NYSE Governance Services Announces 2016 Leadership Award Winners

ATLANTA & NEW YORK--()--NYSE Governance Services, a subsidiary of New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: ICE), today announced the winners and finalists of its 3rd annual Governance, Risk, and Compliance Leadership Awards. The awards program recognizes exemplary leaders in governance, risk and compliance.

“NYSE Governance Services would like to congratulate the individuals and organizations that have truly exemplified the highest standards of compliance, ethics and governance. Their dedication and noteworthy achievements truly set the bar for best practices and standards in corporate governance, which plays an integral role in a company’s success and long-term value to its shareholders,” said Adam Sodowick, President, NYSE Governance Services.

Eligible candidates included all publicly traded companies in the U.S., regardless of listed exchange. The award recipients were selected by an independent panel of judges, who bring a range of governance and compliance expertise to the program.

2016 Judges Panel:

  • Luis Aguilar, Former Commissioner, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
  • William Chandler III, Former Chancellor, Delaware Court of Chancery
  • John Coates, Harvard Law School, Research Director of the Center on the Legal Profession & Professor of Law and Economics
  • Veta Richardson, President and CEO, Association of Corporate Counsel
  • F. Daniel Siciliano, Professor & Faculty Director, Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock Center for Corporate Governance at Stanford Law School
  • Darla Stuckey, President and CEO, Society of Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals
  • Gretchen Winter, Senior Director, Center for Professional Responsibility in Business and Society, College of Business, University of Illinois

Award winners and finalists were honored at the Governance, Risk & Compliance Leadership Awards on Wednesday, June 8, 2016 at Cipriani Wall Street. The awards were sponsored by Computershare | Georgeson, Diligent Corporation, FTI Consulting, Inc., JamesDruryPartners, and Semler Brossy.

2016 Finalists & Winners

Best Governance, Risk, and Compliance Program at Large-Cap Company

The winning company demonstrates how governance, risk, and compliance programs are ingrained in the culture of a large-cap company from the top down.

2016 Winner:   Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE:WMT)
 
2016 Finalists: AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE:AGR)
General Electric Company (NYSE:GE)
GlaxoSmithKline PLC (NYSE:GSK)
Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT)
Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE)
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Best Governance, Risk, and Compliance Program at Small to Mid-Cap Company

The winning company demonstrates how governance, risk, and compliance programs are ingrained in the culture of a small to mid-cap company from the top down.

2016 Winner:   Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK)
 
2016 Finalists: Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG)
CMS Energy (NYSE:CMS)
Inovalon (NDAQ:INOV)
Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK)
Tahoe Resources Inc. (NYSE:TAHO)

Best In-House Legal Team for Corporate Governance at a Large-Cap Company

This award seeks to recognize the legal team at a large-cap company, that has met legal, ethical, and compliance challenges with the utmost integrity and know-how.

2016 Winner:   Staples, Inc. (NDAQ: SPLS)
 
2016 Finalists: Gilead Sciences Inc. (NDAQ: GILD)
Oracle (NYSE: ORCL)
Staples, Inc. (NDAQ: SPLS)

Best In-House Legal Team for Corporate Governance at a Small to Mid-Cap Company

This award seeks to recognize the legal team at a small to mid-cap company, that has met legal, ethical, and compliance challenge with the utmost integrity and know-how.

2016 Winner:   FireEye, Inc. (NDAQ: FEYE)
 
2016 Finalists: FireEye, Inc. (NDAQ: DEYE)
Inovalon (NDAQ: INOV)
Middlesex Water Company (NDAQ: MSEX)

Best Board Diversity Initiative

The company that is awarded in this category will have shown that its board represents a diverse breadth of experience, industry, age, ethnicity, and gender, and that such diversity is also represented and carried forth as a cultural imperative throughout the fabric of the organization.

2016 Winner:   Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC)
 
2016 Finalists: HP Inc. (NYSE: HPQ)
Ingredion Incorporated (NYSE: INGR)
Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE: MA)
PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE: PEP)
Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC)

Exemplary Compensation Discussion and Analysis (CD&A)

The winning company will have produced a superior CD&A that provides clear rationale for all pay decisions and persuades shareholders that the company has instituted a pay model that is properly aligned with strategic objectives.

2016 Winner:   AMN Healthcare (NYSE: AHS)
 
2016 Finalists: AMN Healthcare (NYSE: AHS)
Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NDAQ: AAWW)
CVS Health Corporation (NYSE: CVS)
Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F)
Regions Financial Corporation (NYSE: RF)

Exemplary Shareholder Engagement

The winning company places a high value on shareholder relations by demonstrating a willingness to participate in meaningful, transparent dialogue with shareholders via accessible venues and channels. The efficacy of these endeavors will be reflected in a company that is able to successfully work through shareholder engagement challenges in a manner that satisfies all parties.

2016 Winner:   Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc. (NDAQ: AAWW)
 
2016 Finalists: Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc. (NDAQ: AAWW)
Ethan Allen Interiors Inc. (NYSE: ETH)
Staples, Inc. (NDAQ: SPLS)

Non-Executive Chairman of the Year

This non-executive board chair has a passion for advancing principles of good governance throughout the organization, the ability to objectively solve the most difficult boardroom challenges, and the experience to offer independent, sound guidance when the company faces both hurdles and opportunities.

2016 Winner:   Richard M. Donnelly, Chairman, Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE: OSK)
 
2016 Finalists: Richard M. Donnelly, Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE: OSK)
Philip H. Knight, Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE)
Sheila Penrose, Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. (NYSE: JLL)
Jeffrey Smith, Darden Restaurants (NYSE: DRI)

Distinguished General Counsel

General counsel eligible for this distinctive honor have accomplished notable and groundbreaking achievements as inside counsel for the company(ies) they have served during the last five years.

2016 Winner:

  Robert E. Bostrom, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF)
 

2016 Finalists:

Laurence Bensignor, Eagle Bancorp Inc. (NDAQ: EGBN)

Robert E. Bostrom, Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF)
John Grosvenor, Banc of California, Inc. (NYSE: BANC)
Denise Jackson, AMN Healthcare (NYSE: AHS)
Jay L. Kooper, Middlesex Water Company (NDAQ: MSEX)

General Counsel Lifetime Achievement

General counsel eligible for this distinctive honor have accomplished notable achievements as inside counsel during the life of their career in a manner that without question, stands as a beacon for the legal profession.

2016 Winner:   Roderick A. Palmore, Senior Counsel, Dentons US, LLP

About NYSE Governance Services

NYSE Governance Services is the leading governance, compliance, and education solutions provider for companies and their boards of directors. Through a complete set of technology-enabled and data-driven solutions designed to address compliance, accountability, and risk management, NYSE Governance Services helps companies comprehensively build a culture of integrity from employee to board level. NYSE Governance Services is a subsidiary of the New York Stock Exchange Group, an Intercontinental Exchange company (NYSE:ICE). For more information, connect with us at nyse.com/governance, @nysegov or LinkedIn.

About NYSE Group

NYSE Group is a subsidiary of Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE:ICE), a leading operator of global exchanges and clearing houses, and a provider of data and listings services. NYSE Group includes exchanges, market data and connectivity services. The equity exchanges -- the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE MKT and NYSE Arca -- trade more U.S. equity volume than any other exchange group. NYSE is the premier global venue for capital raising, leading worldwide in IPOs, including technology IPOs. NYSE Arca Options and NYSE Amex Options are leading equity options exchanges.

About Intercontinental Exchange

Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE:ICE) operates the leading network of global futures and equity exchanges and provides world class clearing, data, and listing services across many markets. The New York Stock Exchange is the world leader in capital raising and equities trading.

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Contacts

Brendan McManus, NYSE
brendan.mcmanus@nyse.com
+1 212 656 2135

Contacts

Brendan McManus, NYSE
brendan.mcmanus@nyse.com
+1 212 656 2135