“The risks of running an organization without a focus on ethical leadership have never been greater,” said Stefan Linssen, Publisher of Ethisphere Magazine. “This year we saw a breakdown in corporate and government structures that could have largely been prevented. Despite these failings, there were many people who stepped up and made difficult choices to better the ethical business environment for everyone.”

 

Some of this year’s winners include Liu Qi, who oversaw the bid process as Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the 2008 Olympics. He secured the top spot on the list for running one of the most stringent programs on anti-corruption and bribery in history. Other key notables include Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal (#8), David Steiner, CEO of Waste Management (#11), Author Thomas Friedman (#20), 2007 Winner Anne M. Mulcahy, Chairman and CEO of Xerox (#22), Ben W. Heineman, Jr., Author and Former General Counsel of GE (#24), T. Boone Pickens, creator of the Pickens Plan (#75) and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom (#85).

 

Some individuals from the 2007 ranking made the list again this year for their continuing efforts to support ethical practices in their respective industries and. There were seventeen total repeat winners from 2007, including Neelie Kroes, European Commissioner for Competition, Leslie Gaines-Ross, Chief Reputation Strategist of Weber Shandwick and Peter Kinder, President of KLD Research & Analytics, Inc.

 

Ethisphere also released its annual Top 10 List of People We Won’t Miss, which includes now infamous names such as Bernard Madoff, the disgraced Wall Street investment manager, Robert Rubin, former Treasury Secretary and Citi executive, former AOL employee Adam Vitale, and Rod Blagojevich, the impeached Governor of Illinois. “These individuals represent colossal failings in the business ethics space,” continued Linssen. “We would hope that their misdeeds serve as opportunities to improve and better our systems for detecting fraud and other unethical behaviors in the future.”

 

Developed with the help of professors from leading international business schools such as DePaul, University of Delaware and Universidad Alberto Hurtado, the Most Influential ranking recognizes individuals in nine categories: Government and Regulatory, Business Leadership, Non-Government Organization (NGO), Design and Sustainability, Media and Whistleblowers, Thought Leadership, Corporate Culture, Investment and Research, and Legal and Governance.

 

The full rankings with descriptions of the recognized activities and the list of advisory panel members are available in the Q4 2008 issue of Ethisphere Magazine and online at www.ethisphere.com.