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Download a PDF of this Press Release here.
MEDIA ALERT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Wendi Chason
646-753-8223
wchason@cpradr.org
2012 honorees recognized for leadership and commitment to conflict management and resolution
New York, NY, November 5, 2012 – The International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (CPR) and more than 450 distinguished guests representing the nation’s top corporations, law firms, scholars, and public institutions, paid homage to Royal Dutch Shell plc and Peter J. Rees, QC, Legal Director at CPR’s 2012 Corporate Leadership Award (CLA) Dinner on October 16 at The Waldorf-Astoria in New York. Shell and Mr. Rees were recognized for demonstrated leadership and commitment to the principles of conflict management and resolution and for successfully implementing these principles into their corporate and industry cultures. The event raised more than $1M in support of CPR Institute’s educational, research and public policy programs.
This year’s celebration marked the 9th annual CLA Dinner. Since inception, the event has generated $6.8M for CPR, the leading independent resource helping global businesses and their lawyers resolve complex commercial disputes more effectively and efficiently.
“With litigation costing companies billions of dollars each year, the effective management of conflict is essential to reduce costs, lower risks and improve business relationships,” said Kathy Bryan, president and CEO of CPR. “For this reason, CPR annually honors a corporation for its pioneering efforts towards the advancement of conflict management and resolution, and we are thrilled to bestow the 2012 Corporate Leadership Award, CPR’s highest honor, to Royal Dutch Shell and, our friend, Peter Rees.”
“It is with great pleasure that we award Peter Rees and Shell CPR’s 2012 Corporate Leadership Award,” said Hon. William H. Webster, chairman of the CPR board, who presented the award. “This year’s honorees are not only industry leaders but have demonstrated a true commitment to alternative dispute resolution and its successful implementation into the corporate business model. With around 93,000 employees in more than 90 countries and territories, Shell’s work, spearheaded by Mr. Rees, both advances industry technologies and pushes the boundaries of dispute resolution in developing the tools and infrastructure to apply Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) internationally. Together, they truly embody the spirit of CPR’s mission and we can think of no organization and individual more deserving of this prestigious award.”
“I am extremely honored to receive CPR’s Corporate Leadership award,” said Peter J. Rees, QC, Legal Director at Royal Dutch Shell plc. “I have dedicated much of my legal career in private practice and non-profit service to furthering conflict management principles, and I applaud CPR for the work it’s doing to help corporations better handle conflict management and resolution. CPR is an invaluable resource for any organization looking to drive down costs and promote meaningful dispute resolution.”
“CPR is incredibly fortunate to receive such strong support by our esteemed members, corporate and foundation partners and donors,“ said John S. Kiernan, vice chairman of the board for CPR. In the past year alone, we’ve taken on major initiatives in Brazil, the Asia-Pacific region and Europe; expanded our educational resources in the U.S.; held a highly successful annual meeting; finalized a fascinating survey examining Fortune 1000 companies’ increasing use of ADR in collaboration with Cornell and Pepperdine universities; developed a five-year Strategic Plan for domestic and international expansion; reconstituted our National Panel; continued developing our Distinguished Neutrals panels; explored new strategic alliances with universities and other ADR organizations to enhance our reach and our effectiveness; and have obtained 16 highly distinguished signatories to our 2012 updated version of the CPR Pledge. It is only through sustained generosity and backing that we remain on the cutting edge, and our efforts to advance the thinking about ADR continue to evolve.”
Corporations supporting this year’s event included, Amgen, Chevron, Danaher, DuPont, Fluor, General Electric, GlaxoSmithKline, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft and Walgreen’s. These organizations have also signed CPR’s 21st Century Corporate ADR Pledge in an effort to revitalize corporations’ commitment to and keep CPR in the forefront of developments. As the founding signatory of the CPR Pledge, Shell has affirmed its role as a leading corporation in ADR and has unilaterally announced that it will explore alternatives to litigation, including direct negotiations and mediation, before filing a suit to settle disputes.
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About CPR:
CPR is the only independent non-profit organization whose mission is to help global business and their lawyers resolve complex commercial disputes more cost effectively and efficiently. For more than 30 years, the legal community has trusted CPR to deliver superior arbitrators and mediators and innovative solutions to business conflict.
In 1979, CPR started this legacy by being the first to bring together Corporate Counsel and their firms to find ways to lower the cost of litigation. Since that time, CPR has changed the way the world resolves conflict by being the first to develop an ADR Pledge. Today, this Pledge obliges over 4,000 operating companies and 1,500 law firms to explore alternative dispute resolution options before pursuing litigation.
CPR is once again challenging the way the world resolves conflict by introducing the 21st Century Corporate ADR Pledge. This new Pledge will systemically change the way global business and their leaders resolve complex commercial disputes.
CPR’s membership comprises an elite group of ADR trailblazers, including executives and legal counsel from the world’s most successful companies and global law firms, government officials, retired judges, highly-experienced neutrals, and leading academics. CPR accomplishes its mission by harnessing the expertise of these leading legal minds to change the way the world resolves conflict for generations to come.
As we enter our fourth decade, CPR remains a dynamic and pioneering organization with a solid reputation for excellence and innovation in ADR. CPR provides the ideal platform for ADR practitioners to benchmark success, advance their skills, and expand the field of conflict management around the globe. For more information, please visit www.cpradr.org
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