Appeal of Conscience Foundation to Honor Alex Gorsky, Chief Executive Officer of Johnson & Johnson, with 2015 Appeal of Conscience Award

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Sep 10, 2015, 04:32 ET

NEW YORK, Sept. 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Appeal of Conscience Foundation, an interfaith organization, and its president and founder Rabbi Arthur Schneier have announced that on September 24, 2015 at the Foundation's fiftieth anniversary dinner to be held at the Waldorf-Astoria they will present the Appeal of Conscience Award to Alex Gorsky, Chief Executive Officer of Johnson & Johnson. Laurence D. Fink, Chief Executive Officer of BlackRock will also be honored. British Prime Minister, David Cameron will be named the recipient of the World Statesman Award.

"The Appeal of Conscience Foundation is proud to honor Alex Gorsky, a man of integrity, an advocate of change and a corporate leader with a sense of social responsibility, who by deed and action has advanced human dignity and social justice, by encouraging a standard in which corporate America and global corporations accept responsibility to further international cooperation and cross cultural understanding."

"I am proud to accept this award on behalf of my colleagues at Johnson & Johnson," said Alex Gorsky, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "We are 128,000 people in over 60 countries with one common purpose -- to help people everywhere live longer, healthier and happier lives."

About Alex Gorsky

Alex Gorsky is Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Johnson & Johnson and Chairman of the Executive Committee, the Company's senior leadership team. Alex is the seventh person to serve as Chairman and CEO of Johnson & Johnson since it became a publicly traded company in 1944.

Alex began his Johnson & Johnson career as a sales representative with Janssen Pharmaceutical in 1988. Over the next 20 years, he advanced through positions of increasing responsibility in sales, marketing, and management. In 2009, Alex was appointed Worldwide Chairman of the Medical Devices & Diagnostics segment and in January of 2011, he became Vice Chairman of Johnson & Johnson's Executive Committee. Alex became Chief Executive Officer on April 26, 2012 and Chairman of the Board on December 28, 2013.

A longtime advocate of diversity and inclusion, Alex has been named one of the "100 Most Inspiring Leaders" by Pharma Voice and he was recently nominated by Modern Healthcare as one of the 100 most influential people in healthcare. He is the Executive Sponsor of two Johnson & Johnson employee resource groups, the Women's Leadership Initiative and the Veteran's Leadership Council. Alex is also a member of the Business Council and the Business Roundtable.

Alex is a member of the Board of Directors of IBM, the Congressional Medal of Honor Board of Directors, and the Board of Directors of the National Academy Foundation. In 2014 Alex was given the Joseph Wharton Leadership Award and the CADCA Humanitarian of the Year Award, as well as an Honorary Doctorate from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. Johnson & Johnson and Alex Gorsky received the Corporate Leadership Award for 2014 by the Thomas Manion Foundation. Most recently, the Company received the Corporate Humanitarian Award from Operation Smile.

Alex holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., and spent six years in the U.S. Army, finishing his military career with the rank of Captain. Alex earned a Master of Business Administration degree from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1996.

About the Appeal of Conscience Foundation:
Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of its founding, the Appeal of Conscience Foundation, under the leadership of Rabbi Arthur Schneier, has worked worldwide on behalf of religious freedom, human rights, peace and tolerance since 1965. To uphold the principle "live and let live" is the Appeal of Conscience Foundation's continuing goal. An interfaith coalition of business, religious and foreign policy leaders, this international organization promotes mutual understanding, peace and interreligious cooperation and provides a voice of conscience to protect minorities. The Appeal of Conscience Foundation believes that freedom, democracy and human rights are fundamental values that give nations of the world their best hope for peace, security and shared prosperity. www.appealofconscience.org

SOURCE Appeal of Conscience Foundation