June 10, 2013 — Sir Andrew Witty, CEO of GlaxoSmithKline, has been named 2013 Top CEO by Best Practice Institute. Witty was honored during an awards presentation on June 5 at GSK House, the company’s world headquarters in London.
Best Practice Institute‘s Top CEO award celebrates leaders who exemplify the principles of transformational talent management and demonstrate their belief that a business’s most valuable resource is its people. BPI serves the talent management executives of some of the world’s top corporations.
CEO Louis Carter said BPI’s membership, which includes more than 10,000 corporate and individual members, were asked to nominate CEOs who are committed to developing talent, have a track record of connecting business strategy to talent management, and have earned the respect and appreciation of their employees.
Witty has been with GSK since 1985 and has held senior positions in the Asia Pacific, South Africa and the U.S. He was president of GSK Pharmaceuticals Europe before becoming CEO in 2008. He is a member of the Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Group and president of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations.
Brian Bules, GSK’s leader of Global Talent Solutions and Best Practice Institute Senior Executive Board Member commented on Witty’s leadership and dedication to ensuring effective and integrated talent management at GSK:
Andrew leads the charge in creating an environment at GlaxoSmithKline that allows our people to truly reach their potential, not only today but into the future, Bules said. “Andrew really embodies the belief that the essence of our company is our people who have the unique opportunity to collaborate on bringing valuable medicines to patients worldwide.”
Witty received two prestigious honors in 2012. He was awarded knighthood for services to the economy and the UK pharmaceutical industry, and he was named Chancellor of the University of Nottingham, his alma mater.