CED Honors Six US Business Leaders and their Companies for Distinguished Leadership

As corporate America helps navigate the nation through the fallout of this pandemic, six exemplary US business leaders and their companies will be honored with Distinguished Leadership Awards for corporate citizenship and business stewardship by the Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board (CED). The CED Distinguished Leadership Awards Celebration, a decades long tradition, will take place on October 25^th at the Pierre Hotel in New York City. 

For more than a quarter century, CED’s Distinguished Leadership Awards have been honoring business leaders and their companies for corporate citizenship and business stewardship. The Awards recognize leaders who demonstrate a strong commitment to corporate responsibility practices and public policy in the nation’s best long-term interests and who advocate policies that advance society’s key concerns. The Awards exemplify CED’s mission, the legacy of its founders, and its longest serving Trustee, Peter G. Peterson.

This year, the Awards pay special tribute to business leaders and their companies that have demonstrated exceptional leadership in challenging times, including defeating the pandemic, ensuring an economic recovery that provides equal opportunity for all Americans, and building a more civil and just society.

“This year’s honorees and their companies have played a critical role in helping the country address a trifecta of extraordinary challenges: a global public health crisis, a historic economic downturn and recovery, and a national outcry for social justice. They have addressed these crises with passion, commitment, innovation, and resilience,” said Dr. Lori Esposito Murray, President of CED. “By showcasing their bold leadership and their dedication to their employees, their communities, the nation, and people across the globe, we inspire other leaders in the private and public sectors to follow in their footsteps—and ultimately, create a more just, prosperous nation and global community.”

CED is pleased to recognize the recipients of the 2021 Distinguished Leadership Awards:

• Karen S. Lynch, President & CEO of CVS Health
• Award presented by Marc N. Casper, Chairman, President & CEO of Thermo Fisher Scientific
• Judy Marks, President & CEO of Otis Worldwide
• Award presented by Ellen Kullman, President & CEO of Carbon
• John W. Rogers, Jr., Chairman & Co-CEO of Ariel Investments
• Award presented by Valerie Jarrett, President of the Barack Obama Foundation and Senior Distinguished Fellow at The University of Chicago Law School
• Margaret Keane, Executive Chair of Synchrony
• Award presented by Tom Wilson, Chair, President & CEO of Allstate Corporation
• Noubar Afeyan, Founder & CEO of Flagship Pioneering and Co-Founder & Chairman of Moderna
• Award presented by Kenneth C. Frazier, Chairman of the Board of Merck & Co., Inc.
• Brian Moynihan, Chairman & CEO of Bank of America
• Award presented by Julie Sweet, Chair & CEO of Accenture

About the Honorees

To learn more about this year’s honorees, visit our Awards Celebration website and watch or listen to the Leadership in Challenging Times discussion series. Through candid conversations, the 2021 honorees speak about the unprecedented challenges facing our nation and how they are helping to chart a path forward for their companies and the nation-at-large.

About CED

The Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board (CED) is the nonprofit, nonpartisan, business-led public policy center that delivers well-researched analysis and reasoned solutions in the nation’s interest. CED Trustees are chief executive officers and key executives of leading US companies who bring their unique experience to address today’s pressing policy issues. Collectively they represent 30+ industries, over a trillion dollars in revenue, and over 4 million employees. www.ced.org

About The Conference Board

The Conference Board is the member-driven think tank that delivers trusted insights for what’s ahead. Founded in 1916, we are a non-partisan, not-for-profit entity holding 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt status in the United States. www.conference-board.org