The Business Ethics Leadership Alliance Grows to Over 275 Enterprise Members Who Collaborate to Demonstrate the Correlation Between Business Integrity and Long-Term Performance Globally

AARP, Hertz, CBRE, Fiat, Intuit, MODEC, Comfama, TechnipFMC, Diebold Nixdorf and more join a diverse group of globally recognized companies prioritizing ethical leadership and corporate integrity.

​​​​​Ethisphere, a global leader in defining and advancing standards of ethical business practices, announced today that 19 new companies have joined the growing ranks of the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance (BELA) community. To date, more than 275 leading companies have taken their corporate integrity programs and practices to the next level by joining BELA.

Founded by Ethisphere, BELA is a 275+ member strong globally recognized organization of leading companies collaborating together to share best practices in governance, risk management, compliance and ethics.

“The accelerated growth of BELA sends a strong message to the business community that there is a deep need for data, shared insights and collective intelligence that can support a diverse set of leaders charged with implementing effective integrity programs. BELA aligns so well with these pursuits, that it often becomes part of the working culture,” said Kevin McCormackExecutive Director for BELA. “Whether the organization is new to BELA or a long-standing member, all are rigorously pursuing ethics and compliance in a way that measurably improves business performance, amplifies leading practices and evokes pride in shared values as companies work together across geographies and industries.”

This growth in membership rewards the community with new shared insights that enable organizations to support and challenge one another as they innovate to address risks, improve business performance and place values and integrity at the center of all that they do. The complete list of new companies joining BELA include:

  • AARP
  • Baker Hughes
  • Caja de Compensación Familiar de Antioquia (COMFAMA)
  • Capital One
  • CBRE
  • Cognizant
  • CSG International (CSG)
  • Diebold Nixdorf
  • DTE Energy
  • Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines
  • Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
  • Hertz
  • Intuit
  • Magna International
  • MODEC
  • Otsuka Pharmaceutical
  • TechnipFMC
  • The Doctors Company
  • Zimmer Biomet

“CSG is one of the world’s leading revenue management and digital monetization, customer experience and payment solutions providers, and a trusted partner to some of the most well-known companies around the globe,” said Lynn StangChief Compliance Officer. “We leverage more than 35 years of experience to help our clients simplify the complexity of a rapidly changing business landscape. Personal and professional integrity are the foundation of our success: we strive to achieve results for the company and our clients through ethical and legal business practices. Working with BELA and its members will provide insights to help us ensure that our ethics and compliance activities and tools continue to grow and evolve to support our unwavering commitment to do what is right.”

“Joining BELA further underscores our commitment to strengthen our culture of integrity and compliance, which is the foundation of our business,” said Jeannie HenryHertz Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer. “Every employee at Hertz has a shared responsibility to act with integrity and make ethical decisions. Having the right tools and resources will help us ensure that all employees are making the right decisions, no matter what their position is within the company.”

“AARP empowers people to choose how they live as they age, a mission we advance by exhibiting integrity and high ethical standards in all we do and everyone we work with,” said Ellen Hunt, AARP Senior Vice President, Audit, Ethics & Compliance Officer. “Joining BELA is an opportunity to ensure that our compliance, governance and ethical priorities are aligned to help us earn the trust of those we serve. We look forward to sharing what works at AARP while learning from the BELA community about the latest best practices in business ethics.”

”In keeping with our long history of enabling connected commerce, Diebold Nixdorf maintains a commitment to delivering meaningful, impactful and sustainable results to the communities we serve, which is the driving force behind what makes us a global family that provides solutions for people who rely on us,” said Lisa Radigan, Vice President and Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer, Diebold Nixdorf. “Through networking opportunities and the resources provided by experts at Ethisphere, we expect to learn and experience new ways to continue to conduct our business the right way, with enhanced governance, ethics and compliance processes. We look forward to being part of the BELA family.”

The more than 275 BELA member companies represent 30 industries and are headquartered in 15 different countries. The BELA community of companies has become a pivotal platform of connected leadership dedicated to progressing company standards and practices across global and regional business ecosystems. Driven by a global desire to advance integrity and improve business performance, in 2017, BELA expanded to South Asia. The South Asia Chapter includes a community of select Founding member companies and “integrity partners” who have taken on a leadership role in inspiring best practices in ethics, integrity and anti-corruption efforts across India and South Asia. Applying a similar model, new chapter expansion has now reached Mexico and Latin America.

BELA Member Benefits—Request Guest Access

BELA members receive enterprise-wide access to the BELA Member hub—a premier repository of resources featuring examples of work, presentations and research from select BELA companies intended to cultivate more idea exchange and inspiration for companies to continuously improve in the area of ethics and compliance. Dozens of companies such as Dell, Lincoln Financial GroupGEAllstate, MahindraNokiaStarbucksVF CorpU.S. BankHilton, Allianz, Cummins and more have shared multi-modal examples of how they are taking specific aspects of their programs to the next level and the practical steps being taken to improve.

Ethisphere recently launched the BELA Leadership Guide, a new portfolio of interviews—exclusive to the BELA community—rich with data-driven insights and tools from AT&TBayerAccentureUnileverParsons and others. A chapter of the guide is available publicly and highlights how leading companies harness the power of innovation to address risks and progress their compliance programs.

To request guest access to the BELA member hub, click here.

In addition to these resources, members can download Ethisphere research, content, expertise and data-driven insights such as the recent World’s Most Ethical Companies Insights Report series, a special report on root cause taxonomy, “focused facts” research, presentations, exclusive podcast interviews and webinars. Companies also have the opportunity to benchmark their programs against leading practices and use data to measure, improve and build a business case.

The BELA community has access to a robust portfolio of in-person summits, forums and more than 30 peer-to-peer roundtables hosted by BELA member companies, held each year in major U.S. cities and key international markets as a platform for shared ideas and practical conversations on the most pressing challenges impacting compliance with a diverse set of leaders and stakeholders.

About BELA

Founded by Ethisphere, the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance (BELA) is a globally recognized organization of leading companies collaborating together to share best practices in governance, risk management, compliance and ethics. BELA’s membership has since grown to a large community of companies who recognize the inherent value of promoting ethical leadership and world-class compliance culture. Learn more about BELA by visiting http://bela.ethisphere.com. To nominate a company to join BELA, contact Director of Member Engagement Sarah Neumann at [email protected].

About Ethisphere 

The Ethisphere® Institute is the global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices that fuel corporate character, marketplace trust and business success. Ethisphere has deep expertise in measuring and defining core ethics standards using data-driven insights that help companies enhance corporate character. Ethisphere honors superior achievement through its World’s Most Ethical Companies® recognition program, provides a community of industry experts with the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance (BELA) and showcases trends and best practices in ethics with Ethisphere Magazine. Ethisphere also helps to advance business performance through data-driven assessments, benchmarking and guidance. More information about Ethisphere can be found at https://ethisphere.com.

Media Contact
Aarti Maharaj
Director of Communications
646-480-9715
[email protected]
@Ethisphere

Ethisphere Opens 2020 World’s Most Ethical Companies® Application Process

Upcoming webcast on Aug. 13 will provide guidance and insights into changes to the 2020 Ethics Quotient® and the World’s Most Ethical Companies® application process.

​​​​​ Ethisphere, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices, announced today that the 2020 World’s Most Ethical Companies evaluation process is now open.

Grounded in Ethisphere’s proprietary Ethics Quotient®, the assessment process includes more than 200 questions on culture, environmental and social practices, ethics and compliance activities, governance, diversity and initiatives to support a strong value chain.

In addition to being the basis of determining the annual list of the World’s Most Ethical Companies, Ethisphere designed its Ethics Quotient process to capture information and data that leads to practical decision-making and the development of best practices in business ethics.

The process serves as an operating framework to capture and codify the leading practices of organizations across industries and around the globe. The data obtained from the World’s Most Ethical Companies application provides a holistic assessment of where companies stand in their programs, allowing them to compare, measure and benchmark against the demanding standards of leading companies. Scorecards will be sent to each applicant following the 2020 honoree announcement.

The deadline to submit the completed assessment and supporting documentation is Friday, Nov. 8, 2019, at 11:59 p.m.

Companies considering participating in this year’s application process should register for the upcoming webcast on Aug. 13 at 1 p.m. ET by visiting: https://events.ethisphere.com/events/webcast-wme-2020-app

The application process changes from year to year, and new and repeat participants are encouraged to join this instructive webcast “World’s Most Ethical Companies: A Guide to Applying in 2020.” This year, participants will have a chance to explore updates to the questionnaire and review the Documentation Guidelines to better understand what materials the review team expects to see as part of a submission. Webcast participants will also have the opportunity to ask questions and glean important insights about the application process. Companies that applied last year will automatically receive updated 2020 information regarding the application process.

“Companies around the world continue to demonstrate a growing commitment to ethics and initiatives that support a healthy business ecosystem,” said Ethisphere Chief Executive Officer Tim Erblich. “Today employers are more trusted than other societal institutions, and this is a tremendous responsibility. Like humans, companies aren’t always perfect. However, we do think it is important to codify leading practices of ethical performance, to recognize the benefits of doing so and share the ways that organizations of all types can improve. The bottom line is that companies that do good, do better business. The World’s Most Ethical Companies designation enables leading companies to showcase their commitment to integrity. We are pleased to provide this opportunity for the 14th year in 2020.”

Ethisphere’s long-standing belief that financial performance and ethics go hand-in-hand continues to be validated by the “Ethics Premium.” Ethisphere’s annual practice of tracking how the stock prices of publicly traded honorees compare to a Large Cap Index found that listed 2019 World’s Most Ethical Companies outperformed the large-cap sector over five years by 14.4 percent and over three years by 10.5 percent. [https://www.worldsmostethicalcompanies.com]

“Research and our Ethics Premium show a strong correlation between companies acting in ethical and principled ways and strong business performance,” said Michael ByrneSenior Vice President, Ethisphere. “The Ethics Quotient process provides an independent evaluation of a business’s compliance and governance processes and compares the findings to data-driven insights from the best of the best in corporate ethics.”

After the webcast, registrants will be sent the Application Guide and invited to request their company’s custom URL.

Companies earning the World’s Most Ethical Companies distinction in 2020 will be honored at Ethisphere’s World’s Most Ethical Companies Honoree Gala Dinner in New York City on March 31, 2020.

The gala is followed by the 12th Annual Global Ethics Summit on April 1-2, 2020. The Summit is Ethisphere’s premier annual event connecting the most respected and diverse class of company leaders, inspiring companies’ commitment to integrity to improve their business performance. Early registration and discounts are available here.

Click here to see a full list of the 2019 World’s Most Ethical Companies honorees and download volumes one to three of the 2019 Insights Report series, which showcases data and the programs and practices of leading companies. Complete with informative charts and graphical presentations of usable data, the Insights Report series drives home the value of a first-rate ethics, compliance and governance program.

About Ethisphere 

The Ethisphere® Institute is the global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices that fuel corporate character, marketplace trust and business success. Ethisphere has deep expertise in measuring and defining core ethics standards using data-driven insights that help companies enhance corporate character. Ethisphere honors superior achievement through its World’s Most Ethical Companies® recognition program, provides a community of industry experts with the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance (BELA) and showcases trends and best practices in ethics with Ethisphere Magazine. Ethisphere also helps to advance business performance through data-driven assessments, benchmarking and guidance. More information about Ethisphere can be found at https://ethisphere.com.

###

​Aarti Maharaj​
​Director of Communications
[email protected]
@Ethisphere​

About Ethisphere 

The Ethisphere® Institute is the global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices that fuel corporate character, marketplace trust and business success. Ethisphere has deep expertise in measuring and defining core ethics standards using data-driven insights that help companies enhance corporate character. Ethisphere honors superior achievement through its World’s Most Ethical Companies® recognition program, provides a community of industry experts with the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance (BELA) and showcases trends and best practices in ethics with Ethisphere Magazine. Ethisphere also helps to advance business performance through data-driven assessments, benchmarking and guidance. More information about Ethisphere can be found at https://ethisphere.com.

###

Media Contact:
​Aarti Maharaj​
​Director of Communications
[email protected]
@Ethisphere

Ethisphere Launches BELA Executive Leadership Guide to Advance Top Practices of Ethics & Compliance Leaders

Ethisphere’s Business Ethics Leadership Alliance (BELA) offers new portfolio of interviews, rich with data-driven insights and tools from AT&T, Bayer, Accenture, Unilever, Parsons and others

​​Ethisphere, a global leader in defining and advancing standards of ethical business practices, and the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance (BELA) announced today the introduction of a new integrated resource called the “BELA Executive Leadership Guide.” The new online, digital guide hosts video interviews with established industry leaders who provide insights and shared experiences to enable and empower the community to thrive and transform regardless of the challenges ethics and compliance leaders face each day.

“The BELA community has always been one which, at the core, is about improving integrity through shared experiences,” said Kevin McCormackExecutive Director for BELA. “This new guide serves as a channel through which more wisdom can be imparted and ideas progressed via a portfolio of unique insights and practical resources.”

Founded by Ethisphere, BELA is a more than 275-member strong globally recognized organization of leading companies collaborating together to share best practices in governance, risk management, compliance and ethics.

A chapter of the guide is available publicly and features Bayer AG and Accenture, who share how they harness the power of innovation to address risks and progress their compliance programs.

The video interviews — exclusive to BELA members — feature insights from senior executives at AT&T, 3M, Bayer, Unilever, Accenture and other companies and address a wide variety of topics, including:

·      Advice for Those New to the Ethics and Compliance Role

·      Building a Business Case and Progressing Programs

Doing More with Less: Optimizing E&C Programs

Using Data to Drive Compliance

Each video is coupled with practical tools, data and resources tailored to provide inspiration and guidance to individuals at every stage of their ethics and compliance journey.

All Ethisphere research, special reports, data findings and company interviews can be found on a dedicated BELA Member Hub — a repository of resources featuring examples of work, presentations and research from select BELA companies intended to cultivate more idea exchange and inspiration for companies to continuously improve in the area of ethics and compliance.

Dozens of companies such as Dell, Lincoln Financial GroupGEAllstate, MahindraNokiaStarbucksVF Corp U.S. BankHilton, Allianz, Cummins and more have shared examples of how they are taking specific aspects of their programs to the next level and the practical steps being taken to improve.

To request guest access to the hub, click here.

About BELA

Founded by Ethisphere, the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance (BELA) is a globally recognized organization of leading companies collaborating together to share best practices in governance, risk management, compliance and ethics. BELA’s membership has since grown to a large community of companies who recognize the inherent value of promoting ethical leadership and world-class compliance culture. Learn more about BELA by visiting http://bela.ethisphere.com. To nominate a company to join BELA, contact Director of Member Engagement Sarah Neumann at [email protected].

About Ethisphere 

The Ethisphere® Institute is the global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices that fuel corporate character, marketplace trust and business success. Ethisphere has deep expertise in measuring and defining core ethics standards using data-driven insights that help companies enhance corporate character. Ethisphere honors superior achievement through its World’s Most Ethical Companies® recognition program, provides a community of industry experts with the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance (BELA) and showcases trends and best practices in ethics with Ethisphere Magazine. Ethisphere also helps to advance business performance through data-driven assessments, benchmarking, and guidance. More information about Ethisphere can be found at https://ethisphere.com.

CONTACT:
​​Aarti Maharaj​
​Director of Communications
[email protected]
@Ethisphere​

Source: Ethisphere