James A. Hughes

Biography

 Mr. Hughes has served on our board of directors since October 2015. Effective June 30, 2016, Mr. Hughes stepped down from his role as the Chief Executive Officer of First Solar, Inc., and served as a member of First Solar, Inc.’s board of directors from May 2012 until September 2016. Prior to serving as the Chief Executive Officer of First Solar, Inc., he served as the company’s Chief Commercial Officer from March 2012 to May 2012. Prior to joining First Solar, Inc., Mr. Hughes served as Chief Executive Officer and Director of AEI Services LLC from October 2007 until April 2011. From 2004 to 2007, Mr. Hughes engaged in principal investing with a privately-held company based in Houston, Texas that focused on micro-cap investing in North American distressed manufacturing assets. Prior to that, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Prisma Energy International from 2002 to 2004. Since November 2016, Mr. Hughes has served as a director of Alcoa Corporation, a New York Stock Exchange-listed producer of bauxite, alumina and aluminum products. Mr. Hughes also served as a Non-Executive Director from 2012 to 2016 of APR Energy plc, a London Stock Exchange-listed energy company participating in the global market for gas and diesel fired temporary power plants. Mr. Hughes is Chairman of the board of directors of the Los Angeles branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Mr. Hughes holds a J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law, a Certificate of Completion in international business law from Queen Mary’s College, University of London and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Southern Methodist University.

Research Interest

 power plants, Solar energy, gas and diesel