Leading Industry Analyst Rick Nicholson Joins Ventyx

ATLANTA, April 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Ventyx, an ABB company, today announced that Rick Nicholson, one of the leading analysts following the energy and utilities industry worldwide, has joined Ventyx as vice president of transmission and distribution (T&D) solutions. In his new role, Nicholson is responsible for leading Ventyx's T&D industry and solutions strategy, including building a vision around the future requirements of the global smart grid market.

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"Over the past 25 years, I've covered and provided counsel to most of the top energy and utility industry participants and vendors, and believe Ventyx and ABB are clear frontrunners for their visionary approach, breadth of offerings and deep domain experience," said Nicholson. "As the world's leading provider of T&D software solutions, Ventyx is a key driving force behind the shift toward modern, more efficient energy grids."

Nicholson joins Ventyx from IDC Energy Insights, where as group vice president he was responsible for a team that provided analysis and strategic advice to a broad spectrum of utilities, oil and gas companies, government agencies, financial institutions and technology vendors across more than 110 countries. 

Nicholson's extensive understanding of market dynamics will help Ventyx continue to identify the future requirements of utilities, and create a solutions roadmap based around emerging customer needs. He will also continue to share his insights and perspectives about business and IT issues relevant to the T&D market via Twitter (@rlnicholson2), blogs and as a speaker at industry events.

"Rick's decision to join the Ventyx team is a tremendous validation of our reputation and market strength as a top smart grid vendor," said Andy Bane, executive vice president of product management and chief strategy officer. "His wealth of experience and market insight will further strengthen our knowledge base and leadership position to provide long-term energy solutions for our customers."

Nicholson will share his market insights as a featured speaker at the Ventyx World 2013 customer conference, June 11-14, in San Francisco. The conference is the first annual gathering of the global Ventyx customer community to share best practices in asset-intensive industries for minimizing risk, maximizing efficiency and driving bottom-line results. For more information, please visit http://www.ventyxworld.com.

Ventyx is the leading global supplier of enterprise asset management solutions to the electric T&D sector, according to the latest research from ARC Advisory Group. Meanwhile, GTM Research, a division of Greentech Media, recently named ABB a "Top 10 Smart Grid Vendor."  It also named CenterPoint Energy, one of America's leading energy delivery companies, as one of the "Top Ten North American Utilities in Smart Grid" for its smart grid deployment program – including the implementation of Ventyx solutions designed to reduce the frequency and duration of power outages and enhance customer communications.

About Ventyx
Ventyx, an ABB company, is a world-leading supplier of Industrial Enterprise Software for essential industries such as energy, mining and public infrastructure. Ventyx solutions bridge the gap between information technologies (IT) and operational technologies (OT), enabling clients to make faster, better-informed decisions in both daily operations and long-term planning strategies. Some of the world's largest organizations rely on Ventyx solutions to minimize risk, enhance operational and financial performance and execute the right strategies for the future. For more details, see www.ventyx.com.

SOURCE Ventyx