Dr. W. Gill Wylie
Co-founder 1900Background
Founder of Catawba Power Company, the hydroelectric predecessor to Duke Energy.
Role at Duke Energy Corporation
Wylie helped launch the hydroelectric utility foundation in the Carolina Piedmont.
Duke Energy Corporation
Explore Duke Energy
Core profile pages, annual revenue records, and related research hubs for this company.
Founders
Dr. W. Gill Wylie, James Buchanan Duke, William States Lee · Founded 1900 · Charlotte, North Carolina, United States
Quick Answer
Duke Energy was founded by Dr. W. Gill Wylie, James Buchanan Duke, William States Lee in 1900 in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. The company is currently led by Harry K. Sideris.
Duke Energy traces its roots to Catawba Power Company, founded in 1900 to harness hydroelectric power in the Carolina Piedmont. James Buchanan Duke's early investment helped turn the enterprise into Southern Power Company and later Duke Power. Over time, mergers with Cinergy, Progress Energy, and Piedmont Natural Gas created today's multistate utility.
Founder of Catawba Power Company, the hydroelectric predecessor to Duke Energy.
Wylie helped launch the hydroelectric utility foundation in the Carolina Piedmont.
Industrialist whose investment helped scale the company that became Southern Power and later Duke Power.
Duke's capital and influence turned a regional hydro idea into a larger electric utility system.
Engineer and executive associated with the company's early power-system buildout.
Lee helped design and expand the engineering foundation of the utility system.
Harry K. Sideris
President and Chief Executive Officer
Leads Duke Energy through a capital-intensive utility cycle focused on reliability, growth, and energy transition execution.
Lynn J. Good
Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer
Led Duke through grid modernization, portfolio cleanup, coal ash remediation, and clean-energy transition planning.
James E. Rogers
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Led the Cinergy and Progress Energy merger era that created Duke's modern scale.
Brian D. Savoy
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Manages financing and capital allocation during Duke's large regulated investment cycle.
Duke Energy traces its roots to Catawba Power Company, founded in 1900 near Rock Hill, South Carolina.
The company began by harnessing hydroelectric power for the Carolina Piedmont's textile mills and growing cities.
The important early decision was financing hydroelectric infrastructure at scale, creating the foundation for a regional utility system.