10.09.2006 - 08:49pm ET

(CSRwire) (New York, October 9, 2006) Star power meets financial power meets brand power.

November 1st's inaugural Corporate Responsibility Officer, or CRO Conference in New York City features one of America's highest-ranking CROs, Citigroup Vice Chair Lewis Kaden, alongside one of entertainment's biggest star-makers, Def Jam Records and Phat Farm Fashions founder and responsibility activist Russell Simmons. Add Corporate Responsibility officers from some of America's biggest brands: Timberland--SVP Mike Harrison, Schering-Plough--SVP Brent Saunders, Xerox--VP Patricia Calkins and Pfizer--Director Nancy Nielsen. To these big brand-bearers, add two of America's top business journalists, Wall Street Journal Assistant Managing Editor Alan Murray and Bloomberg News Editor Marty Schenker.

Altogether, over a dozen top-flight speakers make up the highest-value one-day conference ever held on the topic of Corporate Responsibility. The CRO Conference will be held November 1, 2006 from 9am to 4:30pm at the Marriott Financial Center New York hotel near Wall Street. Organizers expect an audience of 200-250 CRO members and media. The full conference agenda can be found at http://www.faoworld.com/agenda.htm


The CRO Conference is open to all corporate members of The CRO, which will number over 100 by conference time, according to CEO of the The CRO Jay Whitehead. "Members have been joining at a record pace," says Whitehead. "Because The CRO is a media platform with CRO Magazine, the CRO Conferences and TheCRO.com online content and events, everyone wants on board. Being backed by a media organization makes a CRO's impact much greater." High-profile initial members include Pepsi, Mattel, Intel, Dell, Avon, Washington Mutual, Stanford University, Columbia University, LRN, The CSR Group, OPI Global, OCEG and the Institute for Judicial Studies.

Members have cited the price-for-the-value of CRO's membership as the key driver of their rapid adoption. "It's the most cost-competitive membership in the market," says Dirk Olin, Executive Director of the Institute for Judicial Studies. At a corporate practitioner price of $1895, non-profit/NGOs at $290, and service providers at $4945, members get 2 passes to the CRO Conferences through December, 2007 plus individual membership in the Open Compliance and Ethics Group, or OCEG. Membership application can be found at www.TheCRO.com.

About The CRO

Since starting on August 1, 2006, The CRO, which includes Business Ethics Magazine, has attracted corporate members at a record pace, based on the organization's highly competitive price-for-the-value. The CRO is a membership media platform that includes CRO Magazine, CRO Conferences, TheCRO.com online media and webcasts, and forthcoming broadcast products, which are dedicated to increasing the impact of Corporate Responsibility programs. CRO corporate member benefits include 2 passes to CRO Conferences, CRO Magazine and online program subscriptions, and membership in the Open Compliance and Ethics Group (OCEG) programs. The CRO was founded by media industry veterans Jay Whitehead and Michael Connor. CRO membership info can be found at www.TheCRO.com.

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