CONSCIOUS, RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS LEADERS CELEBRATED AT A GLITTERING CEREMONY AT THE AWARDS 2023
The winners of the Conscious Companies Awards 2023, in partnership with Joe Public and Primeserv, were announced recently at a gala dinner in Johannesburg and streamed live for local and international audiences.
Sumitomo Rubber South Africa (SRSA) – and its CEO Lubin Ozoux –was the winner in the business category while inspiring cardiothoracic surgeon Dr Wilhelm Lichtenberg, aka the Singing Surgeon and founder of Young Hearts Africa, took top spot in the NGO category.
For the first time in the seven-year history of the awards, there was a tie for second recipients in the business category with chairman Mteto Nyati and founder Greg Reis of business and technology consulting company BSG taking the honours along with Jaco Maritz, Group CEO of ERP software provider SYSPRO. Danny Diliberto of Ladles of Love was the second recipient in the NGO category.
Since its inception in 2016, the Conscious Companies Awards has honoured and celebrated visionary leaders whose actions manifest greater good for all. The current need for conscious, responsible leaders at a crucial time when true leadership around the globe is floundering and is in a state of flux is why the Awards was born. It is the culmination of an intense three-month journey to unearth leaders who have a deep understanding of humanity and a natural sense of ethics, honour and nobility.
All nominees are selected by their peers with winners chosen by a panel of judges, chaired by Professor Mervyn King, Chairperson Emeritus of the King Committee on Corporate Governance. He congratulated all the recipients and finalists and said: “The organisation itself is inanimate and the directors are the heart, mind and conscience of a company. And conscience means the morality of knowing and doing right from wrong. This year’s winners have steered the companies they head up into being responsible corporate citizens who are doing the right thing for society and putting people before profit.”
During a time and place of ethical and moral agitation, leaders must make a choice to lead with consciousness - Brenda Kali
Says Brenda Kali, founder and chairperson of Conscious Companies: “The winners this year are exceptional in that they are willing to prioritise and live with the values of responsibility, integrity, courage and right action and to walk a path of noble ethics while at the same time aligning people, planet, productivity, profit and purpose.”