Earlier this week, Sempra announced key leadership appointments to advance the company’s strategic priorities, naming Justin Bird executive vice president and chief financial officer (CFO) of Sempra. As CFO, Bird will expand his current oversight of corporate development by adding accounting, investor relations, treasury, financial planning, audit, insurance and tax functions to his scope of responsibilities. The effective date for Bird’s appointment is expected to be on or around the closing date of Sempra’s planned sale of a 45% stake in Sempra Infrastructure Partners (Sempra Infrastructure) to affiliates of KKR. Read the press release for more information.
A 20-year veteran of Sempra, Bird has held leadership roles instrumental to long-term value creation involving many of the company’s most significant investments and capital market transactions, with experience spanning project finance, financial planning, corporate development, treasury, governance and legal functions. He has served on the board of Oncor Electric Delivery Company since January 2024, where he serves on the Audit, Finance, and Governance & Sustainability Committees, and has chaired the board of Sempra Infrastructure since 2021.
“At Sempra, we have a clear view of the significant opportunities ahead and what is required to execute on them,” Bird said. “As CFO, I’m looking forward to working closely with investors and other key stakeholders, developing the next generation of finance talent across the organization and supporting Sempra’s growth as we advance our mission to build America’s leading utility growth business.”
Leading through change
Bird currently serves as executive vice president of Sempra and chief executive officer of Sempra Infrastructure where he leads one of North America’s leading energy infrastructure platforms, managing more than $30 billion in total assets. Bird has overseen the build-out of three business lines — liquefied natural gas (LNG), energy networks and low carbon solutions — and a team of nearly 3,000 dedicated employees during a period of significant growth.
During his tenure of leading Sempra Infrastructure, Bird was successful in building a globally competitive LNG platform, advancing a portfolio of large-scale infrastructure projects and executing a series of strategic transactions to create shareholder value, while strengthening the company’s operational, safety and financial performance. Under his leadership, the company progressed construction across a series of major projects, reaching final investment decisions on Port Arthur LNG Phases 1 and 2, reaching commercial operations at a series of large-scale wind and solar photovoltaic projects, moving Energía Costa Azul LNG Phase 1 toward completion and reaching an agreement to sell Ecogas México, S. de R.L. de C.V. Collectively, these accomplishments expanded Sempra Infrastructure’s global footprint, enhanced its growth trajectory and reinforced its position as a leading North American energy infrastructure platform.
Before leading Sempra Infrastructure, Bird served as chief executive officer of Sempra LNG, where he competitively differentiated the company’s business strategy by calling for the development of projects capable of dispatching LNG out of the Gulf of America and off the west coast of North America. He also previously served as president of Sempra LNG, leading marketing and commercial development efforts across the company’s LNG portfolio.
Cross-disciplined foundation for success
Earlier in his career, Bird also held roles that helped build the cross-discipline foundation he brings to the CFO role. As director of project finance for Sempra, he led the successful $7 billion financing of the Cameron LNG liquefaction export terminal in Hackberry, Louisiana. In addition, he played a key role in helping structure and finance other major infrastructure investments across Sempra's portfolio.
Previously, Bird also served as vice president, compliance and governance and corporate secretary for Sempra, where he directed ethics and compliance programs and served as chief governance officer and corporate secretary. In that role, he oversaw corporate governance activities, including shareholder engagement programs, and helped strengthen company-wide compliance and risk management processes.
Bird joined Sempra in 2004 after working as an attorney at Latham & Watkins LLP, where he specialized in energy project development and finance. Bird holds a bachelor’s degree in accountancy from Arizona State University, where he graduated summa cum laude, and a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a member of the school’s law review.
