Meet The Speaker for Mike Pinto at ORU

Meet Michael Pinto from Orange and Rockland Utilities. Learn how this Yankees fan played baseball in college, enjoys a good cigar, and sees the growing need for change management in the utility industry.

Meet Mike in person at the 9th Change Management for Utilities Conference, September 23-24, 2019 in San Diego, where he’ll talk about Orange & Rockland Utilities’ Change Management Approach to its latest AMI Project.

Q: Name, title, Company

A: Michael Pinto, Project Specialist, Orange and Rockland Utilities

Q: Family, hometown, where you live

A: I was born and raised in Yonkers, NY and now live in White Plains, NY with my wife (Sara), and 2 children. – Luke and Sofia

Q: Utility/Leadership experience

A: I joined O&R in 2013 as a Call Center Supervisor after experience operating call centers in a previous position. In my brief time in the call center at O&R, I was able to help manage the implementation of a new phone system and oversee the remodeling of two of our customer walk-in facilities, including the integration of self-service kiosks. After regulatory approval and an interesting job posting in 2015, I took the first O&R Change Management dedicated position in the Company’s history, becoming the O&R AMI Change Management & Customer Engagement Lead. My colleagues and I have been able to successfully implement a transformative technology that has changed how our Company does business – all leading to an improved customer experience allowing us to provide a higher level of service. In my position at O&R, I specifically oversaw all process and system training, standard operating procedures, as well as internal and external communications for the AMI implementation.

Q: What do you like to do when you’re not working? Hobbies?

A: I truly enjoy and value spending time with family. I also enjoy gardening (I am a lawn care nut!), a good cigar, and watching the Yankees. When I have time, which is not frequent, I like to play softball and golf.

Q: Notable achievements

A: I played 4 years of baseball at Pace University. It was a tremendous experience where I was able to make lifelong friends and travel to some unforgettable places. I graduated with an MBA from Manhattan College in 2017. I was the first in my family to graduate with any form of a college degree. My pride and joy are my 2 beautiful children. Professionally, I was O&R’s Your Best Award Winner in 2018, received a certification in Agile Project Management in 2019, and have become the Change Management ‘go to’ person within the O&R organization!

Q: Where do you see ‘Change Management in Utilities’ in two-to-five years?

A: In an industry that is rapidly evolving, I see analytics being used more and more to drive organizational decisions and specifically drive the way change management strategies are approached. As Utilities have increasingly large sets of data points at their fingertips, it will be up to us as industry leaders to frame the data so that it drives operational excellence and the customer journey.

Q: Who are a couple of your role models (and why?)

A: My uncle, he was my first employer, but has always been a father figure. He owns a catering business and I worked for him for 8 years. He taught me from an early age to work hard, be accountable, and always strive to exceed expectations. A very strong influence in my personal life and in my career. My current boss, Keith Scerbo, has been a great role model as well. Especially pertaining to managing people, learning the utility industry, and composing yourself professionally in various settings.

Q: What is one of your biggest goals?

A: My biggest goal is to be a role model to my son and daughter. To be someone that they can look up to and trust for guidance and learn the value of family. Professionally, I am excited for the journey, but if I had to pinpoint it than I would like to become a Director within the Customer Operations or Corporate Affairs Organizations at O&R or Con Edison.

Q: What’s the biggest misconception you run into in your role (or what people seem to think about Change Management)?

A: That it’s not a necessity. That it’s strictly communication focused, a bunch of fluff, party planning, etc. I think it’s important that folks realize in order to realize maximum value from a project or new mission that a sound change management approach is needed. I am lucky to say that O&R has supported the effort since inception.

Find out more about our Change Management for Utilities conference in San Diego here!