ABOUT THE AWARDS
The Meridian Awards honor those who, by their actions and practices, exemplify the positive impact individual and corporate leaders can have in their communities and around the world. These individuals are champions of Meridian’s belief that all citizens can be global leaders and they share Meridian’s commitment to promote global leadership through the exchange of ideas, people, and culture.
The 2012 New York Awards will be presented on
Thursday, September 13, 2012
to
| The Honorable Craig R. Stapleton with the Meridian Global Citizen Award |
The Honorable Carlos M. Gutierrez with the Meridian Corporate Leader Award |
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| Craig R. Stapleton served as Ambassador to France from 2005 to 2009 and to the Czech Republic from 2001 to 2004. He is President of the Vaclav Havel Foundation in the United States, and was awarded the Jan Masaryk Medal for service to the Czech Republic. He served on the Board of the Peace Corps under President George H. W. Bush. In May 2009, President Nicholas Sarkozy named Ambassador Stapleton a Commandeur of the Legion of Honor. Ambassador Stapleton currently serves as a Senior Advisor to Stone Point Capital in Greenwich, Connecticut. He is Lead Director on the Board of Abercrombie and Fitch and a board member of Carlile Bank and Flamel Technologies. He served as the CEO of SonomaWest Holdings until it went private in June 2011. He was a partner of President Bush in the ownership of the Texas Rangers baseball team from 1989-1998. In July 2009, he joined in the ownership of the St. Louis Cardinals. Ambassador Stapleton is a Trustee of the George W. Bush Library and Foundation and the 9/11 Memorial Foundation. He has served on the Visiting Committee for Harvard College and the Committee on University Resources and Athletics. Ambassador Stapleton was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He received a B.A. (magna cum laude) from Harvard University, and a M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. |
Carlos M. Gutierrez was born in Havana, Cuba in 1953 and came to the United States with his family in 1960. In 1975, he joined the Kellogg Company as a sales representative in Mexico City, Mexico. After assignments in Latin America, Canada, Asia, and the United States, he became President and CEO in 1999 and Chairman of the Board in April, 2000. As the 35th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Secretary Gutierrez was responsible for a diverse Cabinet agency with some 38,000 workers and a $6.5 billion budget focused on promoting American business at home and abroad. During his tenure as Secretary, he regularly traveled internationally to visit with foreign government and business leaders to discuss ways to enhance trade and promote U.S. exports. Secretary Gutierrez played a key role in the passage of CAFTA-DR, a landmark agreement that strips away trade barriers, expands export opportunities and boosts hope and opportunity throughout Latin America. In addition, he also served the Bush Administration as Co-Chair for the Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba and was actively involved in U.S./Cuba policy. Secretary Gutierrez is currently Vice Chairman of the Institutional Clients Group for Citigroup. He studied Business Administration at the Monterrey Institute of Technology in Queretaro, Mexico. |
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