# Robert Gaudette

> Robert J. Gaudette is the Houston-based president and chief executive officer of NRG Energy, a role he assumed on April 30, 2026. A former Army combat engineer officer, William & Mary chemistry graduate and Rice MBA, he built his energy career through Mirant, GenOn and NRG, spanning trading, commercial strategy, retail energy and generation. His public leadership discussions emphasize teamwork, customer needs and meeting growing electricity demand.

- **Role:** President and Chief Executive Officer at NRG Energy
- **Organizations:** NRG Energy, Mirant, GenOn Energy, U.S. Army, Greater Houston Partnership, Electric Power Supply Association, Rice Business Board of Advisors, Business Council for Sustainable Energy, St. Agnes Academy
- **From:** Houston, United States
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, College of William & Mary, Master of Business Administration; Jones Scholar, Rice University, Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business
- **Known for:** Earned Jones Scholar distinction in Rice’s MBA program, recognizing the top 10% of the graduating class., Advanced from trading and commercial roles to CEO of NRG and its eight-million-customer business., Delivered the Rice Business MBA commencement keynote on May 8, 2026.

## Career timeline

- **Before 2001** — Served four years as a U.S. Army combat engineer officer, including a one-year deployment to Bosnia; final military role was executive officer of a combat engineer company in the Second Armored Cavalry Regiment.
- **2001** — Earned his Rice MBA and began his energy career at Mirant, a predecessor in the corporate lineage later incorporated into NRG.
- **2009-2010** — Vice President of Mirant’s Mid-Atlantic business unit.
- **2010-2012** — Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of GenOn Energy, overseeing trading and marketing.
- **2012** — Joined NRG through its acquisition of GenOn; served as Senior Vice President, Product Development & Origination.
- **2013-2022** — Senior Vice President, Business Solutions, from December 2013, after serving in C&I and Origination.
- **2022** — Became Executive Vice President, NRG Business in April.
- **2024** — Added the role of President of NRG Business and Market Operations.
- **2026-01-07** — Named President of NRG and designated to succeed Lawrence Coben as CEO.
- **2026-04-30** — Became President and Chief Executive Officer of NRG.

## Achievements

- Earned Jones Scholar distinction in Rice’s MBA program, recognizing the top 10% of the graduating class.
- Advanced from trading and commercial roles to CEO of NRG and its eight-million-customer business.
- Delivered the Rice Business MBA commencement keynote on May 8, 2026.
- Serves as Vice Chair of the Electric Power Supply Association.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Appeared on Rystad Energy’s Let’s Talk Energy podcast on September 23, discussing data-center demand, competitive power and NRG’s Bring Your Own Power approach.
- **2026-07** — Joined EPSA’s Energy Solutions podcast on July 13 to discuss demand growth, competition and industry leadership.
- **2026-05** — Delivered the Rice MBA commencement keynote on May 8 and discussed leadership while volunteering with Habitat for Humanity during NRG Impact Week, reported June 1.
- **2026-04** — Became NRG’s President and Chief Executive Officer on April 30.

## Links

- Website: https://www.nrg.com/about/our-management/Robert-J-Gaudette.html
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertjgaudette

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/robert-gaudette
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-21