Appeal of Conscience Foundation to Honor Laurence D. Fink, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BlackRock, with 2015 Appeal of Conscience Award

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Sep 14, 2015, 10:43 ET

NEW YORK, Sept. 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Appeal of Conscience Foundation, an interfaith organization, and its president and founder Rabbi Arthur Schneier have announced that on September 24, 2015 at the Foundation's fiftieth anniversary dinner to be held at the Waldorf-Astoria they will present the Appeal of Conscience Award to Laurence D. Fink, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BlackRock. Alex Gorsky, Chief Executive Officer of Johnson & Johnson will also be honored. British Prime Minister, David Cameron will be named the recipient of the World Statesman Award.

"The Appeal of Conscience Foundation is proud to honor Laurence Fink for his leadership, integrity, and ongoing philanthropy," said Rabbi Arthur Schneier. "Under his direction, BlackRock has become one of the world's most admired companies, respected for its achievements as well as its social responsibility and commitment to use its resources and vast reach to create a positive impact in the global community."

"It's a privilege to receive this award and to be honored alongside Alex Gorsky and Prime Minister Cameron," said Mr. Fink. "With the world undergoing great upheavals, the foundation's work remains critical and reminds us that we all have a profound responsibility to each other."

About Laurence Fink

Laurence D. Fink, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BlackRock, also leads the Global Executive Committee.

Mr. Fink has led the firm since its founding in 1988, keeping client centric solutions and innovation at the forefront of his leadership. He was named "CEO of the Decade" by Financial News in 2011 and has been named one of the "World's Best CEO's" by Barron's for nine consecutive years.

Prior to founding BlackRock in 1988, Mr. Fink was a member of the Management Committee and a Managing Director of The First Boston Corporation. Mr. Fink joined First Boston in 1976 and quickly became one of the first mortgage-backed securities traders on Wall Street. During his tenure at First Boston, Mr. Fink was co-head of the Taxable Fixed Income Division, which was responsible for trading and distribution of all government, mortgage and corporate securities. Mr. Fink also started the Financial Futures and Options Department and headed the Mortgage and Real Estate Products Group.

Mr. Fink serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of New York University and is Co-Chairman of the NYU Langone Medical Center Board of Trustees. Mr. Fink also serves on the Boards of The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Council on Foreign Relations and Robin Hood, the New York City charitable organization. He is also Co-Chairman of The Partnership for New York City, which works to engage the business community in efforts to advance the City's economy and maintain its position as the center of world commerce, finance and innovation.

Mr. Fink earned an MBA degree with a concentration in real estate from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1976 and a BA degree in political science from UCLA in 1974.

About the Appeal of Conscience Foundation:
Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of its founding, the Appeal of Conscience Foundation, under the leadership of Rabbi Arthur Schneier, has worked worldwide on behalf of religious freedom, human rights, peace and tolerance since 1965. To uphold the principle "live and let live" is the Appeal of Conscience Foundation's continuing goal. An interfaith coalition of business, religious and foreign policy leaders, this international organization promotes mutual understanding, peace and interreligious cooperation and provides a voice of conscience to protect minorities. The Appeal of Conscience Foundation believes that freedom, democracy and human rights are fundamental values that give nations of the world their best hope for peace, security and shared prosperity. www.appealofconscience.org

SOURCE Appeal of Conscience Foundation