FirstEnergy hires compliance and ethics chief

NYSE-listed FirstEnergy Corp has hired Antonio Fernández as vice president and chief ethics and compliance officer, effective April 12.

In his new role, Fernández will report to senior vice president and chief legal officer Hyun Park and the board’s audit committee. He will also work closely with the compliance oversight subcommittee of the audit committee.

Fernández most recently spent almost five years as chief compliance and privacy officer of the Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), where he led PSEG’s ethics, compliance and privacy programs, counseled senior management and the board of directors on the compliance program and advised on cyber-security matters.

Before joining PSEG in 2016, Fernández was global ombuds leader and executive counsel for GE Power. During his five years at the company, he held roles of increasing responsibility, including serving chief compliance officer for GE’s nuclear business.

Earlier, he was a senior attorney for Florida Power & Light from 2007 to 2011 and nuclear counsel for Pacific Gas and Electric Company from 2005 to 2007. Fernández began his career at the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

‘Antonio’s skills and experience will be instrumental in reinforcing FirstEnergy’s core values and behaviors and further embedding compliance, ethics and integrity into the company’s culture,’ Donald Misheff, non-executive chair of FirstEnergy’s board, says in a statement. ‘We are confident he will build on the proactive steps the board and management are taking to address challenges and rebuild trust with stakeholders.’

FirstEnergy’s 10 electric distribution companies serve customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York.