Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd.(NYSE: STP), one of the world's largest producers of solar panels, announced it has appointed two new directors to the Company's Board of Directors effective immediately. Mr. Philip Fan has been appointed as an independent director and Mr. Weiping Zhou has been appointed as an executive director of the board and President of Suntech. With the new appointments, Suntech's board of directors now has seven members including four independent directors.
"We are delighted to welcome Mr. Fan and Mr. Zhou to Suntech's board of directors," said Ms. Susan Wang, Suntech's chairwoman. "Mr. Fan brings deep experience across multiple industries and is a seasoned director of publicly listed companies, and Mr. Zhou has broad experience in executive and financial management positions during his time at Guolian Group. We are confident that their knowledge and expertise will be invaluable as we navigate near-term challenges and realize Suntech's long-term potential in the solar industry."
Mr. Fan was formerly an executive director and is now an independent non-executive director of Hong Kong Stock Exchange listed China Everbright International Ltd., a developer and operator of multiple waste-to-energy and wastewater treatment plants in China. He also serves as an independent non-executive director at HKC (Holdings), Hysan Development Co., First Pacific Co., Zhuhai Zhongfu Enterprise Co. Ltd and Goodman Group. Prior to that, Mr. Fan was an executive director of CITIC Pacific Ltd in charge of industrial projects in China. Mr. Fan holds a Bachelor's degree in industrial engineering, a Master's degree in Operations Research from Stanford University and a Master's degree in Management Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
As President of Suntech, Mr. Zhou will manage business operations and work with Mr. David King, Suntech's CEO, and the board to define the strategic direction of the Company. Prior to joining Suntech, Mr. Weiping Zhou served as chairman of Guolian Futures Co., Ltd and finance department manager of Guolian Development (Group) Co. Ltd. Prior to that, he held management roles at Guolian Securities and Hengda Securities. Mr. Zhou holds a Bachelor's degree in accounting from Hebei College, and an executive MBA from Southeast University in China.