First Solar, a provider of photovoltaic solar systems, has appointed Sharon Allen to its board of directors. She also will serve on the board's audit and technology committees.

In May 2011, Allen retired from the position of U.S. chairman of Deloitte, a role she held since 2003.

Allen is the first and only woman ever to serve as chairman of a large, private U.S. professional services organization. Spending the entirety of her professional career at Deloitte, she achieved a number of "firsts," including being the first female board member in Deloitte's history and its first executive chairman.