Leadership

• Michael J. Ahearn

  Chairman of the Board - Director since 2000 | Chairman of the Board

  Michael J. Ahearn, Chair of the Board, Technology Committee. Mr. Ahearn previously served as the Company’s chief executive officer from August 2000 to September 2009; interim chief executive officer from October 2011 to May 2012; executive chair from October 2009 to December 2010 and May 2012 to July 2012; and non-executive chair from January 2011 to October 2011 and July 2012 to present. Mr. Ahearn is currently Chair and Managing Partner of True North Venture Partners, L.P., a venture capital firm he launched in 2011 to invest primarily in early stage companies in the energy, water, agriculture, and waste sectors. Prior to First Solar, he was partner and president of an equity investment firm, JWMA (formerly True North Partners, LLC). Prior to joining JWMA, Mr. Ahearn practiced law as a partner in the firm of Gallagher & Kennedy. Mr. Ahearn currently serves as a member of the board of directors of Cox Enterprises, Inc.; and a member of the Global Advisory Board of Beijing Climate Policy Initiative. Mr. Ahearn holds a B.A. in Finance and a J.D. from Arizona State University. During his tenure as chief executive officer of First Solar, Mr. Ahearn led the development and expansion of First Solar from a small, privately held company to a successful multinational, industry-leading public company.

• Richard D. Chapman

  Independent Director - Director since 2012

  Richard D. Chapman, Audit Committee, Compensation Committee. Mr. Chapman serves as Senior Advisor and as a member of the Board of Managers of River Bend Holdings, LLC. He is an advisor to Walton Enterprises, LLC, where he worked since 1983 and most recently served as Chief Financial Officer. In this capacity, Mr. Chapman oversaw all aspects of the Walton Family Office in Arkansas. Mr. Chapman currently serves on the boards of directors of the Arvest Bank Group, the holding company for a diversified financial services company; the Razorback Foundation; and the American Friends of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, where he serves as the chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee. Mr. Chapman also serves as special advisor to BDT Capital Partners. Mr. Chapman was previously a member of the Board of Managers of First Solar Holdings, LLC prior to the Company going public and JWMA. Prior to joining Walton Enterprises, Mr. Chapman worked from 1976 to 1983 in London, England and Little Rock, Arkansas, for the accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. A certified public accountant (inactive), Mr. Chapman holds a B.S.B.A. in Accounting from the University of Arkansas.

• Anita Marangoly George

  Independent Director - Director since 2021

  Anita Marangoly George, Technology Committee. Ms. George was appointed to the board of directors in July 2021 upon the recommendation of the Chair of the Board. Ms. George is a co-founder of a sustainability-focused fund, Edhina Capital. Ms. George has held various positions at la Caisse de Dépôt et Placement du Québec (“CDPQ”), a global investment group managing funds for public retirement and insurance plans. Ms. George served CDPQ from 2016 to 2017 as Managing Director South Asia, and from 2017 to 2020 as Executive Vice President and Head of Emerging Markets and Strategic Partnerships, and from 2020 until June 2021 as Executive Vice President, Deputy Head of CDPQ Global. Prior to joining CDPQ, Ms. George worked at the World Bank from June 2014 until 2016 as Senior Director, Global Practice Energy and Extractives, and from 2000 to 2014 at the International Finance Corporation, as Global Director Infrastructure and Regional Director Asia Pacific, Infrastructure and Natural Resources. Ms. George is known for her expertise in infrastructure finance, especially renewable energy finance. Ms. George currently represents CDPQ on Edelweiss Credit Finance Limited, a financial services company based in Mumbai, India. Ms. George has been appointed as an Independent Non-Executive Director on the Board of Piramal Enterprises Limited (PEL), one of India’s leading conglomerates active in financial services and pharmaceuticals. In July 2022, Ms. George was appointed as an Independent Non-Executive Director on the Board of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group. Ms. George also serves on the boards of Pearson College, British Columbia, Canada, one of the United World Colleges; the Indo-Canadian Business Chamber, a not-for-profit promoting trade and investment relations between India and Canada; and TalentNomics India, a not-for-profit focused on empowerment of women. Formerly, she served on the World Economic Forum Global Future Council on Infrastructure for two terms, and currently serves on the following nonprofit advisory boards and councils: The Resilience Recovery Fund of the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), Women in Private Equity (an industry association for women in private equity), the Advisory Council of the Chandrakanta Kesavan Center for Energy Transition at the Indian Institute of Technology at Kanpur, the India Energy and Climate Center at the Goldman School of Public Policy, UC Berkeley (an affiliate of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory), and the Financial Advisory Council of the International Solar Alliance (a multilateral institution that promotes solar world-wide). Ms. George holds a master’s degree in Economic Policy and a Master of Business Administration from Boston University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Smith College.

• George A. Hambro

  Independent Director - Director since 2012

  George A. Hambro, Technology Committee (Chair). Mr. Hambro previously held various positions at First Solar from June 2001 through June 2009, including serving as Chief Operating Officer from February 2005 through May 2007. Prior to joining First Solar, he held the positions of Vice President of Engineering & Business Development for Goodrich Aerospace from May 1999 to June 2001 and Vice President of Operations for ITT Industries from February 1997 to May 1999. In previous years, Mr. Hambro has been a director of both the Toledo Zoo and Imagination Station, Toledo’s Science Center. Mr. Hambro currently serves on the board of directors of General Fusion, a private fusion energy company based in Vancouver, Canada. Mr. Hambro graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a B.A. in Physical Science (Applied Physics).

• Molly E. Joseph

  Director since 2017 - Lead Independent Director (2021-2023) 

  Molly E. Joseph, Lead Independent Director (2021-2023), Audit Committee, Nominating and Governance Committee. Ms. Joseph is the Managing Partner of a healthcare investment fund focused on health system modernization, integration, and affordability. From 2010 to 2020, Ms. Joseph served as President and then Chief Executive Officer of UnitedHealthcare Global, and from March 2009 to 2021, Ms. Joseph served as Senior Vice President and then Executive Vice President, Global, UnitedHealth Group. In these roles she grew the business from a start-up to a leading global health benefits and medical delivery organization that serves 9 million patients and 7 million insurance members. She served on UnitedHealthcare’s Executive Council and UnitedHealth Group’s Executive Leadership Team. Prior to her global role with UnitedHealth Group, she led acquisitions and other strategic transactions across UnitedHealth Group. Prior to joining UnitedHealth Group, she was an investment banker and began her career as a corporate attorney. Ms. Joseph is a member of the board of directors of West Pharmaceutical Services, where she serves on the compensation committee, finance committee and the innovation and technology committee. Ms. Joseph also serves on the board of trustees of Santa Clara University and the board of directors of U.S. Radiology Specialists. Ms. Joseph graduated from Santa Clara University with a Bachelor of Science degree, and received a J.D. from Georgetown Law Center.

• Craig Kennedy

  Independent Director - Director since 2007

  Craig Kennedy, Audit Committee. From 1995 to 2014, Mr. Kennedy was president of the German Marshall Fund, an independent American organization created in 1972 as a permanent memorial to the Marshall Plan. The German Marshall Fund sponsors a wide range of programs related to foreign, economic, immigration, and environmental policy, and it operates a number of political exchanges between the United States and Europe with a special emphasis on Germany. Mr. Kennedy began his career in 1980 as a program officer at the Joyce Foundation in Chicago. Mr. Kennedy was president of the Joyce Foundation between 1986 and 1992, where he built the Foundation’s environmental program and launched a new program on U.S. immigration policy. Mr. Kennedy left the Joyce Foundation to work for Richard J. Dennis, a Chicago investor and philanthropist. During this same period, Mr. Kennedy created a consulting firm working with nonprofit and public sector clients. Mr. Kennedy was audit committee chair of the Invesco Van Kampen Open-End and Closed-End-Funds from 1999 to 2014. Mr. Kennedy holds a B.A., an M.A., and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

• Lisa A. Kro

  Independent Director - Director since 2022

  Lisa A. Kro, Audit Committee (Chair). Ms. Kro has served as the Chief Financial & Administrative Officer of Ryan Companies since 2019, overseeing their accounting, finance, human resources, legal, and information technology departments. From 2011 to 2018, Ms. Kro was a founding partner of Mill City Capital, L.P., a private equity firm, where she was Chief Financial Officer and Managing Director. From September 2004 to March 2011, Ms. Kro was the Chief Financial Officer and a Managing Director of Goldner Hawn Johnson & Morrison, a private equity firm. She began her career in public accounting with a 17-year tenure at KPMG, including spending a year at KPMG’s Munich office and serving as the Practice Leader for the Retail, Food & Manufacturing practice in the Midwest. Ms. Kro is a director of MillerKnoll, Inc. (d/b/a Herman Miller, Inc.), a publicly traded company. She has previously served on the board of eight private companies, one public company, and five not-for-profit organizations. Ms. Kro is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors and the Minnesota chapter of Women Corporate Directors. Ms. Kro has a Bachelor of Science degree from Minnesota State University Moorhead and is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive).

• William J. Post

  Lead Independent Director - Director since 2010

  William J. Post, Lead Independent Director, Compensation Committee, Nominating and Governance Committee, Technology Committee. Mr. Post retired as chair and chief executive officer of Pinnacle West Capital Corporation (“Pinnacle West”) in April 2009. He joined Arizona Public Service (the largest subsidiary of Pinnacle West) in 1973 and held several officer positions at Arizona Public Service and Pinnacle West. Mr. Post joined the boards of Arizona Public Service in 1995 and Pinnacle West in 1997. Mr. Post became chair of both boards in 2001 and retired in April 2010. He is currently chair of the board of the Translational Genomics Research Institute and serves on the boards of directors of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona and the City of Hope. Mr. Post has served as chair of Swift Transportation, SunCor Development Company, Stagg Information Systems, Nuclear Assurance Corporation, Nuclear Electric Insurance Limited, the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations, and El Dorado Investment Company. He also served as a director of Phelps Dodge Corporation and U.S. Airways. In addition to his corporate work, he has been very active in the community serving as chair of the boards of the Business Coalition, Greater Phoenix Leadership, Greater Phoenix Economic Council, Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, and the United Way Campaign. He is currently chair of the Arizona State University Enterprise Partners Foundation. Mr. Post has a Bachelor of Science degree from Arizona State University. Mr. Post has received numerous awards and honors including the National Americanism Award from the Anti-Defamation League, the Arizona State Heritage Award, and an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Northern Arizona University.

• Paul H. Stebbins

  Independent Director - Director since 2006

  Paul H. Stebbins, Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, Nominating and Governance Committee (Chair). Mr. Stebbins has served as chair emeritus and as a non-employee director of World Fuel Services Corporation (“World Fuel”) since May 2014. Previously, Mr. Stebbins served as the chair and chief executive officer of World Fuel from July 2002 to January 2012 and as executive chair from January 2012 to May 2014. He has served as a director of World Fuel since June 1995. Between July 2000 and 2002, Mr. Stebbins also served as president and chief operating officer of World Fuel. In 1985, Mr. Stebbins co-founded Trans-Tec Services, a global marine fuel service company acquired by World Fuel in 1995. Mr. Stebbins is a founding member of the FixUS initiative on civic reform hosted by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. He is a member of the board of trustees of Amigos de las Americas, a youth leadership development program based in Houston, Texas, a member of the advisory board of The Silk Road Project, Inc., a musical ensemble and cultural innovation organization founded by renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

• Michael T. Sweeney

  Independent Director - Director since 2003

  Michael T. Sweeney, Compensation Committee (Chair), Nominating and Governance Committee. Mr. Sweeney served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Steinway Musical Instruments, Inc. from October 2011 until August 2016, director since April 2011, and chair of the board from July 2011 through September 2013. Mr. Sweeney served as chair of the board of Star Tribune Media Holdings, the holding company for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, from September 2009 to September 2014, and as a director of Carlson Companies, Inc. Mr. Sweeney served as managing partner in Goldner Hawn Johnson & Morrison, Inc., a private equity firm, from 2001 through 2008. He had previously served as president of Starbucks Coffee Company (UK) Ltd. in London and held various operating management and corporate finance roles.

• Norman L. Wright

  Independent Director - Director since 2022

  Norman L. Wright, Compensation Committee, Nominating and Governance Committee. From May 2022 to August 2023, Mr. Wright served as Executive Vice President, Health Equity Strategy of UnitedHealth Group, where he had previously served as Executive Vice President & Chief Customer Officer. He previously served as Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing and Customer Officer and as Executive Vice President and Chief of Global Operations at Optum, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group. From 2007 to 2013, Mr. Wright was Managing Director, Client Experience for Citigroup Inc.’s Consumer Operations in North America and led the Retail Bank Call Centers. Prior to this, Mr. Wright served as an executive at a number of companies. He was Executive Partner, Customer Contact Transformation at Accenture plc. from 2004 to 2007, Senior Vice President, HSN Customer Care at HSN from 1999 to 2004, Senior Vice President and General Manager at Fidelity Investments Inc. from 1996 to 1999, Vice President, Customer Service at G.E. Capital from 1994 to 1996, and Vice President, Customer Service at JPMorganChase & Co. from 1986 to 1994. He has previously served as a director of UnitedHealth Foundation and YMCA of the North, both non-profits, as well as The Brighton Center, Inc., the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, 1st Tee of San Antonio, and the University of Texas at San Antonio. Mr. Wright has a Bachelor of Arts from Swarthmore College.

• Mark R. Widmar

  Director - Director since 2016

  Mark R. Widmar was appointed Chief Executive Officer in July 2016. He joined First Solar in April 2011 as Chief Financial Officer and also served as First Solar’s Chief Accounting Officer from February 2012 through June 2015. From March 2015 to June 2016, Mr. Widmar served as the Chief Financial Officer and through June 2018, served as a director on the board of the general partner of 8point3 Energy Partners LP, the joint yieldco formed by First Solar and SunPower Corporation in 2015 to own and operate a portfolio of selected solar generation assets. Prior to joining First Solar, Mr. Widmar served as Chief Financial Officer of GrafTech International Ltd., a leading global manufacturer of advanced carbon and graphite materials, from May 2006 through March 2011. Prior to joining GrafTech, Mr. Widmar served as Corporate Controller of NCR Inc. from 2005 to 2006, and was a Business Unit Chief Financial Officer for NCR from November 2002 to his appointment as Controller. He also served as a Division Controller at Dell, Inc. from August 2000 to November 2002. Mr. Widmar also held various financial and managerial positions with Lucent Technologies Inc., Allied Signal, Inc., and Bristol Myers/Squibb, Inc. He began his career in 1987 as an accountant with Ernst & Young. Mr. Widmar holds a Bachelor of Science in business accounting and a Master of Business Administration from Indiana University.

Committee Charters

• Audit
• Compensation
• Nominating & Governance
• Technology
• Lead Independent Director