American Superconductor Corp. announced that Daniel P. McGahn, President and Chief Operating Officer, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors, effective June 1, 2011. Dan McGahn succeeds founder Gregory J. Yurek, who is retiring after more than two decades of service to the company as part of the CEO succession plan that has been discussed with the Board of Directors since late 2010. Yurek, 64, will continue to serve as Chairman of the Board until the company’s annual meeting of stockholders in August and as a Senior Advisor to the company for the next two years.
“The past 24 years have been challenging, exhilarating and rewarding,” said Yurek. “Together with a great team at AMSC, we have been a superconductor technology pioneer and evolved into a dynamic power technologies company. Having worked with Dan for nearly five years, I am confident in his ability to lead the company through today’s obstacles and into another era of growth.”