Southern Company names two to board of directors

The Board of Directors of Southern Company announced Tuesday the election of Janaki Akella and Anthony F. Earley, Jr. as independent directors, effective Jan. 2, 2019.

Akella will join the Operations, Environmental and Safety Committee and the Business Security Subcommittee. Earley will be on the Operations, Environmental and Safety Committee and the Compensation and Management Succession Committee.

“Janaki and Tony will provide strong leadership to Southern Company’s ability to operate our premier regulated utilities. Further, their command of the technological transformations and advancements the energy industry is experiencing will support Southern Company as we continue to shape America’s energy future,” Thomas Fanning, chairman, president and CEO of the Southern Company, said. “The addition of these two knowledgeable, respected and accomplished executives demonstrates our commitment to effective board refreshment and good corporate governance.”

Akella has served as the business leader of digital transformations at Google since 2017. Before that, she worked at McKinsey & Company from 1999 to 2016. While at McKinsey, Akella led or contributed to over 100 consulting engagements in North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. She was also the first woman partner elected globally in the Business Technology Office. She began her career with Hewlett-Packard as a member of the System Technology technical staff. She has a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. Akella earned an Electrical and Computer Engineering from Boston University and a Bachelor of Engineering degree from the College of Engineering in Guindy, India.

Earley served as chairman, president and CEO of the PG&E Corporation from Sept. 2011 through Dec. 2017. Before joining PG&E, Earley worked for seven years at DTE Energy, where he held several positions including executive chairman, chairman, CEO, president, and COO. He was previously employed by Long Island Lighting Company, where he was president and COO. Earley also served as partner at the Hunton & Williams law firm. He currently sits on the board of Ford Motor Company. Earley earned a bachelor’s degree in physics, a master’s degree in engineering, and a law degree at the University of Notre Dame. He also served as an officer in the United States Navy nuclear submarine program. In 2015, Earley was named Philanthropic CEO of the Year by the American Red Cross of the Bay Area.