Rady School Pinnacle of Excellence Awards Honor Leaders in Entertainment, Business and Technology
Media Contact: Keri Peckham, 858-534-0855 or kpeckham@ucsd.edu
October 14, 2006
The Rady School of Management at UC San Diego today presented the inaugural Pinnacle of Excellence Awards in Leadership at a gala at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The Pinnacle Awards were designed to recognize individuals and companies who are innovators and pioneers in their fields by honoring leaders in business, finance, entertainment, venture capital and technology. The honorees exemplify the Rady School’s values of excellence, innovation, collaboration, integrity and risk-taking. The Pinnacle of Excellence Awards will help the school to extend its impact outside of San Diego, to Los Angeles and beyond.
“The Rady School’s mission is to develop ethical, visionary leaders who will innovate business practices that transform the world, and our honorees chosen because they are this type of leader,” said Rady School Dean Robert S. Sullivan. “These honorees have made a difference in their particular industries because of their willingness to push the boundaries, using new techniques and technologies to change the way business is done.”
Pinnacle of Excellence Award categories and winners are:
Founder Leadership Award
• Ernest S. Rady - Founder, American Assets, Inc., Director, Wachovia Corporation; Founder, Westcorp; President, Insurance Company of the West
Technology Leadership Award
• Hideki (Dick) Komiyama - Chairman, Sony Electronics, Inc., Senior General Manager, Sony Corporation for Global Sales & Marketing
Business Leadership Award
• Anne R. Nelson - Vice President, Business Affairs, CBS Entertainment
Entertainment Leadership Award
• “Cold Case”- Jerry Bruckheimer Productions, In Association with Warner Bros. Production Inc. and CBS Production Inc.
• “The King of Queens”- Sony Pictures Television and CBS Productions
Alumni Leadership Award
• Ira Rubenstein - Executive Vice President, Sony Pictures Digital, UC San Diego Alumnus, 1987
• Leo S. Spiegel - Partner, Mission Ventures, UC San Diego Alumnus, 1983
The Pinnacle of Excellence Awards sponsors are Wachovia, Sony, CBS, Mission Ventures, American Assets, Inc., Bear Stearns & Company Inc., Flight Options LLC, Daiichi Sankyo Research Institute, UC San Diego Alumni Association, Geary’s Beverly Hills and UC San Diego Development.
Funds raised through the Pinnacle of Excellence Awards will support the Rady School of Management and also contribute to the $1 billion fundraising goal of The Campaign for UCSD: Imagine What’s Next.
Established as part of the University of California, San Diego, the Rady School of Management is on the forefront of educating leaders for innovation-driven organizations. Situated within one of the top institutions in the U.S. for higher education and research in the fields of science and technology, the Rady School offers a full-time MBA program, a FlexMBA program for working professionals and executive education programs. The Rady School faculty draw upon their research and passion for innovation to educate the next generation of leaders who will shape the practice of business globally.
Note to Editors: For more information on the Pinnacle of Excellence Award categories, please see the descriptions below.
The Founder Leadership Award is the most prestigious Pinnacle Award. This award is given to an individual whose life work and career exemplifies the Rady School of Management's founding values.
The Technology Leadership Award honors an individual and his or her company who have provided leadership in the field of technology, locally and globally. The honoree must be in a leadership position at a technology company with a strong commitment to the community, as well as to the industry they serve.
The Business Leadership Award honors an individual whose career has exhibited long-term leadership at an organization for more than 25 years. The honoree must have demonstrated integrity and the ability to overcome obstacles to reach personal and career goals. He or she must also show a strong commitment to the community.
The Entertainment Leadership Award is presented to an individual, network, television show or movie that provides excellence in entertainment. Technology, collaboration and innovation are the impetus for this award.
The Alumni Leadership Award is presented to UC San Diego or Rady School alumni whose careers demonstrate the values of the Rady School. A commitment to community and the university is central to the selection for this honoree. This honoree must have participated in a leadership role at the university after his or her graduation from UC San Diego and/or the Rady School.