Turning Vision into Impact: 2017 Concordia Annual Summit Awards Announcement

September 15, 2017

Recognition of commitment to positive social and economic change.

With just a few days left until the 2017 Concordia Annual Summit, speculation is building around this year’s recipients of The Concordia Awards. Over the course of next week’s two-day Summit, Concordia will host both the Concordia Leadership Award and the P3 Impact Award, designed to feature and honor exemplary leadership and cross-sector collaboration in action.

Taking place on Monday and Tuesday (September 18^th and 19^th) at the Grand Hyatt New York, the 2017 Concordia Annual Summit is set to be the largest and most inclusive nonpartisan forum on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Amid two days of inspiring dialogue, innovative speakers and interactive sessions, Concordia will formally present the second annual Concordia Leadership Award and the fourth annual P3 Impact Award.

Concordia’s Senior Director of Strategic Engagement, Maria Paula Correa, says “We are excited to host the Concordia Leadership Award and the P3 Impact Award. During a time that is seemingly starkly polarized, we believe it is more crucial than ever to publicly acknowledge and honor those who are making pioneering contributions and developing innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing issues.”

The Concordia Leadership Award recognizes global leaders within the public, private, and nonprofit sectors who inspire others through their ability to turn vision into impact. Recipients of the award reflect a commitment to positive social and economic change, while promoting effective public-private collaboration to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.

The three recipients of this year’s Concordia Leadership Award are Kathy Calvin, President and CEO of the United Nations Foundation, Paul Bulcke, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Former CEO of Nestlé, and David Miliband, President and CEO of The International Rescue Committee. Each recipient will receive the award and deliver remarks at the Summit.

Concordia selects Kathy Calvin as a recipient of the Leadership Award for her unparalleled efforts, commitment and work towards achieving the UN SDGs and her role in revitalizing the meaning of global partnerships. In particular, Concordia acknowledges Calvin’s instrumental role in mobilizing the energy and expertise of businesses and non-governmental organizations to help tackle the SDGs and achieve economic empowerment, resilient infrastructure, and environmental conservation.

The Concordia Leadership Award will also be given to Paul Bulcke for his drive and commitment towards achieving sustainable economic growth and development. Bulcke has successfully showcased how businesses have the unique ability to bridge the capacity gap to reach the impact and scale necessary to deliver the SDGs by 2030. Concordia is honored to publicly recognize the 42 different commitments that guide Nestlé’s sustainable growth and shared value business model, which addresses issues such as nutrition, health and wellness, rural development, water, environmental sustainability, human rights, and compliance.

The final recipient of the Concordia Leadership Award will be David Miliband, for his powerful efforts in encouraging private sector involvement in the global migrant crisis taking place across the Middle East, Northern Africa, and Europe as the President and CEO of The International Rescue Committee. Miliband’s engagement at the 2016 Concordia Summit was critical to emphasizing the need for private sector engagement to combat the refugee crisis around the world. His long-term vision to provide stable and fulfilling programs to enrich the lives of refugees all over the world is worthy of immense global recognition.

Among last year’s recipients was Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever, who commented: “We belong to a very fortunate 2% of people in society, and it is our duty to put ourselves to the service of the other 98%.” Other recipients included Nobel Peace Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, Founder of Grameen Bank, Co-Founder and Chairman of Yunus Social Business, and Gloria Malone, Creator of Teen Mom NYC.

The 2017 P3 Impact Award winner will also be announced at the Summit by the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Global Partnerships, Concordia, and the University of Virginia Darden School of Business Institute for Business in Society. This award recognizes P3s that are improving communities around the world in impactful ways. An Audience Choice Award will also be bestowed this year, where Concordia attendees can vote on their favorite partnership based on presentations by each finalist partnership and likelihood of sustainability and scale.
The 2017 award finalists included: Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women, The Accenture and Upwardly Global Partnership, Care-Cargill Partnership: Nourishing the Future in Central America, Partnering for Poultry, and Sanitation Marketing Systems in Bangladesh.

Hanne Dalmut, Director of Social Impact at Concordia, says: “The P3 Impact Award offers powerful recognition to exemplary partnerships working to address pressing global needs. But the process extends far beyond the official award. All applicants advance the shared knowledge around best partnership building practices through their applications.”

The 2017 Concordia Annual Summit takes place on September 18^th and 19^th at the Grand Hyatt New York. To learn more about the Summit, see Shaping the future of global collaboration: 2017 Concordia Annual Summit, and for the two-day schedule and ticket information, see www.concordia.net/2017-concordia-annual-summit.

Photo credit: Ben Hider/Getty Images