Ad Council's 64th Annual Public Service Award Dinner To Honor Unilever CEO Paul Polman, Samantha Bee To Host

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Jul 18, 2017, 09:00 ET

NEW YORK, July 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ad Council, the largest producer of public service advertisements (PSAs) in the U.S., announced today that comedian, political commentator and Emmy-nominated Samantha Bee, will host its 64th Annual Public Service Award Dinner at the New York Hilton Midtown in New York City on November 30, 2017. The dinner will honor Unilever CEO Paul Polman. Platinum Sponsors include Adobe, Facebook, Google and iHeartMedia.

Attended by more than 1,400 prominent executives from the media, advertising, and corporate communities, the Annual Dinner recognizes the industries and individuals who support the Ad Council and its public service campaigns.

This year's event will honor Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever, for his vision and commitment to make sustainable living commonplace - driving long term, responsible business growth in the process. Since becoming CEO in January 2009, Polman has set Unilever on an ambitious vision to fully decouple its growth from overall environmental footprint and increase its positive social impact through the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan. He is Chairman of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, a member of the International Business Council of the World Economic Forum, a member of the B Team and sits on the Board of the UN Global Compact and the Consumer Goods Forum, where he co-chairs the Sustainability Committee. Polman has been closely involved in global discussions on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and action to tackle climate change. In 2016, Paul was asked by the UN Secretary-General to be a member of the SDG Advocacy Group, tasked with promoting action on the 2030 Agenda. In 2016, he received France's Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur, in recognition of his efforts in galvanizing business action on sustainability and for his involvement during the historic 2015 UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris.

"The annual dinner is an incredible celebration of the advertising, media and corporate communities that create meaningful change in our country," said Lisa Sherman, President and CEO of Ad Council. "We look forward to this night all year long and are thrilled to pay tribute to Paul Polman and his legacy of social good with Samantha Bee as our evening's emcee."

Samantha Bee is currently the host of "Full Frontal with Samantha Bee" on TBS. The show recently picked up 7 Emmy nominations. In 2017, Time Magazine named Bee one of the 100 most influential people in the world on their annual Time 100 list. Previous hosts of the Ad Council's dinner include Ellen DeGeneres, Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey, Seth Meyers, Conan O'Brien and James Corden. This year's dinner will be chaired by David Sable, Global CEO of Y&R and Chair of the Ad Council's Board of Directors.

The Ad Council has held the Annual Dinner, honoring corporate leaders for their contributions to public service, since 1953. The Public Service Award Dinner is the organization's largest fundraising event. Last year's benefit raised a record-breaking $4.6 million to support the Ad Council's programs.

ABOUT THE AD COUNCIL

The Ad Council is a private, non-profit organization with a rich history of marshaling volunteer talent from the advertising and media industries to deliver critical messages to the American public. Having produced literally thousands of PSA campaigns addressing the most pressing social issues of the day, the Ad Council has affected, and continues to affect, tremendous positive change by raising awareness, inspiring action, and saving lives. To learn more about the Ad Council and its campaigns, visit www.adcouncil.org, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or view our PSAs on YouTube.

SOURCE The Ad Council