ABB named again as one of the world's most ethical companies by Ethisphere

Recognition demonstrates ABB's commitment to ethical leadership

MONTREAL, March 31, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - ABB, the power and automation technology group, has been named by the Ethisphere Institute, an independent research center promoting best practices in corporate ethics and governance, to its 2015 list of the world's most ethical companies.

This is the third consecutive year that ABB has been recognized by the Institute. The World's Most Ethical Companies designation recognizes those organizations that have had a material impact on the way business is conducted by fostering a culture of ethics and transparency at every level of the company.

"This award embodies years of commitment to an ethical work environment," explains Daniel Assandri, Country Managing Director for ABB in Canada. "It is with great pleasure that we receive it, and I dedicate it to all our employees in Canada who, through their determination, made this distinction possible."

"This is the third year that ABB has had the honor of receiving this award, and we always welcome it with the same enthusiasm. Integrity is a top priority at ABB and being recognized by Ethisphere supports our view that we aim to not only be recognized for our leading technology but also for the progress we have made in embedding integrity in our business," said Guy Dionne, Vice-President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, ABB in Canada.

The World's Most Ethical Company assessment is based upon the Ethisphere Institute's Ethics Quotient™ (EQ) framework developed over years of research to provide a means to assess an organization's performance in an objective, consistent and standardized way. The information collected provides a comprehensive sampling of definitive criteria of core competencies, rather than all aspects of corporate governance, risk, sustainability, compliance and ethics. The EQ framework and methodology is determined, vetted and refined by the expert advice and insights gleaned from Ethisphere's network of thought leaders and from the World's Most Ethical Company Methodology Advisory Panel.

"The World's Most Ethical Companies embrace the correlation between ethical business practice and improved company performance. These companies use ethics as a means to further define their industry leadership and understand that creating an ethical culture and earning the World's Most Ethical Companies recognition involves more than just an outward facing message or a handful of senior executives saying the right thing," said Ethisphere's Chief Executive Officer, Timothy Erblich. "Earning this recognition involves the collective action of a global workforce from the top down. We congratulate everyone at ABB for this extraordinary achievement."
Scores are generated in five key categories: ethics and compliance program (35%), corporate citizenship and responsibility (20%), culture of ethics (20%), governance (15%) and leadership, innovation and reputation (10%).

The full list of the 2015 World's Most Ethical Companies can be found at http://ethisphere.com/worlds-most-ethical/wme-honorees/.

ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility, industry, and transport and infrastructure customers to improve their performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in roughly 100 countries and employs about 140,000 people worldwide.

The research-based Ethisphere Institute is a leading international think-tank dedicated to the creation, advancement and sharing of best practices in business ethics, corporate social responsibility, anti-corruption and sustainability. Ethisphere Magazine, which publishes the globally recognized World's Most Ethical Companies Ranking, is the quarterly publication of the Institute. Ethisphere provides the only third-party verifications of compliance programs and ethical cultures that include: Ethics Inside^® Certification, Compliance Leader Verification™ and Anti-Corruption Program Verification. More information on the Ethisphere Institute, including ranking projects and membership, can be found at http://www.ethisphere.com.

SOURCE ABB inc.

Carolina Gallo, Director of Corporate Communications at ABB in Canada, Tel: [phone]