Canada's utility firm Algonquin appoints former PE executive as director

Feb 2 (Reuters) - Canada's Algonquin Power & Utilities said on Friday it had appointed a private equity veteran as a new independent director, amid a push from activist firms to boost its earnings.

The utility firm said David Levenson, a former managing partner at Brookfield Asset Management, will join its board, effective immediately.

"We welcome David to the Board as we advance our strategic transformation into a pure play regulated utility," said Kenneth Moore, chair of Algonquin's board.

The company announced its CEO's resignation in August last year, the same day it said it was considering a sale of its renewable energy unit following push for changes from activist firms including Corvex Management and Starboard Value.

Corvex and Starboard did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the latest appointment.

(Reporting by Sourasis Bose in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)