"Since closing the merger that created Evergy more than two years ago, we have exceeded our merger goals, creating more than $300 million in cost savings to benefit our customers and shareholders," commented Bassham. "Our successful integration as a management team and strong, consistent execution to date has allowed us to exceed forecasted merger benefits and meet all of our regulatory commitments while improving operational excellence and increasing our involvement in the communities we serve. Now, with the creation and launch of our five-year Sustainability Transformation Plan, Evergy is well-positioned for its next chapter. As we embark on this new high-performance plan, I believe this is the right time for Evergy to transition to a new CEO who has the career runway to see the plan through from the start."