After starting his career at Oliver Wyman in the Chicago office, Camilo Serna built deep expertise in utilities, energy strategy, and regulation before taking on leadership roles across the industry. Today, at NERC, he helps safeguard the reliability and security of the North American grid. We caught up with Camilo to discuss the evolution of his career, what excites him most about the electricity space today, and the consulting lessons that still shape how he works.
Tell us about your time at Oliver Wyman.
I joined in 1999, and my very first project was in utilities in Chicago. At the time, I didn’t necessarily set out to specialize in the space, but I quickly found that I enjoyed the work, the partners, and the team. I also had the chance to work across other industries, including aviation and marketing services, but I kept coming back to utilities. Over time, I began to see that the industry was going through major transformations, especially around clean energy technologies and energy efficiency, and that made the work increasingly interesting to me.
What prompted your move from consulting into industry?
After about nine years at Oliver Wyman, I had just been promoted to director when a headhunter approached me about a strategy role at a utility in Connecticut. At the same time, my family was young, and the amount of travel was becoming harder to manage. The move gave me a chance to stay closer to home while taking on a role that fit naturally with what I had been doing: looking at new technologies, new business models, and how utilities needed to evolve. It turned out to be a great transition.
How did your career evolve after that?
I spent several years in Connecticut and New England before moving to another utility in Michigan, where I led strategy and later regulatory teams. After that, I joined FirstEnergy for a few years to help strengthen the regulatory function. Two years ago, I moved to NERC, which is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that helps ensure the reliability and security of the North American grid.
What does NERC do?
In simple terms, our job is to help make sure the grid does not go down. We work to ensure that the electric system across North America is as reliable and secure as it can be. That includes setting and enforcing mandatory standards for utilities and other entities that operate within the system.
What excites you most about the space today?
Electricity is the first 1% to 3% of the economy. If you do not have electricity, you do not have much else. What makes the sector so interesting right now is that it sits underneath almost everything in daily life: working from home, connected devices, electric vehicles, solar, and the wider digital economy. It is also a space that has a direct impact on customers, which has always mattered to me. On top of that, the industry is changing quickly, and that creates a lot of opportunity.
What are the biggest challenges you think about right now?
There are three that I pay the most attention to. The first is demand growth, which is unlike anything we have seen in decades, driven largely by data centers, along with electrification and the reshoring of manufacturing. The second is the changing generation mix. We are moving away from coal and adding a lot more solar and batteries, which is good from a cost and emissions standpoint, but it also makes planning and operating the grid more complex because those resources are weather-dependent. The third is integrating large new loads, especially data centers, into the grid in a way that preserves reliability.
How do you manage so many different stakeholders?
The first step is to figure out the right mechanism, cadence, and level of engagement for each group. Utilities, trade associations, policymakers, and CEOs all need to be approached differently. Then you have to listen carefully and go a few layers deeper to understand what people are really worried about. Finally, you have to keep showing up. Relationships need regular touchpoints. I try to keep meetings going even when there is nothing urgent to discuss, because that is often when you build the trust that matters later.
How did Oliver Wyman prepare you for your current role?
The biggest takeaway was the structured way of solving problems. Consulting teaches you to break a complex issue into manageable pieces, form a hypothesis, and then adjust as you learn more. It also sharpened my ability to generate ideas, manage projects, and build relationships. Those last two have been especially important in my career, even if I did not appreciate how central they were at the time.
What advice would you give to someone interested in energy policy, utilities, or the grid?
Learn the space. Take time to build relationships with people who work in it, keep up with the industry press, and understand the specific issues and dynamics shaping the market. A high-level view is useful, but the real value comes from knowing what is actually happening on the ground.
How do you stay connected to the Oliver Wyman community?
Mostly through former colleagues, mentors, LinkedIn, and the occasional alumni event. I have stayed in touch with people who were important to my career, and I really value those professional friendships. I also have very fond memories of my time at Oliver Wyman, and I always appreciate opportunities to reconnect with the community.
This page was originally published on July 24, 2026.