Nicholas K. Akins was the CEO and Chair of American Electric Power Company (AEP), a major utility leader in the U.S. He started his career at AEP in 1982 and steadily moved up the ranks, becoming CEO in 2011 and...

Nicholas K. Akins was the CEO and Chair of American Electric Power Company (AEP), a major utility leader in the U.S. He started his career at AEP in 1982 and steadily moved up the ranks, becoming CEO in 2011 and Chair in 2014. Akins prioritized aligning executive pay with the performance of the company, which meant his earnings varied. For instance, in 2022, he earned about $1.7 million, a drop from nearly $15 million in 2021, mainly due to no bonuses or stock options that year. He emphasized safety and operational earnings during his leadership, and he was known for improving AEP's regulatory compliance. In 2022, he stepped down as CEO, becoming the Executive Chair of the Board, signaling a planned transition in leadership to Julia A. Sloat. Coming from an engineering background with a degree from the University of Texas at Austin, Akins has claimed a stable legacy at AEP, focusing on operational excellence and strategic direction.