ICGN Achievement Awards Methodology
About
Now in their twenty-second year, the ICGN Achievement Awards are recognised internationally as prestigious accolades for corporate governance and investor stewardship professionals.
These awards recognise and celebrate excellence in corporate governance, highlighting the work and achievements of governance leaders across the globe. In recent years, the awards have expanded to recognise Excellence in Stewardship as well as the Rising Star Award (since 2021).
Categories
There are four awards recognising achievements in corporate governance and investor stewardship.
- ICGN Lifetime Achievement Award - The purpose of the Lifetime Achievement Award is to recognise individuals who have demonstrated exceptional achievements in the field of corporate governance over an extended period of time.
- ICGN Rising Star Award - The purpose of the ICGN Rising Star Award is to recognise an individual or individuals in the early stages of their careers in the field(s) of corporate governance and/or stewardship who have already made a valuable contribution, and who have demonstrated the potential to be future leaders.
- Excellence in Corporate Governance Award - The purpose of the ICGN Excellence in Corporate Governance Award is to recognise individuals, organisations and collaborative initiatives whose actions have contributed significantly to making effective corporate governance a reality in the markets and/or regions in which they operate.
- Excellence in Stewardship Award - The purpose of the ICGN Excellence in Stewardship Award is to recognise individuals, organisations and collaborative initiatives whose actions have contributed significantly to making effective stewardship a reality in the markets and/or regions in which they operate.
Eligibility
- ICGN Lifetime Achievement Award
The Award can be given to individuals only. Nominated individuals are not required to be ICGN members. However, the lead Nominator and at least one support Nominator must be members of ICGN.
Please note: Previous winners of the ICGN Lifetime Achievement Award cannot be nominated again. Previous winners of other ICGN Achievement Award categories can be nominated, but only if at least ten (10) years have elapsed since the previous Award.
The ICGN Board has discretion to grant more than one Award in any given year, or none at all.
- ICGN Rising Star Award
The Award is open to individuals only. There is no requirement for a Nominee to be an ICGN member, although their nomination must be supported by at least one ICGN member.
There are no restrictions in terms of the age, seniority or length of service or work experience for the individuals who can be nominated for the Rising Star Award. We ask Nominators to exercise their judgment in deciding whether the Nominee fits the general description of eligibility and the assessment criteria.
Similarly, there are no restrictions on the sectors in which a Nominee is active. They could be, for example, working for companies, investors, advisors, representative bodies, NGOs, regulators or stock exchanges, all of which can contribute to effective corporate governance and investor stewardship.
- Excellence in Corporate Governance Award
The Award is open to individuals, organisations and collaborative initiatives.
While a Nominee does not need to be an ICGN member, the Nominee must be nominated by either an ICGN member; a selected organisation; or by a member or members of a selected organisation and supported by at least one ICGN member.
There are no restrictions on the sectors in which Nominees are active. They could be, for example, companies, investors, advisors, representative bodies, NGOs, regulators or stock exchanges, all of which can contribute to effective corporate governance practices.
The selected organisations are the African Corporate Governance Network; the Latin American Network of Corporate Governance Institutes; and organisations that are members of the Global Stewardship Codes Network or the Global Network of Investor Associations.
- Excellence in Stewardship Award
The Award is open to individuals, organisations and collaborative initiatives.
While a Nominee does not need to be an ICGN member, the Nominee must be nominated by either an ICGN member; a selected organisation; or by a member or members of a selected organisation and supported by at least one ICGN member.
There are no restrictions on the sectors in which Nominees are active. They could be, for example, asset owners and asset managers, companies, advisors, representative bodies, NGOs, regulators or stock exchanges, all of which can contribute to effective stewardship practices.
The selected organisations are the African Corporate Governance Network; the Latin American Network of Corporate Governance Institutes; and organisations that are members of the Global Stewardship Codes Network or the Global Network of Investor Associations.
Nomination Process
The Award Nominees are not required to be an ICGN Member. However, the Nominator and support Nominators must be ICGN Members, or an organisation selected by the ICGN Awards Committee as outlined in the relevant Nomination Form. The exception is the ICGN Lifetime Achievement Award, for which lead Nominator and at least one support Nominator must be members of ICGN.