THE International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Philippines conferred on Lopez Group chairman Oscar M. Lopez (OML) its highest award, the Lifetime Achievement Award in the 2010 Communication Excellence in Organizations (CEO Excel) Awards.

IABC Philippines president Rey Anthony David Jr. said the organization’s board of trustees unanimously voted to recognize OML for his “extraordinary and transformational leadership over the years in communicating effectively the vision and values of the Lopez Group of companies to employees, business partners, customers and other stakeholders.”

The CEO Excel is awarded to individuals who consistently demonstrate vision and leadership in their commitment to effective business communication. Contributions to communication include achievements such as initiating, directing, supporting or sustaining outstanding and effective communication programs. The award is given to chief executive officers (CEOs), managing directors or presidents. Both IABC members and nonmembers can nominate individuals for the award. Other 2010 CEO Excel awardees from the Lopez Group were ABS-CBN president and chief operating officer Charo Santos-Concio in the Media category and ABS-CBN Foundation Inc. (AFI) managing director Gina Lopez in the Corporate Foundation category. In accepting the award on March 23, OML said the “Phoenix- like nature of the Lopez Group” was not an accident.

“This ability to last and outlast our challenges and challengers is made possible by careful nurturing of a corporate culture that values excellence in the conduct of our various businesses,” he said. Known as a business excellence and corporate social responsibility champion, OML has consistently communicated his desire for Lopez Group companies to implement best governance practices, benchmark against international standards, and be globally competitive. He established Lopez Group Foundation Inc. (LGFI) to help maximize the impact of projects of member foundations in education, child welfare, environmental protection and biodiversity, livelihood and microfinance, and employee health and fitness. OML is unique for his outspoken advocacy of wellness in the workplace, spearheading sports and exercise programs as well as institutionalizing a pioneering family planning program across the Lopez Group of companies.

“Let me assure all of you that we in the Lopez Group are as committed to world- class standards of professionalism as IABC is,” OML told IABC Philippines members, acknowledging that the total commitment of the CEO is needed by professional communicators to get the job done. “The CEO must lead by example and must show by his actions that he and the company are worthy of the dedication and loyalty of everyone in the organization,” he added.

OML believes that companies can be built to last if corporate and individual actions are guided by the following values: a pioneering entrepreneurial spirit, business excellence, nationalism, team work, strong work ethic, integrity, social justice, and concern for employee welfare and wellness.