Who Is John Ketchum, NextEra Energy’s CEO?
Last updated: October 30, 2026
John W. Ketchum is chairman, president and chief executive officer of NextEra Energy (NYSE: NEE), the US holding company for Florida Power & Light and NextEra Energy Resources. He has led NextEra as CEO since March 2022 and as chairman since July 2022, after more than two decades in finance and operating roles at the company.
Current Role
Ketchum is chairman, president and CEO of NextEra Energy. He also chairs Florida Power & Light (FPL), the company’s regulated Florida utility, and serves as chairman and CEO of XPLR Infrastructure, LP (formerly NextEra Energy Partners), the publicly traded vehicle that holds interests in NextEra’s contracted renewable and pipeline assets.
Career
| Period | Role |
|---|---|
| Early career | Tax lawyer, Lathrop & Gage, Kansas City, Missouri |
| 2002 | Joined NextEra Energy |
| 2015–2016 | Senior vice president, finance, NextEra Energy |
| 2016–2019 | Executive vice president, finance, and chief financial officer, NextEra Energy |
| 2019–2022 | President and CEO, NextEra Energy Resources |
| March 2022–present | President and CEO, NextEra Energy |
| July 2022–present | Chairman of the Board, NextEra Energy |
| February 2023–present | Chairman, Florida Power & Light |
Some secondary profiles give slightly different years for Ketchum’s CFO tenure; the dates above follow NextEra’s SEC proxy filings, the more authoritative source. While president and CEO of NextEra Energy Resources, he oversaw what the company has described as the largest three-year capital investment program in that subsidiary’s history, spanning wind, solar and storage development.
Education
Ketchum holds a Bachelor of Arts in economics and finance, graduating magna cum laude, from the University of Arizona. He also holds a Juris Doctor and a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in taxation from the University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law.
Energy-Sector Role
As CEO, Ketchum oversees both NextEra’s regulated Florida utility and its competitive power business, which is widely described as the world’s largest generator of wind and solar electricity. Under his leadership, NextEra has leaned further into large dispatchable gas projects aimed at government and data-center demand: he has publicly discussed the company’s “federal hub” program, under which NextEra Energy Resources develops and operates gas-fired plants for a fee rather than committing its own capital, with the contracted pipeline growing to about 16.5 GW disclosed in the company’s Q3 2026 earnings filing.
Companies and Projects
- NextEra Energy — chairman, president and CEO since 2022.
- Florida Power & Light — chairman since February 2023.
- XPLR Infrastructure (formerly NextEra Energy Partners) — chairman and CEO; earlier in his career he also served that entity as president and CFO.
- NextEra Energy Resources — president and CEO, 2019–2022, during a major buildout of wind, solar and storage capacity.
Timeline
- 2002: Joins NextEra Energy after working as a tax lawyer in Kansas City.
- 2015–2019: Rises through senior finance roles to become NextEra Energy’s CFO.
- 2019: Named president and CEO of NextEra Energy Resources.
- March 2022: Succeeds James L. Robo as president and CEO of NextEra Energy.
- July 2022: Becomes chairman of NextEra Energy’s board.
- February 2023: Becomes chairman of Florida Power & Light.
- October 2026: Oversees Q3 2026 results showing adjusted EPS up 9.7% year-on-year and a 16.5 GW federal-hub gas project disclosure.
Related Entities
NextEra Energy · United States Energy Profile · Mike Wirth · Patrick Pouyanné · NextEra’s 16.5 GW federal hub disclosure
FAQ
Who is John Ketchum?
John Ketchum is the chairman, president and CEO of NextEra Energy, the parent company of Florida Power & Light and NextEra Energy Resources. He has held the CEO role since March 2022.
When did John Ketchum become CEO of NextEra Energy?
He became president and CEO in March 2022, succeeding James L. Robo, and was named board chairman in July 2022.
What did John Ketchum do before becoming CEO?
He joined NextEra Energy in 2002, became the company’s chief financial officer in 2016, and then led NextEra Energy Resources, the company’s renewable and competitive power subsidiary, as president and CEO from 2019 to 2022.
Sources
- NextEra Energy, Form DEF 14A (proxy statement), SEC EDGAR, 2022.
- NextEra Energy, Form 8-K Exhibit 99.1 (Q3 2026 earnings release), SEC EDGAR, October 21, 2026.
- Business Roundtable, member profile: John W. Ketchum.
Illustrative image. Photo: Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons — source
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