Transcending Success – Southern Company’s Tom Fanning

In this episode of Grid Talk, host Marty Rosenberg talks with Tom
Fanning who is the Chairman, President and CEO of Southern
Company. Southern Company has a physical presence in 18 states
and is a recognized provider of customized energy solutions
across the country. The discussion focuses on several topics
including cybersecurity, a carbon-free future, distributive
energy, and rapid changes in the utility industry


The podcast starts with a discussion about cybersecurity and the
electrical grid following the SolarWinds hack.


“It is a stark reminder for all the advantages the digital
economy gives us, how vulnerable we can be if we don’t act with
the right sense of propriety in protecting those assets,” said
fanning.


Mr. Fanning also talks about Southern Company’s goal of net-zero
carbon operations by 2050.


“Critical to getting to this future will be the development of
technology whether it’s battery storage, whether it’s hydrogen,
whether it’s doing something to attack the carbon atom itself,
carbon capture and storage, EVs; there’s a whole lot we’ve got to
do as a nation to get there.”


Finally, he talks about Southern Company’s overall business
strategy and he explains “pursuing creative destruction.”


Tom Fanning has been Chairman, President and CEO of Southern
Company since 2010. With more than 35 years of experience at
Southern Company, Mr. Fanning also serves as chair of the Federal
Reserve Bank of Atlanta and holds senior positions in several
business and public policy organizations. He is an
internationally respected voice on topics that range from energy
innovation and economic growth, to cybersecurity.


Mr. Fanning earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in industrial
management and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Philosophy
degree from Georgia Tech. His executive education includes
programs at the International Institute for Management
Development in Lausanne, Switzerland, Harvard Business School and
the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.