Southern Company Pension Plan

Dekia Scott is the Chief Investment Officer of Southern Company, overseeing the pension plan alongside the corporate treasury and other asset pools. She joined Southern Company in 2015 and was named CIO in 2021. Scott reports to the company's CFO and manages a small internal team that executes across public and private markets.

Southern Company is a founding partner and co-chair of Energy Impact Partners, a venture and growth-equity platform focused on the energy transition. This relationship gives the pension plan early access to climate-tech deal flow, including companies in grid resilience, EV infrastructure, and carbon management. EIP's limited partner base also includes Microsoft and GE Vernova, creating a co-investment ecosystem the plan can draw upon.

Southern Company helped launch Energy Impact Partners in 2015 and remains a co-chair of multiple EIP funds. The utility provides strategic direction alongside LPs like Microsoft and Fortive. This structure gives the pension plan direct exposure to EIP's portfolio — which spans venture, growth, and credit — while aligning investments with Southern Company's net-zero by 2050 goal.

While energy transition is a defining theme, the plan maintains exposure across infrastructure, real estate, and private equity more broadly. Its Related Real Estate Fund III commitment targets commercial properties globally, and its infrastructure portfolio includes assets beyond pure-play renewables. Public filings confirm the pension trust holds a diversified mix of equities and fixed income to match liability duration.

The pension plan is a legally distinct trust governed by ERISA, with assets held for the exclusive benefit of plan participants. While Dekia Scott oversees both the pension and corporate portfolios, the pension's investment policy is set by an internal benefits committee and operates under fiduciary standards independent of the utility's balance sheet. Southern Company's 2022 annual report confirms the pension trust's assets are not commingled with corporate funds.

Southern Company maintains a long-term partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, funding ecosystem restoration projects — particularly in the Southeast, where its utility operations have environmental impact. These are grant commitments from the parent company rather than pension-plan investments. The Southern Company Foundation, a separate 501(c)(3), handles the firm's broader charitable giving.

The plan participates in co-investments primarily through its Energy Impact Partners relationship, where it can access deals alongside EIP's LP base. EIP regularly syndicates larger rounds across its strategic partners, and Southern Company's co-chair role gives it early visibility into these opportunities. The plan has not disclosed a dedicated co-investment allocation separate from its fund commitments.