Chamber @Work
From the President's Desk: Burnham 26
Amidst the intense sunshine of summer, the Chicagoland Chamber has a good part of its institutional mind on autumn, and an event that highlights the very best work of our business community. On the evening of November 8th at the Ritz-Carlton Chicago, we will celebrate the 2017 recipient of the Daniel H. Burnham Award for Distinguished Leadership. The Burnham Award, with its Exclusive Presenting Sponsor The PrivateBank, honors visionary leaders who advance our region’s business climate while also making civic contributions that make Chicagoland a better place to live and work. This year’s Burnham Dinner, the 26th Annual, signals a new quarter-century of Chicago business and civic leadership. We’re excited to tell the stories of the honoree, and about your own company, both at the event and in the run-up to it.
The recipient of the 26th Daniel H. Burnham Award is Ilene S. Gordon, the Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ingredion. Ms. Gordon leads a company of 11,000 employees, with 2016 net sales of $5.7 billion and a market capitalization near $9 billion. She has been listed as a Forbes “Global Game Changer” and on Fortune’s “Most Powerful Women” lists, both in the U.S. and globally. Under Ms. Gordon’s leadership, Ingredion has become a major contributor to Girls4Science, a local organization that encourages Chicago-area girls to pursue STEM studies. As a legacy supporter, Ingredion provides annual space-camp scholarships and has spearheaded the development of several Girls4Science programs. Tickets and tables for the Burnham Award Dinner in Ms. Gordon’s honor are now open for registration.
Ms. Gordon personifies an evolution of business and civic leadership, and the turn of a new quarter-century for the Burnham Award. Chicago businesses are increasingly technology and science-driven; women-led; more inclusive overall; and their civic and philanthropic initiatives have gotten more integrated with their business visions and missions.
Bottom line, the face and the process of business and civic leadership have quickly adapted to keep pace with the changing world around us. Chamber members are at the forefront of the evolution, and we want to help tell the positive narratives of what that looks like. As part of our Burnham celebration, we ask that you reach out to the Chicagoland Chamber with information about your own civic and philanthropic initiatives. Too much good and important work in the world goes unheralded. Please contact our Communications & Marketing Department, and we’ll spread word of your work to the full business community and beyond. You deserve the recognition.
Sincerely,
Michael L. Reever, Esq.
Acting President & CEO
Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce