WASHINGTON, May 7 – The Atlantic Council today presented its annual Distinguished Business Leadership Award to Unilever CEO Paul Polman for his pioneering efforts in redefining the role of business toward creating more sustainable and equitable growth. 

In introducing Polman for the award, United States Agency for International Development Administrator Rajiv Shah praised Polman for “showing the business community that you can both invest profitably and do good in the developing world.” 

Said Atlantic Council President and CEO Frederick Kempe: “Paul is leading a revolution in the way global companies think about their role as good stewards of the environment and consumers’ wellbeing.”

Mr. Polman was appointed an executive director of Unilever in 2008 and was named CEO in 2009. Unilever is a $35 billion multinational company with more than 400 brands ranging from foods, beverages, personal care products, and household care products. Its leading brands include Lipton, Knorr, Dove, Axe, and Suave.

The Atlantic Council’s Annual Awards Dinner brings together an international audience of nearly 900 former and current administration officials, members of Congress, heads of state, ambassadors, and influential business leaders of global companies to salute the achievements of those who are making a positive difference. This year’s honorees, in addition to Paul Polman, were UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Britain’s Prince Harry, the enlisted men and women of the United States Armed Forces, and world-renowned violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter. 

For the past half century, the Atlantic Council has been a preeminent, nonpartisan institution devoted to promoting transatlantic cooperation on matters of global concern, including a broad spectrum of modern global challenges ranging from violent extremism to financial instability and from NATO’s future to energy security.  

For more information about the Annual Awards Dinner or the Atlantic Council, please visit http://www.acus.org/event/2012-annual-awards-dinner or contact Taleen Ananian at 202.778.4993 or press@acus.org.