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BC Hydro CEO Charlotte Mitha on powering growth, clean energy and leading authentically

As the newly minted CEO of BC Hydro, Charlotte Mitha is overseeing the utility’s most ambitious expansion in decades while managing a sprawling system of 80,000 kilometres of power lines across a million square kilometres of territory. We sat down at BC Hydro’s downtown Vancouver headquarters for a candid chat about the province’s electrifying future

By Darcy Matheson /

You’re one of the first female CEOs of BC Hydro. What does that mean to you?

When I was in engineering, there were very few women. Now I see tremendous representation of women across all technical fields. We still struggle in trades big time, though. Even at BC Hydro, our representation is really low. I’ve had some very excellent mentors over the years, so I’m pretty passionate about getting women into these non-traditional areas.

I’m also an introvert. I’m assertive, but I’m not an aggressive person. There’s not one model of a CEO. What I’m trying to show women is that you can be your authentic self and take on these roles.

Before this role you spent years as executive VP of operations, managing 3,000 employees. How did that prepare you for the CEO role?

In operations, you get to see how critical reliable and safe electricity is to the people who live in B.C. It’s their very quality of life, their security, their aspirations—both business and personal. This is a huge province. I understand how this grid works and what it takes from the people of BC Hydro to deliver safe and reliable power. Now I get to take that knowledge and lead this amazing BC Hydro team in a time when it’s all about big build. We get to build more infrastructure, then we get to operate it—and it’s all for the greater good.

What’s your vision for your first few years on the job?

One is making sure we expand the infrastructure to support growth in business and population. That means acquiring more renewable supply, building out the grid and investing in the resiliency of the grid.

Site C became fully operational in August 2025, the month you took the CEO seat. What role will it play in B.C.’s energy future?

Site C is very exciting. We’re getting the full output now: 1,100 megawatts—it’s 8 percent of our current supply and powers 500,000 houses. But we have to keep doing more. We have two power calls out right now that will add about 10,000 gigawatt hours, which is enough to power 1 million homes. We’ve got some big projects on the go to access more renewable energy. The North Coast Transmission Line is one of those big ones.

How much are you thinking about EV infrastructure in B.C.?

We’ve got a big role in establishing that Electric Highway and building fast charging stations. I know people worry about what happens when everybody on their block has an EV—will the distribution system be able to handle it? What we’re seeing is that it’s a very manageable onboarding of load. We’ve been oversizing local transformers for years in anticipation of EV load showing up in neighbourhoods. We’re definitely able to handle the load that’s coming from electric vehicles.

Where do you see B.C.’s energy sector in 10 years?

BC Hydro’s goal is to still be the example of a clean source of electricity industry. We’re going to be able to give customers options for taking our clean electricity and reducing their GHG footprint. I think you’ll look back 10 years from now and say, “Wow, they built a lot of infrastructure to support B.C.’s economy and B.C.’s resiliency.”

As a Crown corp and a business, how do you balance public service obligations with financial sustainability?

We have the third lowest residential, commercial and industrial rates in North America, which is a great starting point. We spend money on big projects but our projects last 50 to 100 years, so we can amortize costs over very long periods, which helps with rate impacts. Energy efficiency plays a huge role too because it’s still our cheapest form of supply.   

Pet Peeve

Over-explaining.

Hobby

Gardening.

If I had a superpower it would be…

Controlling the weather.

Most memorable concert 

Beyoncé.

Recent TV binge

Dept. Q

Favourite podcast  

Columbia Energy Exchange (a great podcast on energy).

Most memorable concert 

U2.

Guilty pleasure 

Dog videos on YouTube.

Favourite place in B.C. 

The Seton Lake area near Lillooet.

Last book I read

How Big Things Get Done by Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner.

Darcy Matheson

Darcy Matheson

Darcy is the Editor in Chief of BCBusiness magazine, and the Vice President of Digital for Canada Wide Media and Alive Publishing Group, overseeing social, video and digital editorial for lifestyle magazines across Canada's West Coast, including Vancouver magazine, Western Living, BC Living and Alive.