Michael O’Neill, retired chairman, Citigroup, Larry Fink, chairman and CEO, BlackRock and Edward Kelly, retired chairman, CSX Corporation, have been selected by a panel of their peers to be honorees of Corporate Board Member’s 2019 Board Leadership Awards, recognizing significant accomplishments in the field of American corporate governance.
Developed and presented in partnership with Galt & Company, the awards will be given to the winners at a gala luncheon at Corporate Board Member’s 2019 Boardroom Summit on Tuesday, April 2, 2019, in New York. (More information: CorporateBoardMemberSummit.com)
“The Board Leadership Awards were developed to honor exemplary individuals who have gone far beyond the basic requirements of governance, regulation, and compliance, and serve as models for other companies and individuals to emulate,” said Jamie Tassa, publisher, Corporate Board Member. “The awards underscore the role that corporate governance and effective board leadership play in driving a company’s success and a board’s contribution to long-term value.”
Michael O’Neill will be honored as Director of the Year for his work helping engineer the remarkable turnaround of Citigroup in the wake of the global financial crisis. The bank doubled its shareholder value during Mr. O’Neill’s tenure, virtually eliminating the “bad bank” that housed the assets it deemed toxic while also passing its government-mandated stress tests for the past four years—marking one of the most successful turnarounds in the recent history of the financial industry.
Edward Kelly will be honored for Courage in the Boardroom for stewarding the controversial operational transformation at CSX in the face of management upheaval and deep skepticism among investors, analysts and media. CSX now has the best margins in the railroad industry and structural operating advantages that will be difficult for competitors to match.
Larry Fink will be honored for his Impact in the Boardroom for his outspoken, high-profile stance promoting additional responsibilities companies and their leaders should assume for environmental, social and governance issues, which ignited a national conversation—both inside and outside of boardrooms—on the issues he raised.
The honorees were selected by a panel of peer directors, including Bryan Jordan, chairman, president and CEO, First Horizon National Corporation and board member, AutoZone; Don Knauss, board member, Kellogg, Target and McKesson; Mary Schapiro, board member, Morgan Stanley and CVS Health and former chairwoman, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; Nigel Travis, executive chairman, Dunkin Brands and board member, Abercrombie & Fitch; James Umpleby, chairman and CEO, Caterpillar and board member, Chevron.
