The Fifth Annual Awards for Business Excellence Gala was held at the Banqueting House in London on May 22nd. Hosted by GBC President and CEO Richard Holbrooke and Anglo American Chairman and GBC Chairman Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, the Gala convened four hundred attendees, including member company representatives, European government leaders, international NGO dignitaries, and celebrated speakers.

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett, singer-songwriter Sir Elton John, and Founder and President of the Foundation for Community Development in Mozambique Mrs. Graça Machel provided speeches, illuminating the current private sector commitment to the battle on HIV/AIDS, and urging additional corporate involvement.  CNN Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour served as master of ceremonies, lauding the private sector effort.

Christiane Amanpour opened the evening. Just back from a trip to Kenya, she spoke passionately about AIDS orphans and the devastating impact the disease is wreaking on young people, explaining that Africa has 12 million AIDS orphans and that young people (aged 15-24) account for half of all new HIV infections with more than 6,000 becoming infected everyday.
Following Amanpour’s powerful speech, British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett took the stage. She apologized for the Prime Minister’s absence and read a short speech he composed, explaining his sudden visit to Iraq as crucial to showing the UK’s support for a historic breakthrough in the country’s democratic future. Beckett then went on to read her own prose, discussing a detailed plan to help the world’s most impoverished nations. She reminded the audience that while 2005 was the year the world promised to make poverty history, 2006 must be the year we actually deliver on that promise.

Mrs. Machel’s speech focused on the particular vulnerabilities of Africa’s girls and women. She emphasized the need to empower this group through education, economic opportunities, and healthcare. A strong advocate of microbicides, Mrs. Machel urged increased support for microbicidal research, stressing that the development of these creams, gels, and suppositories would enable young women and girls to protect themselves from HIV without having to fear repercussions from their male partners.

President Barroso urged the European continent’s younger generation to make HIV/AIDS a priority. He explained that just as the current adult generation felt a responsibility to re-build the post-war continent, this generation must treat overcoming AIDS as its primary responsibility to the rest of the world. Barroso cautioned young Europeans that if they failed to seize this challenge, they would experience deep regret.

Sir Elton John gave the evening’s final speech. A tireless AIDS advocate who established his own AIDS Foundation in 1992, John lamented how the disease has claimed sixty of his friends but also praised people who have risen to the challenge, explaining how he recently met one courageous South African woman who was struggling to support over 100 children abandoned because of AIDS. John also stressed that policy makers cannot ignore gay men, intravenous drug users, prostitutes, prisoners, and other vulnerable groups when creating HIV/AIDS policies. He urged additional companies to follow the examples set forth by the evening’s winning corporations.

After Sir John’s speech, GBC conferred awards to six winners. Representing different regions, industries, and programs, this year’s winners—American Express (leadership), L’Oréal (core competency), Merck & Co., Inc (national action), National Basketball Association (community), Unilever Tea Kenya (workplace), and Xstrata Coal South Africa (testing and counseling)—exemplified the innovative ways that businesses can help stem the global epidemic. Each winning company introduced its entry with a compelling short film, providing gala guests with a unique perspective on the programs.  The awards were accepted by company representatives: Tom Schick (American Express), Sir Lindsay Owen –Jones (L’Oréal), Jeff Sturchio (Merck & Co., Inc.), Kathleen Behrens (NBA), Antony Burgmans (Unilever), and Mick Davis (Xstrata).

Twelve additional companies—Abbott, Anglo Coal, APCO, Black Entertainment Television (BET), Johnson & Johnson, Kerzner International, PepsiCo. Inc., South West Railway, SSL International, Standard Bank, Total, and ZMQ Software Systems—were commended for their HIV/AIDS work.

Underwritten by Standard Chartered Bank, this year’s awards ceremony marks the fifth year GBC has recognized outstanding business action on HIV/AIDS at an annual gala.

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