The Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA) has named Abbott's Women Leaders in Action (WLA) employee network as the winner of the 2009 HBA ACE Award. HBA created the award to recognize corporations' efforts to strengthen the "Advancement, Commitment and Engagement" of women's careers in the healthcare industry, the core mission of the HBA (www.hbanet.org).

The ACE Award will be presented on November 19, 2009, at the HBA's 7th Annual Leadership Conference in San Francisco, CA. Cecilia Kimberlin, vice president, Quality & Regulatory Strategic Deployment, and one of 24 Abbott executive sponsors of WLA, will accept the award on behalf of Abbott. Renee Anderson, Managing Director, Rocky Mountains, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, will also speak about the significance of the award to Novartis, the 2008 ACE Award winner.

Launched in 2001, Abbott's WLA is an important part of the company's broader commitment to build more diverse leadership through its efforts to support women's leadership and development. WLA also encourages diversity and inclusion at all levels of the company, and supports efforts to retain and attract the best talent to Abbott.

Abbott's WLA has nearly 5,000 members from across the organization and is led by an executive committee comprised of executive sponsors across all areas and functions of Abbott. This includes six corporate officers, the highest-ranking executive level at Abbott. The Abbott Executive Inclusion Council, chaired by company Chairman and CEO, Miles D. White, also works in conjunction with the WLA Executive Committee, further demonstrating Abbott's senior commitment.

By focusing on career development, mentoring and informal networking, WLA and other Abbott employee groups expand opportunities for all employees to develop critical leadership skills. Examples of specific initiatives include town hall meetings, leadership breakfasts hosted by senior Abbott executives, mentoring circles, employee newsletters and web sites, external speaking events and educational workshops.

"The global marketplace has never been more dynamic or challenging - that's why Abbott's Women Leaders in Action is so critical," said Mary Szela, senior vice president, U.S. Pharmaceuticals. "WLA ensures our ability to compete and win, by supporting and strengthening the next generation of women leaders. This commitment to developing leaders is a key driver of Abbott's current - and future - success."

"We congratulate Abbott for the company's strong commitment to leadership in the advancement of women's careers and its recognition of the value of community outreach to the patient population," said HBA President Ceci Zak. "We are proud that the ACE Award is helping set new standards for corporate initiatives enhancing the roles of women and reaching out to the community."

A panel of industry leaders and academics judged entrants against five criteria: measurable results and impact on target population; degree to which it supports the overall business; stewardship, or depth of commitment to the program; effectiveness of the execution; and built-in sustainability. The judges cited Abbott's strong business case focused on developing female employees and making a contribution to the community it serves. Judges also cited the extensive involvement of senior management, strong grass roots support and an impressive mentoring program. Moreover, they noted, WLA appears to be fully integrated into Abbott's corporate culture, with centralized executive support and long-range marketing plans supported by corporate commitment.

Judges for the ACE Award were Lynn M. Gaudioso, President, Ivanhoe Strategies, LLC, and 1996 HBA Woman of the Year; Mary S. Hartman, Ph.D., University Professor and Institute Director, Institute for Women's Leadership, Rutgers University; Joan Keith, Former Vice President, CV Franchise Management Worldwide, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, and 1992 HBA Woman of the Year; Sheila Wellington, Clinical professor of Management & Organization NYU Leonard School of Business and William S. Sheldon, former President and COO of Eisai, Inc., current member, Board of Trustees, Lakeland College, Sheboygan, WI., and the HBA's First Honorable Mentor.

"We were very gratified by the high caliber of this year's submissions," said Lativia-Ray Alston, ACE Awards Committee Chair. "Companies are increasing their focus on advancing women's careers as a business imperative, and the ACE Award submissions reflect these efforts."

The ACE Award builds on the HBA's leadership role in recognizing women in the healthcare industry and creating high-profile role models. The HBA Woman of the Year Award, which recognizes an outstanding woman in the industry, is presented each May at a luncheon in New York City attended by more than 2,000 industry executives. Also honored at the Woman of the Year event are an Honorable Mentor, a male industry leader who supports the HBA mission; the HBA Star Volunteer of the Year and Rising Stars, high-potential women leaders at HBA Corporate Partners.

About Abbott
In addition to being honored with the HBA ACE Award, Abbott was recently named one of the "Top 10" companies on the prestigious Working Mother 100 Best Companies list. This is the fifth time that Abbott has been named one of the "Top 10" companies, and the ninth consecutive year that Abbott has been named to the broader 100 Best list. Abbott also was recently named one of BusinessWeek magazine's "50 Best Places to Launch a Career" for the fourth straight year, and has been named to DiversityInc magazine's list of the top companies for diversity for six years. Additionally, FORTUNE has named Abbott as one of "America's Most Admired Companies" every year since the list's inception in 1983.

Abbott is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceuticals and medical products, including nutritionals, devices and diagnostics. The company employs more than 72,000 people and markets its products in more than 130 countries. Abbott's news releases and other information are available on the company's Web site at http://www.abbott.com.

About the HBA
The Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA; www.hbanet.org) is in its fourth decade as a global not-for-profit organization dedicated to furthering the advancement of women in healthcare worldwide. With 14 chapters and affiliates throughout the U.S. and in Europe, the HBA is headquartered in New Jersey with offices in Philadelphia and Research Triangle Park. The HBA provides educational opportunities for women and men to develop cutting-edge healthcare industry knowledge and leadership skills; recognizes outstanding women and men in the industry; provides opportunities for networking; creates greater visibility for women in the industry; fosters mentoring relationships and serves as a conduit and sponsor for research on career advancement issues. HBA has over 5,000 individual members and over 120 Corporate Partners. It is widely recognized as the catalyst for leadership development of women in healthcare worldwide. For more information, visit www.hbanet.org.

Abbott

Abbott

About Abbott and the Abbott Fund

The Abbott Fund is a philanthropic foundation established by Abbott in 1951. The Abbott Fund's mission is to create healthier global communities by investing in creative ideas that promote science, expand access to health care and strengthen communities worldwide. For more information, visit www.abbottfund.org.

Abbott is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals and medical products, including nutritionals, devices and diagnostics. The company employs nearly 90,000 people and markets its products in more than 130 countries. Abbott's news releases and other information are available on the company's website at www.abbott.com.

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