FIRST Award for Responsible Capitalism 2005
3rd December 2005
At a special ceremony at Marlborough House, London, attended by over 250 prominent business leaders, parliamentarians, and Ambassadors, Sir Mike Jackson GCB CBE DSO ADC Gen, Chief of the General Staff presented the FIRST Award for Responsible Capitalism to Mr Alan Wood CBE, Chief Executive of Siemens Plc, the leading industrial corporation. The Special Advocacy Award was presented to Martin Wolf CBE, Associate Editor of the Financial Times.
Mr Wood becomes the seventh head of an international corporation to receive the award. The previous winners have been Lord Browne of Madingley, Group Chief Executive of BP (2000), Marilyn Carlson Nelson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Carlson Companies (2001), Sir Robert Wilson KCMG, Executive Chairman of Rio Tinto (2002) and now Chairman of the BG Group, Dr Daniel Vasella, Chairman and CEO of Novartis AG (2003), Mr Morris Tabaksblat KBE, Chairman of Reid Elsevier and Mr Jaime Zobel de Ayala, Chairman of Ayala Corporation, the joint winners for 2004.
When making the Award, the Judges are looking for a business leader who has demonstrated social responsibility as an integral part of commercial success. Among the qualities which have commended recipients to the judges have been their concern for the environment and for the local communities in which their companies are active.
In making the Award to Mr Wood, Lord Dahrendorf said ‘Alan Wood has combined successful leadership of a highly innovative company with concern for the environment and the well-being of the local communities in which it operates’.
The Special Advocacy Award is presented this year for the first time and goes to Martin Wolf, Associate Editor and Chief Economics Commentator of the Financial Times, who in the view of the Judges has faced the questions of globalisation and capitalism head on and provided considered and effective responses. Lord Dahrendorf said ‘He has done this in an exemplary manner, his hallmark is independence of judgement and he is a worthy winner of this special award’.
Sir Mike Jackson said ‘I believe FIRST’s initiative in setting up these awards, now in their seventh year, is to be applauded. Corporate leaders and advocates of ‘Responsible Capitalism’ should be recognised for their achievements and the award of medals, a long standing military tradition, is an excellent way of highlighting leaders in this field and as an encouragement to others to rise to the challenge’.
The Judging Panel is chaired by the leading economist Lord Dahrendorf KBE and includes Chief Emeka Anyaoku GVCO TC CFR, Lord Browne of Madingley, Marilyn Carlson Nelson, Rt Hon Lord Howe of Aberavon CH QC, Lord Plant of Highfield, Hon Raymond Seitz, Sir Robert Wilson KCMG, Dr Daniel Vasella, Sir Patrick Cormack FSA MP, and Lord Marshall of Knightsbridge. Rt Hon Lord Woolf will take over the Chairmanship of the Judges in 2006 from Lord Dahrendorf who will remain on the panel.
About the Award
FIRST initiated the FIRST Award for Responsible Capitalism in 2000 to honour business leaders who have excelled in both commercial success and social responsibility. Rupert Goodman, Chairman of FIRST said ‘We at FIRST believe that commercial success can be assessed in terms of standard criteria, but that social responsibility involves a greater sense of the needs of the wider community as well as shareholders, a special interest in the well-being of groups in need, care for the areas in which the business operates, environmental initiatives, and support for the arts and culture’.
About FIRST Magazine
The recipient of a PPA Award for publishing excellence, FIRST Magazine was established in 1984 to enhance communication between leaders in industry, finance and government at the strategic level. Post contributors to the publication have included Prime Minister Rt Hon Tony Blair MP and his two predecessors, President Hu Jintao of China, President Jacques Chirac of France, President Roh Moo-hyun of Korea, World Bank President James Wolfensohn, OECD Secretary-General Donald Johnston, U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, OPEC Secretary-General Purnoma Yusgiantoro, WTO Director General Supachai Panitchpakdi and leading business figures including Jeroen van der Veer, Chief Executive of Shell, Sir Martin Sorrell, Chief Executive of WPP, Bill Gates of Microsoft, John Chambers of Cisco Systems, Lord Browne of Madingley and Sir Robert Wilson, both previous winners of the award. FIRST also publishes a range of books, special reports and sector publications including ‘World Petroleum’ and ‘Global Energy’.
For more information please contact:
Rupert Goodman, Chairman of FIRST
Tel: 020 7389 9640
Email: Rupert.Goodman@firstmagazine.com
www.firstmagazine.com