TULSA, Okla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE: WMB) (“Williams”) today announced that Micheal G. Dunn has been appointed executive vice president, chief operating officer of Williams, effective Feb. 27, 2017. In this newly created role, Mr. Dunn will focus on optimizing operations to enhance Williams’ competitive advantage and advance the execution of the Company’s long-term growth strategy. Mr. Dunn will report to Alan Armstrong, president and chief executive officer of Williams.

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Williams Appoints Micheal Dunn as Chief Operating Officer (Photo: Business Wire)

Mr. Dunn is a proven executive and energy industry veteran. He most recently served as president of Questar Pipeline and executive vice president of Questar Corporation. From 2010 to 2015, Mr. Dunn served as president and CEO of PacifiCorp Energy, a multi-state regulated electric power generating company and a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Energy.

Mr. Armstrong stated, “We are very excited that Mike is joining the Williams management team as chief operating officer. He is an outstanding leader with extensive engineering, project management and operating experience in our industry, including more than 25 years in technical and executive management positions at natural gas transmission and pipeline companies. We look forward to benefitting from his expertise as we propel Williams into its next stage of growth as we build out the nation’s key natural gas infrastructure.”

Mr. Armstrong continued, “The Williams team has undertaken a thoughtful and comprehensive analysis of our end-state organizational design. Mike’s appointment further streamlines our business in a way that aligns with our proven natural gas-focused strategy, and will allow us to even more rapidly adapt to evolving market conditions and demand.”

Mr. Dunn stated, “It is an honor to be joining Williams at such an exciting and important time for the Company. I look forward to working with Alan and the talented employees of Williams to cement Williams’ position as North America’s premier natural gas infrastructure company.”

About Micheal Dunn

Mr. Dunn was president of Questar Pipeline and executive vice president of Questar Corporation from 2015 to 2016. At Questar, he was the executive leader of a major western U.S. natural gas transmission company comprising four FERC regulated interstate pipelines with natural gas storage and processing capabilities. Prior to Questar, he served as president and CEO of PacifiCorp Energy, a regulated power generation subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Energy, from 2010 to 2015. Prior to that, Mr. Dunn was president of Kern River Gas Transmission Company, a Berkshire Hathaway Energy interstate natural gas pipeline subsidiary. He joined Kern River in 1990, having served in various leadership roles in the areas of operations, construction, engineering and information technology before being named President of Kern River in 2007. Mr. Dunn began his career with Williams as an operations engineer and spent 14 years with the company in a variety of technical and leadership roles.

Mr. Dunn graduated in 1988 from the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. He is a registered professional engineer in the state of Oklahoma.

About Williams & Williams Partners

Williams (NYSE: WMB) is a premier provider of large-scale infrastructure connecting U.S. natural gas and natural gas products to growing demand for cleaner fuel and feedstocks. Headquartered in Tulsa, Okla., Williams owns approximately 74 percent of Williams Partners L.P. (NYSE: WPZ). Williams Partners is an industry-leading, large-cap master limited partnership with operations across the natural gas value chain from gathering, processing and interstate transportation of natural gas and natural gas liquids to petchem production of ethylene, propylene and other olefins. With major positions in top U.S. supply basins, Williams Partners owns and operates more than 33,000 miles of pipelines system wide – including the nation’s largest volume and fastest growing pipeline – providing natural gas for clean-power generation, heating and industrial use. Williams Partners’ operations touch approximately 30 percent of U.S. natural gas. www.williams.com

Portions of this document may constitute “forward-looking statements” as defined by federal law. Although the company believes any such statements are based on reasonable assumptions, there is no assurance that actual outcomes will not be materially different. Any such statements are made in reliance on the “safe harbor” protections provided under the Private Securities Reform Act of 1995. Additional information about issues that could lead to material changes in performance is contained in the company’s annual and quarterly reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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