AES Corporation

The AES Corporation is a Fortune 200 company that generates and distributes electrical power. AES is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, and is one of the world's leading power companies, generating and distributing electric power in 27 countries and employing 27,000 people worldwide.

History

The company was founded on January 28, 1981, as Applied Energy Services by Roger Sant and Dennis Bakke who met in the Nixon/Ford Administration as appointees in the Federal Energy Administration. The company was initially a consulting firm; it became AES Corporation, which went public in 1991. Sant was Chairman, CEO, and President and Bakke was Executive Vice President until 1987 when Bakke became President. Bakke became CEO in 1994 until he resigned in 2002. Sant remained as Executive Chairman until 2003 and as a member of the board until 2006.

Bakke and Sant expanded AES at a breakneck pace, building power plants in 29 countries and expanding its staff from 1,400 to 32,000 employees. At the same time, they advocated a decentralized management system, promoting social responsibility over profits.