Southern Company has new vice president and chief HR officer

Nancy Sykes, vice president and chief human resources officer at U.S. Steel, recently took over the same positions at Southern Company Services, where she will be responsible for managing HR and labor relations functions for the company and its subsidiaries.

Sykes holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Rochester Institute of Technology and spent much of her early career at General Electric (GE), where she proved her skills in the human resources department, earning positions as the global human resources leader for GE Water & Process Technologies in 2005 and global human resources leader for GE Intelligent Platforms in 2007.

Sykes moved from GE to Goodyear, where she advanced to vice president for human resources, Asia Pacific. She worked for five years at U.S. Steel before moving to Southern Company, a gas and electric utility holding company based in Atlanta.

"At Southern Company, our focus on developing successful employees is critical to how we serve our customers and our communities," Chairman, President and CEO Thomas Fanning said. "Our commitment to that core value is a driving force behind everything we do. It's one of the keys to 'how' we build the future of energy. Nancy brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to our leadership team, and we look forward to her arrival."