Björn Edlund was selected as the 2015 inductee to the Arthur W. Page Society’s Hall of Fame, the Society’s highest honor.
Induction into the Hall of Fame recognizes lifetime achievement in a distinguished career of leadership in corporate communications and public relations. Inductees’ accomplishments include having significant positive influence on the enterprise on communications and business issues, major contributions to the profession, strong commitment to the Page Principles and a history of recognition by their peers.
The most recent inductees include Richard Edelman of Edelman, Nicholas Ashooh of APCO Worldwide and Howard Paster of WPP Group, who was honored posthumously.
“There is no measure for how honored I am to be enshrined in the Page Hall of Fame with so many of our profession’s most influential, accomplished and respected leaders,” said Edlund.
“While it is gratifying to be recognized by one’s peers, my motivation has always been my genuine passion for helping organizations to know themselves, tell their stories, be honest and responsible and deserving of the public’s trust.
I am truly blessed to be honored for doing what I love so dearly.”
Gary Sheffer, Vice President of Strategic Communications for General Electric and Chairman of the Page Society, said, “Björn Edlund has been a public relations trailblazer for more than three decades and is one of the most highly respected public relations counselors in the world. This honor could not go to a more deserving individual, and we give it as a small token of gratitude for the tremendous contributions he has made to our profession throughout his career.”
Edlund has made substantial contributions to how enterprises think about and undertake communications.
At Royal Dutch Shell he helped repair the company’s reputation and create a corporate entity positioned as a major global oil and gas producer and marketer. Earlier, at ABB, he led the effort of integrating corporate responsibility and other sustainability aspects into business planning and practices, adding human rights considerations to business risk assessments and closely engaging stakeholders.
During the turnaround of ABB, when the company refocused on its core businesses, Björn led a project to rebuild the values framework guiding the behavior of ABB’s more than 100,000 employees.
Edlund was formally inducted into the Hall of Fame September 28, 2015 at the 32nd Annual Conference of the Page Society, held in Chicago.