Thomas Fanning: Southern Company CEO

Thomas Fanning holds Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree in Industrial Management from Georgia Institute of Technology. Thomas has also taken executive education programs at the International Institute of Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland, Harvard University School of Business and the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. 

He joined Southern Company as a Financial Analyst in 1980. Since joining the company Thomas has held various executive roles in a number of Southern Company subsidiaries, such as Chief Financial Officer of Mississippi Power  Company since June 12, 1999. Thomas was the Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President of Strategy for the parent company and held other leadership roles at Southern Company Services. 

He has served as the Chief Financial Officer of Southern Company from April 2003 to January 2008 and its Treasurer from April 2003 to May 2007. He served as the Chief Executive Officer and President of Southern Power Company. Thomas served as the  President and Chief Executive Officer of Gulf Power from May 2002 to April 2003. 

Since February 1, 2008, he served as Chief Operating Officer of Southern Company.  Since August 1, 2010, he became President and added the titles of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Southern Company since December 1, 2010. 

Thomas has been director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta since February 27, 2012, and has been the Chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta since November 2014.

What’s unique with Southern Company is it operates in the South where energy markets are still regulated and utilities still integrated, providing generation, transmission and distribution. This environment make is easier for Southern to spend billions on dollars on all forms of generation, including nuclear, coal and solar, than utilities in deregulated markets, and do so with little or no  competition. 

His job though it not easy specially when you are dealing in billions of dollars and technologies such as solar energy systems posing a threat to traditional energy distribution. He has to think far ahead with the investments the company makes given the evolving energy environment. 

Peter Terium: RWE CEO

Peter Terium was born in Nederweert, the Netherlands in 1963. Peter wanted to be a chartered accountant so he enrolled at the Nederlands Institut voor Registeraccountants in Amsterdam and worked at the same time as an independent auditor for the Dutch Ministry of Finance. He became an audit supervisor at KPMG, Einhoven, Netherlands in 1985. 

From 1990 to 2002, Peter worked in various senior international finance positions in the packaging industry for Schmalbach-Lubeca AG, Ratigen, Germany.

In January 1, 2003, he joined the RWE Group as Head of Group Controlling at RWE AG. The following year he also became a member of the Executive Board of RWE Umwelt AG. Peter was deeply involved in the restructuring and selling of RWE Umwelt AG. 

After several more promotions with increasing responsibility on September 1, 2011, he was appointed Member of the Executive Board and Deputy CEO of the Board of RWE AG. In July 1, 2013, Peter was appointed Chief Executive Officer of RWE AG. 

RWE AG is a major German utilities company and the services of Peter is still very much wanted. While he is due to finish his term on August 31, 2016. A new contract extends his term for another five years.