Zurich Sigorta Türkiye CEO Receives UN Leadership Award

The United Nations has identified 12 global business leaders as pioneers in creating a more just and liveable world. Yılmaz Yıldız, CEO of Zurich Insurance Group Turkey, is one of these recipients of the "UN Sustainable Development Goals Pioneer" designation for his leadership throughout his career of successful projects supporting education, health, environment, women and children, as well as his effective implementation of gender equality within the company.

Yılmaz Yıldız attended the United Nations - Global Compact Leaders Summit held in New York on 24 September and received his award at the ceremony welcoming global business leaders, UN officials, politicians, public administrators and civil society representatives.

The United Nations Global Compact, which began in 2000 at the call of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, is today the world's largest sustainability movement in the business community. The Global Compact represents a crucial step forward in using the power of business to create a more just, sustainable and human-centred world. More than 20,000 companies and organizations in over 160 countries participate in this initiative, contributing to shaping the future of both the business world and the world as a whole. The Global Compact emphasizes that companies must act not only with a focus on profit, but also with social responsibility awareness. Respect for human rights, fair working conditions, environmental protection and anti-corruption are among the ten fundamental principles on which the Compact is based.

"Our ideas and work from Turkey will inspire business leaders around the world"

Zurich Insurance Group Turkey CEO Yılmaz Yıldız expressed the following regarding this meaningful award: "I am very pleased to have been selected as one of the 12 most successful leaders by the United Nations. I have always believed that leaders in business must create value for all stakeholders. I have argued that true success cannot be measured solely by financial results. As business leaders, it is our responsibility to make our country, our people and this world we live in happier, more just and more sustainable. Our definition of success at Zurich Insurance Group Turkey is to achieve good financial results while supporting all our stakeholders and working to make them happy. Our customers, business partners, employees, our country and everyone we should support in our society are our stakeholders. In this context, through both Zurich Turkey and the Z Zurich Foundation, we are developing rural women teachers as social entrepreneurs; we are providing psychological support to our healthcare workers, teachers and citizens in earthquake-affected areas; we are working with our municipalities to reduce the effects of global warming and raising awareness against disasters; we are reducing our carbon emissions by 50 percent, supporting our cultural life through festivals, and working intensively to eliminate all forms of discrimination. I am very pleased that all these efforts have received international recognition. I hope we can be a source of inspiration for business leaders both in our country and in different geographies."