13 December 2010

First Solar’s executive chairman Ahearn to become chairman of board

First Solar Inc of Tempe, AZ, USA, which makes thin-film photovoltaic modules based on cadmium telluride (CdTe) as well as providing engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services, says that Mike Ahearn will transition from executive chairman to chairman of the board of directors on 1 January, which is described as a natural evolution of the leadership succession announced in 2009 when Rob Gillette was appointed CEO.

“We thank Mike for his unwavering dedication to First Solar and look forward to continuing to work with him,” says Gillette.

In addition, chief accounting officer James Zhu has been appointed interim chief financial officer from 1 January, succeeding Jens Meyerhoff and overseeing financial operations until a new CFO is named. As announced in July, Meyerhoff is fully transitioned from his role as CFO to president of First Solar’s Utility Systems business, which provides complete large-scale photovoltaic (PV) system solutions for utility customers.

“We are confident James will transition seamlessly into this new role given his deep experience and knowledge of our financials and financial systems,” says Gillette. “This also frees Jens to be fully dedicated to running our global Utility Systems business and managing our 2.2GW captive project pipeline, which will be key drivers of our future growth.”

Zhu joined First Solar in 2007 as VP & corporate controller and has been chief accounting officer since 2009. Previously, he held positions in accounting and controlling at Salesforce.com, Chiron Corp and KPMG LLP. He is a Certified Public Accountant and earned a B.A. in economics in China and an M.B.A. in accounting from Golden Gate University.

Tags: First Solar Thin-film photovoltaic CdTe

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