Ethical Leader of the Year Award Presentation
Seating Schedule: Reserved Accessibility & Accommodations Advanced Seating opens 10 minutes before general seating. General seating starts at specific times: Sunday at 2:00 pm, Monday and Tuesday at 7:30 am, and Wednesday at 8:00 am.
Presented by the William G. McGowan Charitable Fund in partnership with SHRM, the William G. McGowan Ethical Leader of the Year Award recognizes a Fortune 500 CEO who exemplifies outstanding ethical leadership.
There’s no denying: Today’s corporate leaders face complex and novel challenges unseen to business leaders of the past. HR professionals play a critical role in embedding ethical practices within the corporate culture, making them essential partners in the journey toward organizational excellence. Today, the best leaders approach challenges with an ethical framework that unlocks sound solutions to our most pressing issues. This award—happening a third year in a row at the SHRM Annual Conference & Expo—recognizes leaders who work in tandem with HR to prioritize ethical practices in the workplace throughout their decision-making. Past winners of the Ethical Leader of the Year Award include Charles Lowrey, CEO of Prudential Financial and Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines.
Join us for the exciting LIVE announcement and presentation of the third Ethical Leader of the Year award from the SHRM24 Main Stage – and hear firsthand how CEOs are thinking about the future of ethics in the workplace.
Live Streaming and Recording: General sessions are live-streamed and recorded for replay 30 days after the event.
Acknowledgement of Technical Issues: While rare, technical issues may occur during sessions. We appreciate your patience as we quickly address them.
Notice of Special Effects: This session may include strobe lighting, flash photography, and special effects. If sensitive to light, please consider viewing via live stream for comfort and safety.
Accessibility & Accommodations Information: For detailed accessibility & accommodations information, visit INFO > FAQs in the app.
Brian Peckrill

Brian Peckrill is executive director of the William G. McGowan Charitable Fund, leading all operations of the Fund. He previously served as the fellows program director, where he was responsible for the design and implementation of this forward-thinking, ethics-focused experience for top MBA students, as well as fostering an active and engaged alumni community of young business leaders as they embark on and manage their careers.
Prior to joining the McGowan Fund, Brian served as vice president of WorldChicago, a Chicago-based nonprofit organization focused on engaging the world in person-to-person exchange-based, capacity building projects. There he gained extensive experience developing leadership programming programs across the globe, from Chicago to Ukraine, North Macedonia, and Japan.
He has a bachelor’s degree in English from Wheaton College, as well as an MPA from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.
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