ATLANTA, July 7, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Thomas A.
Fanning, chairman, president and chief executive officer of
Southern Company, has announced the hiring of Michael Britt as vice president of the company's
recently introduced Energy Innovation Center in Atlanta's Technology Square.
The Energy Innovation Center is the latest addition to Southern
Company's enterprise-wide approach to innovation, which includes
the advancement of new nuclear in Georgia, a first-of-its-kind clean coal
facility in Mississippi and an
industry-leading commitment to robust, proprietary research and
development.
Under Britt's direction, the center will focus on developing and
commercializing products and services that benefit customers as
Southern Company extends its long-standing commitment to inventing
the future of clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy.
"The Energy Innovation Center will be an incubator of products
and services that will continue to position Southern Company as an
industry leader," said Fanning. "Having followed the growth of
Michael Britt's career, I am
confident he represents the combination of product development
experience, industry knowledge and understanding of Southern
Company that is essential to meet the rapidly changing needs of the
customers we're privileged to serve."
Michael Britt returns to Southern
Company – where he held several positions during the 1990s – with
nearly 30 years of experience in utility strategy, marketing,
communications, data analytics and operational improvement. Britt
has worked extensively throughout the electric utility industry,
most recently as partner of the management consulting firm Oliver
Wyman, where he fostered acquisition, market and growth strategies
for U.S. utilities. Prior to that, he served as chief operating
officer of Accenture's North American Utilities Strategy practice
and as president and chief operating officer of an Atlanta-based telecommunications company.
Britt's previous positions at Southern Company include assistant
to the chief information officer, director of mass market strategy
and vice president of the company's Southern Telecom subsidiary. He
earned a master's of business administration from the University of Notre Dame and a bachelor's degree
from the University of
Pennsylvania.
In April, Southern Company announced its intention to create a
facility dedicated to developing solutions customers need today –
and will need tomorrow – through collaborative strategic
partnerships. Expected to open later this year, the Energy
Innovation Center will build on the company's history of pioneering
innovative ideas and serve as a home for new products and services.
The center will also expand on the success of internal competitions
that have sparked hundreds of innovative ideas from employees.
With more than 4.5 million customers and approximately 46,000
megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is
the premier energy company serving the Southeast through its
subsidiaries. A leading U.S. producer of clean, safe, reliable and
affordable electricity, Southern Company owns electric utilities in
four states and a growing competitive generation company, as well
as fiber optics and wireless communications. Southern Company
brands are known for energy innovation, excellent customer service,
high reliability and retail electric prices that are below the
national average. Southern Company and its subsidiaries are leading
the nation's nuclear renaissance through the construction of the
first new nuclear units to be built in a generation of Americans
and are demonstrating their commitment to energy innovation through
the development of a state-of-the-art coal gasification plant.
Southern Company has been recognized by the U.S. Department of
Defense and G.I. Jobs magazine as a
top military employer, listed by DiversityInc as a top company for
Blacks and designated a 2014 Top Employer for Hispanics by Hispanic
Network. The company received the Edison Award from the Edison
Electric Institute for its leadership in new nuclear development,
was named Electric Light & Power magazine's Utility of the Year
for 2012 and is continually ranked among the top utilities in
Fortune's annual World's Most Admired Electric and Gas
Utility rankings. Visit our website at
www.southerncompany.com.
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SOURCE Southern Company