HECO Announces Management Changes

Hawaiian Electric Company Announces Management Changes

NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:	FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Chuck Freedman, 543-4440	June 13, 2001

T. Michael May, President and CEO of Hawaii Electric Company, Inc., (HECO) today announced the hiring of Robert “Robbie” Alm as HECO’s Senior Vice President of Public Affairs effective July 1.

Alm has been an officer with the First Hawaiian Bank since 1993, most recently serving as the Executive Vice President and Manager of First Hawaiian Bank’s Financial Management Group.

May also announced that Tom Joaquin, currently HECO’s Vice President of Power Supply will be promoted to the position of Senior Vice President of Operations, also effective July 1.

Alm will oversee the overall operation of the company’s regulatory and government affairs, corporate communications, consumer education and community relations. Joaquin will oversee the planning and management of the company’s generation, transmission and distribution systems.

“HECO and the electric industry as a whole are in the midst of great change, dealing with issues as wide-ranging as needed energy infrastructure, the development of new energy technologies, and continued reexamination of how the industry is regulated. Robbie and Tom bring us the leadership to build upon our strong record of reliable power and customer service as well as the vision to meet the future energy needs of our islands,” stated May.

Background on Robbie Alm, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs.

Alm was born and raised in Honolulu. He received a Bachelor of Arts with Distinction in Political Science from the University of Hawaii in 1973. He received his Juris Doctor with Distinction from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1975.

In 1993, he joined First Hawaiian Bank as Vice President and Trust Officer of the Trust and Investments Division. He most recently served as Executive Vice President and Manager of First Hawaiian Bank’s Financial Management Group, a position he held from 1998. Prior to joining the bank, he was the Director of the State Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs from 1987 to 1993.

Robbie serves as President of the Boys and Girls Club of Hawaii; as a member of the Executive Committee of Aloha United Way, and on the Board of the Hawaii Public Television Foundation, Straub Foundation, and Helping Hands Hawaii. He received the Alexis de Tocqueville Society of Honolulu Volunteer of the Year award and the National Society of Fund Raising Executives Outstanding Volunteer Fund Raiser Award in 2000.

Background on Tom Joaquin, Senior Vice President of Operations.

Tom Joaquin was born and raised in Paia on the island of Maui. He graduated with distinction from the University of Hawaii with a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration. In addition, he attended in 1997 an Edison Electric Institute Course on executive training at the University of Virginia, Darden’s Executive School of Business Administration.

Joaquin has worked his way through the ranks, joining HECO subsidiary, Maui Electric Company (MECO) in 1973 as the company’s first diesel mechanic. He worked his way up the corporate ladder, supervising power plant operations and transferring to HECO in l992, where he was eventually promoted to his most recent position, Vice President, Power Supply.

Joaquin is a Board Member of the Red Cross and the Navy League. He serves on the Governor’s Advisory Board on Veteran Services, the Mayor’s Workforce Investment Board and the Chancellor’s Advisory Board for West Oahu College.