• CERAWEEK
  • March 10 - 14, 2025

Nick Akins

American Electric Power

Chairman, President & CEO

Nick Akins is chairman, president and chief executive officer of American Electric Power. Under his leadership, AEP is investing in a clean, modern, reliable and resilient energy system. Akins has positioned AEP to redefine the future of energy through strategic partnerships, collaboration with customers and communities, and a focus on innovation and technology. He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Louisiana Tech University and is a registered professional engineer in Texas. Akins is former chairman of the board of directors of Edison Electric Institute (EEI), Electric Power Research Institute, Global Sustainable Electricity Partnership (GSEP), and Ohio Business Roundtable (OBRT), as well as former chair of the U.S. Business Roundtable Energy and Environment Committee, of which he remains a member. Currently, he is chairman of the boards of Nuclear Electric Insurance Limited and OhioHealth, co-chair of the Columbus Partnership, and chairs the Governance Committee of Fifth Third Bancorp. He is a member of the boards of the Analysis and Resilience Center for Systemic Risk, EEI, GSEP, Institute of Nuclear Power Operators, Fifth Third Bancorp, OBRT and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2020, he was appointed to a two-year term on the National Petroleum Council.

Sessions With Nick Akins

Thursday, 12 March

  • 09:40am - 10:30am (CST) / -

    Plenary - The Shifting Narrative for the Power Business: Deregulation to decarbonization

    Power & Renewables

    Simple and appealing stories periodically gain traction and create narratives of industry transformation that influence public policy and corporate strategy development. However, narratives do not always provide insights into the future. Looking back, the deregulation narrative did not provide insights into the transition from traditional regulation to the current complex mix of market forces and regulatory processes. Looking ahead, a strategic challenge exists to evaluate the feasibility and internal consistency of the decarbonization narrative that is gaining traction and driving climate policy initiatives and a vision of the electric utility of the future. What ideas about the electricity future are going viral and shaping the decarbonization narrative? Did the gap between the expectations and the realities of deregulation provide lessons for managing the expectations associated with the decarbonization narrative?