CEO Salary & Executive Compensation
Southern Company SO
CEO: Chris Womack · Electric Utilities · 27,000 employees
Chris Womack, CEO of Southern Company (SO), earned $8.0M in total compensation in 2016. Southern Company receives a Pay-for-Performance grade of B (71/100), with a CEO-to-worker pay ratio of 84:1 and a say-on-pay shareholder approval of 93.0%. The company's 3-year total shareholder return is +5.0%.
How Southern Company CEO Pay Compares
Chris Womack's $8.0M total compensation is 0% below the Electric Utilities industry median of $8.0M. The 84:1 CEO-to-worker pay ratio is 14% lower than the industry average of 98:1.
Chris Womack, CEO of Southern Company (SO), received $8.0M in total reported compensation. The package mix typical at this scale: a small base salary, a larger stock-award component, and performance-tied incentives that vest over multiple years based on relative TSR or earnings benchmarks.
The CEO-to-median-worker pay ratio runs 84x. Lower ratios typically reflect companies with higher-paid workforces (financial services, technology, professional services) where the median worker pay denominator is itself substantial. Three-year performance has been roughly flat — TSR of 5.0% alongside 8.2% revenue growth. Flat performance over a multi-year window is where pay-versus-performance debates get the most heated: large compensation packages without commensurate shareholder returns are the modal complaint at annual meetings.
Shareholders supported the compensation package at 93% on the most recent say-on-pay vote. Solid support without overwhelming endorsement is the typical pattern for established public companies with conventional compensation programs. Southern Company operates in Electric Utilities with 27,000 employees and $25.2B in annual revenue, and currently carries a market capitalization of $93.0B. Pay comparisons across companies require controlling for these structural factors — a $20M package at a $10B-revenue tech company reads differently than the same package at a $1B-revenue industrial.
Source: SEC EDGAR — DEF 14A proxy statements for Southern Company (SO).
Compensation Breakdown
Chris Womack's $8.0M total compensation package for fiscal year 2016 includes $800K in base salary, $4.0M in stock awards, $960K in option awards, and $1.2M in bonus and non-equity incentives.
Compensation History
| Year | Salary | Bonus | Stock Awards | Options | Non-Equity | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $800K | - | $4.0M | $960K | $1.2M | $880K | $8.0M |
| 2015 | $800K | - | $4.0M | $960K | $1.2M | $880K | $8.0M |
| 2014 | $800K | - | $4.0M | $960K | $1.2M | $880K | $8.0M |
| 2013 | $800K | - | $4.0M | $960K | $1.2M | $880K | $8.0M |
All compensation data is sourced from SEC DEF 14A proxy filings submitted to EDGAR. The Economic Policy Institute's CEO pay analysis provides additional context on executive compensation trends across industries.
Named Executive Officers
Peer CEO Compensation
Chris Womack, CEO of Southern Company (SO), earns $8.0M in total compensation. This includes base salary, stock awards, option awards, and other incentives as reported in the company's most recent DEF 14A proxy statement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Chris Womack, CEO of Southern Company (SO), earns $8.0M in total compensation. This includes base salary, stock awards, option awards, and other incentives as reported in the company's most recent DEF 14A proxy statement.
Southern Company has a Pay-for-Performance Score of B (71/100). The company's 3-year total shareholder return is +5.0%, and the say-on-pay shareholder vote passed with 93.0% approval.
The CEO-to-median-worker pay ratio at Southern Company is 84:1. The median worker at Southern Company earns $95K per year, while CEO Chris Womack earns $8.0M in total compensation.
Southern Company employs approximately 27,000 people. The company operates in the Electric Utilities industry within the Utilities sector, generating $25.2B in annual revenue.