AEP’s commitment to being a profitable, sustainable enterprise is led by our chairman and executive management team with oversight from the Board of Directors and is embedded throughout the organization through goals, incentive plans, measurement and reporting.

The Board’s Committee on Directors and Corporate Governance has direct oversight of this report and reviews the company’s sustainability objectives, strategies, targets and progress. The committee provides input and guidance to management and holds it accountable for performance. The full Board adopts and issues a statement to that effect, which we publish.

Management formally reports to the Committee for Directors and Corporate Governance twice a year on our progress toward achieving the commitments in this report, but management, the full Board and each committee of the Board regularly discuss the issues that are most material and pose the greatest risk. Many of these issues are directly connected to our sustainability commitments.

The Board has emphasized that it will evaluate management by its success in executing the company’s strategic plan to meet stakeholders’ and the Board’s expectations, including its agility in adapting to the current economic environment while respecting the commitments we make.

We are guided by values and by a set of Principles of Business Conduct (PDF) that require us to operate with integrity, fairness, respect and care for others with the highest regard for safety and the environment. All employees are bound by these principles, which also help to ensure legal compliance by stating what is acceptable and what is not. A confidential 24/7 hotline allows employees to report concerns anonymously and seek guidance on ethics and compliance. Our goal is to maintain a supportive working environment, one in which employees know that their concerns are being addressed in a respectful and confidential manner.