Dan Hesse, Sprint CEO

“The imperative for Corporate Social Responsibility by America’s business leaders to fill our country’s leadership vacuum has never been greater.”

Sprint CEO Dan Hesse recently was named the first recipient of the L. Joseph Thomas Leadership Award, the highest honor the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University bestows on its most accomplished alumni leaders.  Hesse, a 1977 graduate of Johnson, accepted the award Jan. 19, 2012, at the annual Alumni Awards Recognition dinner in New York City. 

The L. Joseph Thomas Leadership award was established in honor of its namesake, who is stepping down after a five-year term as dean. "I am privileged to name Dan Hesse, MBA ‘77, as the recipient of this award in its inaugural year," said Thomas, the Anne and Elmer Lindseth Dean of Johnson at Cornell University. "Dan was selected because of his exceptional demonstration of vision and leadership, sound business sense, and commitment to community. These qualities make him a role model for future generations of leaders in both business and other professional pursuits."

Since being named as Sprint CEO in December 2007, Hesse has been credited with making substantial improvements in Sprint’s customer service and re-building the company’s brand. Prominent third parties including the American Customer Satisfaction Index, J.D. Power & Associates and the Reputation Institute have acknowledged Sprint’s improvements.

Hesse also has driven Sprint’s efforts to improve its own sustainability and that of the wireless industry by supporting phone recycling programs, bringing more sustainable mobile devices to market and reducing carbon emissions. For these efforts, Sprint is No. 3 among America’s greenest companies according to Newsweek’s 2011 Green Rankings.

Hesse’s remarks about “The Evolving Role of America's Business Leaders” that he presented during the recognition dinner are attached to this blog post.