New York (July 14, 2004) -- KPMG International, the global parent of Big Four firm KPMG LLP, announced the establishment of the Global Center for Leadership & Business Ethics, an independent entity designed to recognize individuals with extraordinary business ethics and leadership qualities.
The Global Center will manage and administer the nomination process for the Laureate Award & Medal Series, which will honor those committed to excellence in business ethics. The medal series will include awards for leadership, corporate governance, reporting and disclosure, social responsibility and education.
KPMG is establishing the Global Center “as a demonstration of our fundamental commitment to the principles of leadership, integrity and ethics,” according to KPMG LLP chairman and chief executive Gene O’Kelly.
The awards, which are modeled on the prizes given by the Nobel Foundation, are part of KPMG’s “Global Initiative on Leadership & Business Ethics.” Another part of the initiative was revealed last week, when KPMG announced that it had been named a global founding partner of the Nobel Peace Center, a resource for public information and discussions about war, peace and conflict resolution, and a forum for the work of Alfred Nobel, the Nobel system and Nobel Peace Prize laureates.
KPMG expects to name a chairman for the Global Center shortly, with a call for nominations for the Laureate Award and Medal Series to follow. Winners will be determined in November, and the awards presented in December, during the same week that the Nobel Prizes are given.
-- WebCPA staff
