AWARDS FOR BUSINESS EXCELLENCE 2005

 Chairman of Virgin Unite Sir Richard Branson accepts leadership award
Held September 28th, at Washington D.C.'s John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, GBC's 2005 Awards for Business Excellence honored outstanding private sector HIV/AIDS programs. The hosts of the evening - GBC President and CEO Richard Holbrooke and GBC Chairman and Chairman of Anglo American Sir Mark Moody-Stuart – were joined by over six hundred representatives of GBC member companies, leaders of local and international non profit organizations, and members of Congress.

Recognizing the growth of the GBC community and the creative ways in which the private sector has tackled the disease, this year’s awards were presented in six categories. Winners—Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, De Beers, Getty Images, MAC, Virgin, and Volkswagen of South Africa—took home statues for their HIV/AIDS work in community, testing and counseling, innovation, core competency, leadership, and workplace, respectively. Fifteen additional companies were also commended for their programs in these fields.

"That is the charge that we have, to try to be a part, a small part, of those miracles, those miracles that give people hope, that give people a chance at extended life, and that one day we'll find a cure for this terrible disease. And I want to thank you, the members of the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, for the extraordinarily important part that you are playing in this, a great moral responsibility of our time. Thank you very much." - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

The evening began with an invocation from Senator Bill Nelson and his wife Grace. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Goodwill Ambassador and Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie, comparing the AIDS crisis to a natural disaster, listed the arsenal of private sector knowledge and assets applicable to the fight against the disease. Jolie also shared with guests her personal experience of adopting an AIDS orphan. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice praised Ambassador Holbrooke for his tireless work on HIV/AIDS. Rice also celebrated the bipartisan outlook on the issue which was represented at the event by Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle.

GBC President and CEO Richard Holbrooke, Actress Angelina Jolie, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Senator Hillary Clinton and GBC Executive Director Trevor Neilson at the 2005 GBC Awards for Business Excellence
"Yet, there are two central differences between it and a hurricane or a tsunami. First, AIDS is a quiet killer. Most of the 30 million people AIDS has killed died quiet, lonely and often painful deaths. There are no news helicopters hovering overhead. The second difference is that we know how to prevent AIDS." - Angelina Jolie Throughout the program, GBC used a variety of mediums to convey the importance of the private sector’s commitment to the fight against HIV/AIDS. Guests viewed a GBC short film –Business Fights AIDS – and a Getty Images photo exhibit. Each award winner also presented a compelling video of their respective programs, thus allowing the audience to immerse themselves in the nature of the epidemic across the world.

As the evening was drawing to an end, Ambassador Holbrooke commented on GBC’s fascinating growth, thanked the guests and unveiled new pathways of curbing the epidemic - through testing and empowerment of women and girls. Senator Hillary Clinton further expanded on battling the epidemic among women and girls and warned of devastating effects of inaction.

"There is a great deal of political pressure to only talk about abstinence, and to deny support for condoms and education on using them. This policy will lead to the unnecessary deaths of many people." -Senator Hillary Clinton

Press Coverage:

Full event Webcast, Kaisernetwork.org

Rice Salutes Business Leaders in Campaign Against HIV/AIDS, Washington File