Transforming public trust into an operating asset for utilities with Greg Cornett

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While utilities of all types and sizes have recognized that affordability is a top-of-mind issue and are doing what they can to ease customer bill pressure, few fully grasp how ratepayers interpret these rising costs. When monthly bills increase, most customers focus on the name on the envelope rather than the complex mix of market forces, policy mandates, and grid modernization efforts that are ultimately driving those increases. Closing this gap requires energy providers to rethink traditional corporate messaging and actively show how system investments deliver value to people in the present while also enabling long-term resilience.

It's something that Greg Cornett, President of Rhode Island Energy, has positioned as a cornerstone of his leadership strategy. It’s also something he’s written about and talked about at events like DTECH Northeast, underscoring the importance of the topic across the sector.

Once again, Cornett is going to be taking the stage at DTECH Northeast as part of a keynote panel with executive leaders from Eversource and the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities. Before doing so, we connected with Cornett to capture some of his insights about this strategy, why it’s important to treat public trust as a vital operational asset, and more.

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