Southern Company hires information technology veteran as chief information officer

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Jul 13, 2015, 10:00 ET

ATLANTA, July 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Mark S. Lantrip, president and chief executive officer of Southern Company Services, today announced that Martin B. Davis has been named executive vice president and chief information officer.

Southern Company hires Martin B. Davis as chief information officer.

Davis joins Southern Company Services after a nearly 30-year career in key enterprise information technology and security roles with Wells Fargo and Wachovia. He most recently served as head of enterprise technology services, executive vice president and chief technology officer for Wells Fargo. Previously, he served as Wells Fargo's head of technology integration and as Wachovia's corporate chief information officer, among other roles.

"With social, mobile and cloud technologies driving a rapid evolution of our customers' expectations, Martin's vast experience in using these technologies will propel the organization forward and challenge us to push the boundaries of innovation and excellence," Lantrip said. "His ability to drive this technology excellence in highly regulated environments, which also demand a high degree of cybersecurity, makes him an excellent addition to Southern Company's leadership."

In his new role, Davis and his organization will lead a key component of the company's innovation efforts, particularly in developing and implementing cutting-edge technology solutions that improve customers' daily lives. These efforts are expected to work hand-in-glove with the ideas that are coming to life in the company's recently launched Energy Innovation Center.

Davis serves on the board of trustees at Winston-Salem State University, and on the American Heart Association's Mid-Atlantic region board. Davis has been recognized as one of the "50 Most Important African-Americans in Technology" by U.S. Black Engineers & Information Technology magazine and one of the "75 Most Powerful African-Americans in Corporate America" by Black Enterprise.

Davis comes to Southern Company Services on the heels of IDG's Computerworld naming the company as one of the best workplaces for information technology professionals for 2015 in its annual ranking of the 100 "Best Places to Work in IT."

Davis earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Winston-Salem State University and is a graduate of the Young Executives Institute and the Wachovia Executive Leadership Program at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

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