Global Business Leaders Gather in New York to Mark International Corporate Philanthropy Day
CEOs Attend Closed Door Session to Discuss the Role of Business in Society
(3BL Media / theCSRfeed) February 27, 2012, New York, NY – As the depth and complexity of societal issues escalates, companies are stepping up to rising public expectations that businesses can do more to affect change. In that spirit, leading companies and organizations around the world today recognize International Corporate Philanthropy Day (ICPD), an annual international advocacy day that mobilizes the business community to share best practices, develop partnerships, and engage with employees and other stakeholders for more strategic and effective societal investments. The Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP) – the only international forum of business CEOs with a mission to raise the level and quality of corporate philanthropy – spearheads the initiative with the seventh annual Board of Boards CEO Conference attended by 80 leading global CEOs.
(Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24359360@N04 )
“Corporations and their nonprofit partners across the globe use this day to reflect on the important role they play in their mutual advancement,” said Charles Moore, Executive Director, CECP. “We’re also furthering CECP’s important contributions to the field by convening the world’s leading CEOs to speak candidly about the positive role business can play in society.”
CECP’s CEO conference, which has been ranked as one of the world’s leading executive events, will convene 80 of the foremost global CEOs to discuss the theme “Next Generation Community Engagement: A Transformative Business Opportunity,” focusing on CEO leadership in engaging consumers and investors on the topic of sustainability, while simultaneously pursuing strategies that create value for a company and address pressing societal challenges. The event will feature two panels consisting of:
- Angela Ahrendts, CEO, Burberry Group PLC;
- Daniel Doctoroff, President and CEO, Bloomberg;
- Hikmet Ersek, President and CEO, The Western Union Company;
- Shelly Lazarus, Chairman, Ogilvy & Mather.
Nader Mousavizadeh, CEO of Oxford Analytica Ltd, will moderate the session and David M. Cote, Chairman and CEO, Honeywell International Inc. will address attendees at the executive luncheon immediately following the conference. The conference will welcome international delegations of leading global CEOs from Brazil and India; the Brazil delegation will be led by Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Brazil’s former President, who will deliver opening remarks.
“International Corporate Philanthropy Day was established in 2004 with the intention of drawing attention to the role the private sector can play as a partner in addressing societal problems,” said Margaret Coady, director of CECP. “We are thrilled to once again have so many companies participating this year, particularly when CEOs set the tone and pace either by attending the Board of Boards conference, sending a personal message to all employees, or taking part in a company-wide service initiative. ”
Each year on ICPD, companies and partners mark the occasion with special programs, announcements and employee events, including:
- Meritor, Inc. (NYSE: MTOR) launch of a new employee volunteer program called the “Power of Volunteering,” encouraging employees globally to volunteer 40,000 hours annually by 2020.
- Microsoft (NYSE: MSFT) announcement of record employee giving campaign in 2011, hitting $100.5 million in donations and matching funds for community organizations and nonprofits.
- The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TRV) release of first digital Community Giving Report (www.travelers.com/community), “In Their Own Words,” which shares personal accounts of the impact of their approximately $21 million in community support and more than 31,000 corporate and personal volunteer hours in 2011.
- UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) event, “Breaking new ground: Partnerships for more and better jobs for young people,” focused on promoting employment and decent work to eradicate poverty.
- A Billion + Change event, hosted by Morgan Stanley, to recognize progress towards the goal of mobilizing billions of dollars of skills-based volunteer services by 2013.
- iMentor celebration of 10 companies that pledged to recruit 100 of their employees to serve as mentors for high school students in low-income communities.
In recognition of the day, leading corporate giving officers from companies including, Colgate-Palmolive, KPMG LLP, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Merck, PNC, PepsiCo, and United Technologies Corporation, will ring The Opening Bell℠ at the New York Stock Exchange with CECP. The Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), Ban Ki-moon, will issue a proclamation on ICPD commending CECP for its leadership and urging corporations to support the UN’s Millennium Development Goals. In addition, on Monday evening, Trafalgar Square in London; the Empire State Building, Con Edison Tower, and 55 Water Street in New York; the clock tower of the Wrigley Building in Chicago; and several buildings in Alabama will light in the colors of ICPD, blue and green, to mark the occasion.
About the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP)
The Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP) is the only international forum of business CEOs and chairpersons focused on raising the level and quality of corporate philanthropy. Membership includes over 180 CEOs and chairpersons representing companies that account for over 40% of reported corporate giving in the United States. For more information visit CorporatePhilanthropy.org/ICPD.
Media Contacts:
Tara Kozak Lindsay, GolinHarris: +1 212.373.6020
Lee Ann Zondag, GolinHarris: +1 212.373.6054
Sara Appleyard Adams, CECP, +1 212.825.1252
