Phoenix, AZ – April 25, 2024 – Ethisphere, a global leader in defining and advancing standards of ethical business practices, announced the recipients of the 2024 Business Ethics Leadership Alliance (BELA) Impact Awards. The awards went to five companies and three individual leaders within the BELA membership that exemplified extraordinary commitment to advancing community engagement, growth, and transformation. The awards were announced on the first day of the 2024 Global Ethics Summit.
“BELA thrives as a community because of its diverse industry representation and the rich experience of leaders that are stalwarts of the profession,” said Kevin McCormack, Executive Vice President & Executive Director, BELA. “These individuals and teams extend a commitment beyond their own organization, are stewards of company culture, and share program examples and approaches to help elevate BELA. Over the past year as the business environment moves at breakneck speed, E&C leaders are adapting to new challenges and innovations, and integrity is at a premium. Congrats to this year’s BELA Impact Award recipients for how they have enabled this community to keep pace by contributing with best-in-class tools and insights.”
BELA Community Champion
Milliken & Company and HCA Healthcare each received the BELA Community Champion award for their outstanding content contributions to the BELA Member Hub, event participation, publications, mentorship, and peer-to-peer support.
Kasel Knight, SVP, General Counsel, Milliken & Company, said of the award: “We are deeply honored and humbled to receive the 2024 BELA Community Champion Award from Ethisphere. This recognition reflects Milliken’s commitment to leading with integrity and creating a positive impact in the world. We are proud to be part of the BELA community, where we can share insights and learn from fellow ethics leaders across the globe. Together, we can foster a culture of trust, transparency, and excellence in our organizations and society.”
“In pursuit of the mission of HCA Healthcare, we show up for our patients, colleagues and communities. We’re honored to be recognized as a BELA Community Champion for our contributions to the ethics and compliance community and look forward to continued collaboration and partnership with Ethisphere and BELA members,” said Kathi Whalen, Senior Vice President and Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer, HCA Healthcare.
BELA Global Vanguard
Hitachi, Honeywell and Sodexo each received the BELA Global Vanguard award for exemplary leadership in expanding the reach of BELA and advancing its mission to meet the needs of a global compliance and ethics community.
“Hitachi is honored to receive recognition for being at the forefront of promoting ethical business practices. Like many leading Japanese companies, we are committed to improving society by promoting the highest standards of ethical business conduct. Establishing these standards globally is an important role the entire Hitachi Compliance team takes very seriously. Many companies face similar challenges, domestically and internationally, and our Tokyo Roundtable is one way we can identify these common challenges and share best practices to address them effectively,” said David Karas, Chief Compliance Officer, Head of Global Compliance Office at Hitachi, Ltd.
“At Sodexo ethics and values are part of our DNA, and we are deeply grateful to receive this award. We believe that the spirit of sharing is essential to ensure best practices across all organizations. I extend my heartfelt thanks to the BELA community for their support and collaboration in advancing the vital mission of ensure business ethics. Together, we will continue to strive for excellence and make a positive impact,” said Alexandre Anselmi, Head of Ethics Program at Sodexo.
“It’s such a great honor to be recognized and receive the BELA Global Vanguard Award for leadership in ethics and compliance. We hold Honeywell employees to high standards and cultivate a culture where ethics and compliance are foundational principles that underpin everything we do. It’s also such an honor to be part of this community of global companies that recognize the importance of building and promoting ethical leadership,” said Vic Miller, Chief Compliance Officer at Honeywell.
BELA Beacon
The BELA Beacon award recognizes individual leaders who have fostered the growth of the BELA community through their personal efforts and generosity in sharing their time and expertise. This year’s recipients of this award are Manu Bal of Beam Suntory, Justin Ross of FedEx, and Lamond Kearse of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
“I am grateful for receiving this award. Thank you so much for the recognition. It has been a constant learning experience to be associated with BELA and through them understanding what other companies are doing in the area of ethics and compliance. BELA has helped provide access to resources and networks that my team and I have leveraged to have stronger ethics and compliance framework within my organization,” said Manu Bal, Head of Legal, Compliance and Corporate Affairs at Beam Suntory.
Justin Ross, Chief Compliance Officer of FedEx Corporation stated: “I am honored and excited to be recognized as a recipient of the BELA Beacon Award. Benchmarking with other compliance professionals is an extremely valuable tool for compliance teams, and the BELA community has been an excellent forum for the FedEx compliance team to share and receive best practices, innovative ideas, and experiences in the compliance field. We have benefited greatly from the openness and generosity of the BELA community, and giving back is one of the ways that all of us can help strengthen and promote ethical conduct in the business community.”
“Lighthouses and their beacons have been a big part of my life growing up on the east coast. The lighthouse beacon helps travelers navigate dangerous and unfamiliar waters, BELA has been that guiding light throughout my career. A place to turn to, offering insight when faced with new challenges or trying to find a way to grow our E&C program,” said Lamond Kearse, Chief Ethics, Risk & Compliance Officer at Metropolitan Transportation Authority. “The willingness of the BELA community to share not only their successes, but also their failures, has been invaluable as we have traversed together new regulations, demands and expectations for our E&C programs. It is with great pride and humility I accept this award, not for myself but for my entire team that has allowed me to both lead and serve.”
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About the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance (BELA)
Founded by Ethisphere, the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance (BELA) is a globally recognized organization of leading companies collaborating to share best practices in governance, risk management, compliance, and ethics. BELA’s membership has since grown to a global community of companies that recognize the inherent value of promoting ethical leadership and a world-class compliance culture. Learn more about BELA by visiting https://ethisphere.com/solutions/bela/.
About Ethisphere
Ethisphere 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. For more information, visit https://ethisphere.com
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MEDIA CONTACT
Anne Walker
@ethisphere
