Chambers services

Bill Clinton pays tribute to International Leadership Award recipient

  • 18 June 2012
ICC in Latin America

Former President Bill Clinton was among a host of guests joining Harold McGraw III, ICC Vice-Chairman and Chairman of ICC USA (the United States Council for International Business, USCIB), to celebrate the accomplishments of business leader Andrew Liveris, Chairman and CEO of The Dow Chemical Company and recipient of the USCIB International Leadership Award 2011.

Mr Clinton paid tribute to Mr Liveris, who in his acceptance remarks offered his views on how the United States could lay a path for future innovation and growth in overseas markets and work together to rejuvenate American manufacturing.

“I want to congratulate Andrew on receiving the award tonight, he certainly deserves it,” Mr Clinton said. “I have been an admirer of Dow Chemical for a long time. I am grateful that an American company with an Australian president and two-thirds of its sales overseas has found a competitive way to keep 40% of its employees in this country.”

Addressing hundreds of business executives, government officials and diplomats gathered at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York, Mr McGraw reflected on his experiences attending the recently concluded G20 summit meeting in France, and called for urgent measures by political leaders in the United States and around the world to revive economic growth and job creation. “It is simply not acceptable that we have almost no growth in the global economy today,” he said. “We know we can do better. No one government alone can solve the challenges we face, nor can one business solve these challenges alone. We need to work together to help restore public confidence.”

In his award acceptance speech Mr Liveris said: “At a time when international business has never been more dynamic, it is essential for all of us – citizens, businesses and our government – to embrace the new reality that we have to make strategic choices about our future and how we want it to unfold. We must, without hesitation, venture to build bold public-private partnerships that will enable us to achieve the necessary transformation – because we cannot accomplish this alone.”

The award gala dovetailed three days of meetings in November to build on efforts to strengthen the International Chamber of Commerce network of national committees from across Latin America and the Western hemisphere. Chaired by Maria Fernanda Garza, Vice- Chair of ICC Mexico, the regional meeting saw discussions on a range of issues including ICC’s 2012 programme of action, the work of the ICC World Chambers Federation and ICC International Court of Arbitration activities.

For more information on the gala diner visit USCIB