CAMDEN, ME - The Institute for Global Ethics announces the expansion of its business ethics practice with the opening of the Center for Corporate Ethics.

The new division is based in New York City, the financial capital of the world, and is devoted to helping chief executives and business leaders focus on the challenges of maintaining integrity within large, complex, values-driven corporations.

"The objective of the Center for Corporate Ethics is to work with companies to create and sustain the finest corporate culture with the highest sense of integrity, the greatest customer loyalty, and the most dedicated and mission-driven group of employees," says Rushworth Kidder, founder and president of the Institute for Global Ethics.

Robert W. Hutchinson, a respected corporate consulting executive, will serve as the Center's managing director.

Hutchinson has spent a lifelong career as a trusted adviser to CEOs and corporate executives from around the world, whom he counsels on critical decisions affecting corporate policies and procedures and supply chain management.

"Companies may be open about their business practices, but what are they doing to foster an open-door culture that promotes honest feedback from their employees," says Hutchinson.

"The Center for Corporate Ethics helps business leaders separate perception from reality by identifying gaps in employee attitudes regarding their business," says Hutchinson. "We help identify those gaps and develop solutions to sustaining a culture of integrity and trust."

Prior to joining the Institute for Global Ethics, Hutchinson served as national director and global practice leader of Supply Chain Management Consulting at KPMG. He was executive vice president of Garr Consulting Group, a division of Deloitte & Touche and vice president of W&H Systems. He also served in executive positions at Dayton-Hudson Corporation (now Target) as well as the United States Air Force.

"Under Bob's leadership, the Center for Corporate Ethics is well-positioned to equip companies with the tools, knowledge and strategies that help minimize the risks and costs of potential ethical lapses," says Kidder.

The Center for Corporate Ethics' assessment tools, training seminars and custom consulting services give organizations insight into the attitudes and values of employees and how their ethical outlook may impact business.

For more information, visit the Center for Corporate Ethics at www.ethics-center.com.

Founded in 1990, The Institute for Global Ethics (www.globalethics.org), is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting ethical behavior in individuals, institutions, and nations through research, public discourse, and practical action. Clients include BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), UnumProvident, Accenture, and The J.M. Smucker Company.

In 2004 Fortune magazine ranked J.M. Smucker No. 1 on its "100 Best Companies to Work For" list, an achievement the company attributes in part to its years of work with the Institute.

In a joint statement, Smucker's co-CEOs Timothy Smucker and Richard Smucker say, "Ethical conduct has been central to our culture throughout our hundred-year history, which is why every Smucker's employee is trained in the Institute for Global Ethics' Ethical Fitness(R) discipline. We believe this is a key reason why The J. M. Smucker Company achieved Fortune's No. 1 ranking."

The Institute for Global Ethics is headquartered in Camden, Maine, and has locations in Washington, D.C., London and Toronto.

Center for Corporate Ethics

Center for Corporate Ethics

The Center for Corporate Ethics (CCE), a division of the Institute for Global Ethics, is focused intently on serving the ethical culture needs of businesses in the United States and around the world. CCE brings proven tools, techniques, and programs aimed at reducing the likelihood and risks of ethical lapses. We do this by highlighting the client's corporate values, identifying employees' personal values, and welding the two together. Then, we put them to use in a practical decision-making framework for people at all levels. The Center springs from the broad experience of its parent, the Institute for Global Ethics, which has operated successfully in the corporate sector for nearly 15 years.

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