CEATI’s next chapter is best led by someone with deep roots in the energy industry and firsthand understanding of the engineering, regulatory and operational challenges our members face – and James is that leader,” said Alex Johnston, outgoing chief executive officer of CEATI International.
Over the past five years under Johnston’s leadership, CEATI International has strengthened its team, modernized its operations, and invested in new products and improvements to its programs and events. Johnston has substantially improved how utilities access and derive value from CEATI’s technical programs and deep dataset of industry research and insights.
Wagstaff brings to CEATI extensive experience in the energy and utilities sector with nearly two decades of industry leadership. Most recently, he was an executive with Raptor Maps where he spearheaded the company’s technology offerings for utility-scale solar. Before that, he served as an executive at PowerAdvocate bringing supply chain and benchmarking solutions to utilities and helping guide the company through an integration with Wood Mackenzie. He holds an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
“Throughout its impressive history, CEATI has been the industry’s premier source of highly trusted insights, and I’m honored to be joining the company to help expand its reach and impact,” said James Wagstaff, chief executive officer of CEATI International. “There has never been a time as dynamic, complicated, or demanding for the utility industry at large and the trust, technical rigor, and collaboration that CEATI brings to members makes our work central to some of the largest questions in the energy economy.”
About CEATI International
CEATI is a network-based research and advisory firm driving collaborative innovation in the electric utility sector. Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, CEATI connects over 200 global utilities and leading technical experts through a robust, member-driven platform to address their most pressing challenges in energy generation, transmission, and distribution.
CEATI’s 21 specialized Member Programs deliver mission-critical value through peer-to-peer engagement, benchmarking, technical research, training, and live events. Through a shared-cost model, member utilities benefit from powerful network effects and have a direct voice in shaping the research, services, and solutions CEATI delivers.
Learn more at www.ceati.com.
Media Contact
Danielle McKay
CEATI International
danielle.mckay@ceati.com
905 808 7230
