Kenneth Lay was an American businessman best known as the founder, chairman, and CEO of Enron Corporation. Under his leadership, Enron grew to become one of the world's leading energy companies before its sudden and catastrophic collapse. He was a prominent figure in the energy industry and a major political contributor before the scandal broke. Lay was convicted on multiple charges of fraud and conspiracy related to the Enron scandal in 2006 but died before he could be sentenced.