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About the Awards
The Atlantic Council’s Distinguished Leadership Awards celebrates the highest achieving individuals who embody the essence of the pillars of the transatlantic relationship. Each year, the event convenes an elite, international audience – including current and former heads of state, foreign dignitaries, ambassadors, members of Congress and the administration, military commanders, international business leaders, and leading members of the media. The event is regularly featured by national and international media outlets, including the Associated Press, CBS News, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, POLITICO, Thomson Reuters, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post, among others.
Distinguished leaders
2022 Honorees
The Atlantic Council honors individuals for their achievement in the fields of political, military, business, humanitarian, and artistic leadership. These luminaries have made exceptional and distinctive contributions across the Atlantic and around the world.
H.E. Mario Draghi
Distinguished International Leadership Award
President of the Council of Ministers of the Italian Republic
INTRODUCED BY: The Hon. Janet L. Yellen, United States Secretary of the Treasury
Jamala
Distinguished Artistic Leadership Award
Singer-songwriter, the winner of Eurovision song contest 2016
Accepted on behalf of all Ukrainian artists
INTRODUCED BY: Adrienne Arsht, Executive Vice Chair; Founder, Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center; Founder, Adrienne Arsht – Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center
Claudio Descalzi
Distinguished Business Leadership Award
CEO, Eni
INTRODUCED BY: H.E. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, United Arab Emirates Special Envoy for Climate Change; Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology; Group CEO and Managing Director, Abu Dhabi National Oil Corporation (ADNOC)
The People of Ukraine
Distinguished Leadership Award
INTRODUCED BY: The Hon. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker, US House of Representatives
and
Gen. James L. Jones, Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander; Executive Chairman Emeritus, Atlantic Council
A special tribute to Secretary Madeleine K. Albright
RECORDED REMARKS BY: The Hon. Hillary R. Clinton, Former US Secretary of State
and
The Hon. Condoleezza Rice, Former US Secretary of State
Selected coverage
Rewatch the event
Honoring the Ukrainian people
A message from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Zelenskyy offers a moving, personal dedication to the heroism of the Ukrainian people under Russian assault.
A special tribute to the people of Ukraine
The Atlantic Council stands with these heroes today and in the days to come.
Recap blog
Transcripts
Photos
Celebrating our 60th Anniversary
The Atlantic Council in 2021
Annual Report
In the face of great challenges, this annual report underscores how our community is buoyed by the conviction that we have the talent, imagination, and expertise to contribute to a better world.
Sponsoring the Awards dinner
Sponsors of the Distinguished Leadership Awards are supporting the Atlantic Council’s work in promoting constructive US leadership and engagement in the world based on the central role of the Atlantic community, working with its allies and partners, to meet global challenges.
Sponsors are also able to access benefits such as invitations to a reception with the honorees, recognition with their company logo in all printed and online dinner materials, and at the event, a two-page advertisement and/or congratulatory note to the honorees in the printed dinner program, and an acknowledgment from the podium during the dinner.
The best ideas are born from diverse, informed people across the depth and breadth of the organization—it is the role of leadership to seek, hear, and implement those ideas.
Recap past Distinguished Leadership Award events
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