Gale Klappa, longtime executive of WEC Energy group, to step down in 2026

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The chairman of We Energies‘ parent company will retire in May.

Gale Klappa, 75, will retire from the WEC Energy Group board after the company’s annual meeting in May, the board of directors announced.

The board plans to choose Scott Lauber, president and chief executive officer of WEC Energy Group, as the next company chairman in addition to his current role. Lauber served as president and chief executive officer and member of the board of directors since February 2022. He joined Wisconsin Energy Corp. in 1990.

Klappa served as chief executive officer for 23 years, the longest in company history, officials said.

Klappa joined Wisconsin Energy Corp. as president in April 2003 and was elected to the company’s board of directors in December 2003, officials said. From May 2004, Klappa served as chairman and chief executive officer of Wisconsin Energy and We Energies.

In 2015, the company acquired Integrys Energy Group, at which time he assumed those same roles for WEC Energy Group, officials added.

In May 2016, Klappa retired as chief executive officer of WEC Energy Group and served as its non-executive chairman, officials said.

When his successor was sidelined by a medical issue in October 2017, Klappa stepped in as chairman and chief executive officer, they added. He returned to his non-executive role in May 2024.

Klappa is the co-chair of Milwaukee 7, a regional economic development initiative.

The board voted to give Klappa the title Chairman Emeritus, the first title of its kind in company history. The title is effective after the annual meeting.