C. John Wilder is an American business executive[1] who is the former CEO of TXU Energy.[2] In 2007, he negotiated the sale of TXU, then a public company which was in the Fortune 500, to private investors.[3][4] The $45 billion leveraged buyout structured by Wilder was the largest ever at the time.[5] Wilder was named as one of the world's top CEOs by the Harvard Business Review[4] in 2010.[6]
Early life and education
editCareer
editIn his early career, Wilder worked nearly twenty years at Royal Dutch Shell. He became the CEO of Shell Capital.[8]
In February 2004,[9] Wilder joined TXU as CEO.[10] As CEO, Wilder sold off assets,[11] including an overseas utility, a telecom start-up, and a natural-gas distribution company.[9] He announced plans in 2006 to build 11 coal-fired plants in Texas,[12] which drew opposition from environmentalist and public officials.[1]
In 2007, Wilder negotiated TXU's sale in a leveraged buyout by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR),[3] TGP, and Goldman Sachs Group.[5]The $45 billion[13] deal was the largest leveraged buyout to date.[14] That same year, he also founded Bluescape Resources,[15] in order to invest in energy-related ventures and assets.[1]
In September 2015, Wilder was hired by Wilbur Ross as chairman of Exco Resources, an oil and gas producer.[4] He resigned from Exco in November 2017.[16]
Personal life
editWilder is married to Susan Wilder. They have three children.[5]
References
edit- 1 2 3 "Turnaround titan' John Wilder meets first big test in Dallas oil firm's revival". The Dallas Morning News. 29 August 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
- ↑ Sanders, Lisa (13 December 2004). "Growing smaller Wilder re-energizes Texas utility by scaling back business". CBS. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
- 1 2 Collins, Ryan (24 August 2016). "Wilbur Ross's 'Turnaround Titan' Tries to Beat the Oil Rout". Bloomberg. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
- 1 2 3 Dezember, Ryan; Jarzemsky, Matt (14 October 2015). "Wilbur Ross Turns to Ex-TXU CEO to Save Exco; C. John Wilder works to rescue struggling energy company, whose shares hover near $1". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
- 1 2 3 Souder, Elizabeth (12 October 2007). "Ex-TXU chief executive Wilder ready to tackle 'life list'". Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
- ↑ Hansen, Morten T. (2010). "The Best-Performing CEOs in the World". Harvard Business Review. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
- ↑ "SEMO schedules banquet for merit award winners". Southeast Missourian. 11 October 2005. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
- 1 2 3 Stavros, Richard (1 January 2005). "The Ultimate CEOs". Public Utilities Fortnightly. 143 (6): 36–58. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
- 1 2 Buehler, Kevin; Freeman, Andrew; Holme, Ron (1 September 2008). "The Strategy: Owning the Right Risks". Harvard Business Review. September 2008: 2–10. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
- ↑ Anderson, Jenny; Creswell, Julie (27 February 2010). "For Buyout Kingpins, the TXU Utility Deal Gets Tricky". New York Times. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
- ↑ Smith, Rebecca (22 March 2005). "How a Texas Power Company Got Tough With Consumers". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
- ↑ Smith, Rebecca (29 April 2014). "How Shale-Gas Boom Led to Demise of Energy Future Holdings". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
- ↑ Sweet, Cassandra; Steele, Anne (17 January 2017). "Elliott Pushes for Changes at NRG Energy". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
- ↑ Faber, David (25 February 2007). "KKR, Texas Pacific Close to Record Deal for TXU". CNBC. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
- ↑ Bowdeya, Tweh (22 January 2018). "FirstEnergy Gets $2.5 Billion From Elliott, Bluescape Investor Group; The Ohio-based utility said the investor group could end up owning 16% to 17% of the company". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
- ↑ Andrew, Scurria (16 January 2018). "Exco Resources, Once Backed by Wilbur Ross, Enters Chapter 11; Dallas-based driller considers assets sales while restructuring talks continue". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 8 March 2023.