Company: SOJE
Filing Date: 2025-03-31
Form Type: PRE 14A
Source: 0000092122-25-000032
Chunk: 26

Company: SOUTHERN CO
Filing Date: 2025-03-31
Form: PRE 14A
Chunk 26
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 Director is elected by the independent Directors of the Board to serve in the role for a period of generally two to three years. Mr. Earley was elected by the independent Directors in May 2024 to serve as Lead Independent Director. The Board’s succession planning process includes the regular review of the skills, qualifications, attributes and experiences of the independent Directors to identify potential future candidates for the Lead Independent Director role.

#### 28Southern Company2025 Proxy Statement

#### Governance
|                                                                                                                                                                           |     | Anthony F. Earley, Jr.                                                                   
 Lead Independent Director                                                                
 Provides strong independent leadership and independent oversight of executive management |     |                                                                                                                                                                          |
| 4Chair executive sessions of the non-management Directors, which are included on the agenda of every regular board meeting, with the ability to call an executive session 
 4Chair Board meetings in the absence of the Chairman                                                                                                                      
 4Work with the Chairman to set the agenda for Board meetings                                                                                                              
 4Approve the agenda (with the ability to add agenda items) and schedule for Board meetings to provide that there is sufficient time for discussion of all agenda items    
 4Approve information sent to the Board                                                                                                                                    
 4Meet regularly with the Chairman                                                                                                                                         |     |                                                                                          |     | 4Act as the principal liaison between the Chairman and the non-management Directors (although every Director has direct and complete access to the Chairman at any time) 
 4Serve as the primary contact Director for stockholders and other interested parties                                                                                     
 4Communicate any sensitive issues to the Directors                                                                                                                       
 4Oversee the independent Directors’ performance evaluation of the Chairman, in conjunction with the chair of the Compensation and Talent Development Committee           
 4Partner with the Nominating, Governance and Corporate Responsibility Committee and the Chairman in the recruitment and retention of Directors and management            |

#### Role of the Independent Directors
The Board has strong, independent Directors who provide additional independent leadership to the Board and effective oversight of management. The independent Directors are free to raise subjects at a Board meeting that are not on the agenda for that meeting. An executive session, which allows the independent Directors to meet without the Chairman present, is included on the agenda of every regular board meeting.

All of the Board’s six standing committees are comprised solely of independent Directors and independent Directors chair all of these committees. Each Board committee has a designated member of senior management, other than the Chairman, that works with the independent Director that chairs that committee to develop the committee’s agenda for each meeting. The independent