Sonya Elam Harden

Executive Vice President, Chief External Affairs Officer
Spartanburg, South Carolina

Sonya is responsible for global government affairs, community relations, communications and sustainability in support of the company’s strategic priorities. She also oversees the Alcoa Foundation. Working closely with her team of communications and government affairs professionals, she will play a key role in protecting Alcoa’s brand and ensuring the company’s license to operate.

Sonya joined Alcoa in 1989 and held roles of increasing responsibility in communication, marketing and government affairs in the company. Most recently, she held the role of Vice President, Government Affairs, Western Hemisphere, where she led federal and state government affairs activities for Alcoa’s operations in Canada, Brazil and the U.S. Previously she served as Director of Communications, Global Primary Products for Alcoa Inc. where she directed public affairs, media relations, crisis communication, and stakeholder engagement. As Director of Marketing, she was responsible for global branding and leading the development of marketing communication strategies for Alcoa’s markets and businesses. She left Alcoa in 1998 to work for Harris Teeter, a grocery store chain in the southeastern U.S., where she managed all customer relations, media and employee communications. She returned to Alcoa in 2001 as Director of Marketing Communications for Alcoa Fujikura Ltd. and oversaw branding, advertising and promotion.

Sonya is a graduate of The Ohio State University with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism. She currently serves on the Board of the Public Affairs Council and chairs the Government Affairs Committee for the US Aluminum Association.