National Association of Corporate Directors New England Chapter Announces 2011 Director of the Year Award Winners

Samuel Bodman recognized with Lifetime Achievement Award; The TJX Companies earns Public Company Board of the Year

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) New England Chapter today announced its winners of the 2011 Director of the Year Awards. The awards recognize excellence in public, private and non-profit corporate governance.

“As we celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Director of the Year Awards program, we continue to be impressed by the strong group of nominees that represent the broad industries of the New England region,” said Bill Earon, New England Chapter President. “We are proud to recognize these fine individuals and boards who symbolize the best in corporate and non-profit governance for their commitment to supporting the NACD’s vision of excellence in boardroom leadership.”

The following boardroom leaders of New England-based companies who have made outstanding contributions to New England’s corporate community are this year’s recipients of the NACD New England’s 2011 Director of the Year Awards:

Lifetime Achievement Award: Samuel W. Bodmanis a director at AES Corporation, Dupont, Hess Corporation and Weatherford International. He is the retired Chairman, President and CEO of Cabot Corporation. From 2001 through 2004, Mr. Bodman served as the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce before becoming the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Treasury from 2004 through 2005. In January 2005, he was named the 11th U.S. Secretary of Energy, a post he held through January 2009. He has extensive public, private and non-profit board experience throughout his career, including serving on the Boards of John Hancock Financial Services, Security Capital Group, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Westvaco, the New England Aquarium, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Carnegie Institution for Science, the French Library, MIT and Cornell University.

Leadership in Public Corporate Governance Award: Thomas J. Mayis Chairman, President and CEO of NSTAR. He is a director of Bank of America Corporation; Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, Inc.; and the Edison Electric Institute. He serves as chair of the Stonehill CollegeBoard of Trustees and is a trustee of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. As an active member of the community, Tom participates in several civic and business organizations, serving as chair of Jobs for Massachusetts. A board member of the Kennedy Library Foundation, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, and a longtime supporter of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, he is also past chair of Governor Weld’s Board of Economic Advisors and the Massachusetts Business Roundtable.

Leadership in Non-Profit Governance Award: John Fish, Chairman and CEO of Suffolk Construction, has served on numerous private and non-profit boards throughout his career. Mr. Fish serves on the board of directors for the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. He is also the Chairman of the Red & Blue Foundation, Suffolk’s non-profit initiative, and sits on boards and executive committees for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, Salvation Army, Catholic Schools Foundation, Boston College, Tabor Academy and Boston Symphony Orchestra. He is a trustee at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and serves on the Executive Committee for the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. He serves on the Massachusetts Business Roundtable, Jobs for Mass, Boston Plan for Excellence and the Private Industry Council. He also serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors for Mass Competitiveness. Mr. Fish is also a member of the National Business Roundtable based in Washington, D.C. and is a full member of the Urban Land Institute in Washington.

Public Company Board of the Year: The TJX Companies, Inc.The TJX Companies, Inc. is the leading off-price retailer of apparel and home fashions in the United States and worldwide, ranking 119 in the most recent Fortune 500 listings and ranked #1 on The Boston Globe 2010 Globe 100 list. TJX has gained a reputation for excellence in corporate governance over the last thirty years. The Board of TJX has successfully overseen the company through some of the worst economic environments the U.S., Canada and Europe have ever faced, as it delivered superior top- and bottom-line results.

Private Company Board of the Year: The Orvis Company, Inc.Founded in 1856, Orvis is the oldest continually-operating mail order company in the United States. Orvis operates a chain of retail stores in the U.S. and England including its Flagship store in Manchester, Vt., and maintains a network of more than 400 dealers worldwide. Seeking to operate as close to a public company as possible, the Board of Orvis has a majority of independent directors who are active, making meaningful contributions and having substantial influence in guiding the company. The variety of business backgrounds, experience and desire to preserve and grow the brand is shared by all directors. Orvis donates five percent of pre-tax profits each year to environmental programs.

“From TJX Corporation’s industry leadership to Sam Bodman’s lifetime of success as a leader and mentor, our distinguished roster of award recipients have made significant strides in ensuring the companies and organizations they represent are the best of the best in corporate governance,” said Nominating and Selection Chair R. Robert Popeo. “We are proud to have recognized our business and non-profit leaders for the past five years and look forward to celebrating the achievements of this year’s honorees at our event on May 17.”

The award recipients will be honored at the annual NACD New England Director of the Year Awards Dinner taking place on Tuesday, May 17, at the Boston Marriott at Copley Place. Information regarding sponsorships and purchasing of tables or individual tickets can be found online at www.nacdne.org.

About the National Association of Corporate Directors

The National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) is a not-for-profit membership organization devoted exclusively to improving director and board effectiveness in fulfilling their obligation to ensure shareholder and stakeholder value. Founded in 1977, NACD conducts educational programs and standard-setting research and provides information and guidance on a variety of board governance issues and practices. NACD’s 10,000 director members comprise both individual directors and entire boards ranging from the Fortune 100 to smaller public, private, and closely held companies. NACD distributes NACD Directorship magazine and provides governance information online at www.nacdonline.org.

For more information about the NACD New England Chapter’s Director of the Year Awards Dinner, including a list of sponsors and ticket information, please visit www.nacdne.org.

Elevate CommunicationsJim Connelly, 617-861-3654
[email protected]

Source: The National Association of Corporate Directors