C. John Wilder
American businessman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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
Career
In 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
Wilder is married to Susan Wilder. They have three children.[5]