New president takes over reins of Ecova, a Spokane-based energy management company

Spokane-based Ecova, an energy management company, has hired Mathias Lelievre as its new president and chief executive.

Lelievre brings a background in the global energy industry to Ecova, which helps companies reduce their energy use and improve sustainability. About 900 people work for the company in Spokane.

Ecova’s clients include Fortune 500 companies, and it works with corporations that represent about 8 percent of the commercial and industrial electric load in the United States.

Last year, Ecova helped clients reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 14.6 million tons of carbon dioxide, according to company officials.

Ecova was founded as a spinoff of Avista Corp.’s utility business. Avista sold the company in 2014, and it is now owned by ENGIE, a French multinational energy firm.

Lelievre, Ecova’s new president, formerly worked for the French government. In that role, he led the negotiations of General Electric’s $10 billion purchase of Alstom’s power and grid business for the French state. He was most recently head of ENGIE’s green mobility program, which works to reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector.

Ecova’s interim president, Martin Siehm, will return to his role as the company’s chief operating officer.