The Business Council for International Understanding To Honor Carlos Slim Helu With 2012 Dwight D. Eisenhower Global Leadership Award

BCIU Gala Recognizes Outstanding Leadership, Citizenship and Innovation in International Business

NEW YORK , Dec. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU), a non-profit U.S. business association dedicated to forging relationships and promoting dialogue between business and government communities across the globe, today announced that Carlos Slim Helu will be the recipient of the 2012 Dwight D. Eisenhower Global Leadership Award. The award will be presented to Mr. Slim by Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Chrysler Group LLC and Fiat S.p.A., the 2011 Eisenhower Award recipient, at the BCIU Eisenhower Global Awards Gala on Dec. 12^th in New York City.

A Civil Engineer who studied at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM) and became a Professor of Algebra and Linear Programming, Carlos Slim has been an investor since 1952. He founded Inversora Bursatil and Inmobiliaria Carso 47 years ago, creating one of the most important enterprises in Latin America. Dedicated to a range of sectors including construction, retail and finance, his business group expanded into telecommunications in 1991 with a 5 percent stake in Telmex.

Today, with operations in 30 countries, his most well known companies include Grupo Carso (industrial equipment, retail, infrastructure and construction), Grupo Financiero Inbursa (finance), Inmuebles Carso (real estate, shopping centers, hospitality, medical centers) America Movil (telecommunications), IDEAL (infrastructure) and Minera Frisco (mining).

A philanthropist, Mr. Slim has contributed to economic and community development throughout Mexico, Latin America and the United States, improving education, health, sport, justice, and social support and development, as well as the fine arts. In 1986, he founded the Carlos Slim Foundation and the Telmex Foundation, the largest philanthropic institutions in Latin America where he now serves as President, and he has also established the nonprofit Carso Institute for Health. Mr. Slim revitalized Mexico City's historic downtown area, and he is also a founder and member of the Executive Board of Fundacion Unam.

"Mr. Slim's steady ascent and success across every business, philanthropic and academic pursuit he has engaged in is unparalleled, embodying the global visionary leadership characteristics President Eisenhower sought to foster when he created The Business Council for International Understanding," said Peter Tichansky, President and CEO of BCIU. "Through his business accomplishments, Mr. Slim has set an extraordinary standard that informs leadership in good times and bad, and endures in the face of a constantly evolving landscape of challenges and opportunities. We are pleased to recognize Mr. Slim's contributions today as well as congratulating him on his commitment to finding ways to accelerate the growth of the Mexican middle class."

Since 2003, the Dwight D. Eisenhower Global Leadership Award has been given to business executives who exemplify the definition of an international business leader by exhibiting outstanding contributions to global commerce. Mr. Slim extends a distinguished roster of BCIU's Global Leadership Award recipients, which includes Jeffrey R. Immelt, former Chairman and CEO, General Electric; Mukesh D. Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries Limited; Lakshmi Mittal, Chairman and CEO of ArcelorMittal; and Sergio Marchionne, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Chrysler Group LLC, Chairman, Fiat Industrial S.p.A., and Chief Executive Officer of Fiat S.p.A.

Also that evening, The Honorable Francisco Sanchez, U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce will present BCIU with the "Peace through Commerce Medal" which honors those who have significantly promoted and developed U.S. export initiatives, encouraged innovative approaches to exporting, and improved overall U.S. trade.  The medal reflects the importance of trade as a means of promoting international peace and economic stability. 

About BCIU
Fifty years ago, BCIU was formed at the White House Industrial Cooperation Council Conference on November 10, 1955, under the leadership of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, as a "people-to-people" initiative. BCIU encourages international understanding by bringing together senior government officials and business leaders on issues of common concern by facilitating public-private partnerships in the global marketplace, and by assisting with problem solving in turbulent situations and markets. BCIU also conducts commercial diplomacy training courses for U.S. Foreign Service, U.S. Commercial Service, and other U.S. Government trade promotion personnel. BCIU utilizes a mix of business executives and experienced trade promotion officials as faculty instructors for these courses.

SOURCE Business Council for International Understanding