Winners of the 2022 Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence

Office of the Spokesperson

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs is pleased to announce four winners of the 2022 Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE).  Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will present these four American companies, large and small, with the award in a ceremony on December 9, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. EST at the State Department.  The 2022 ACE categories are Responsible Business Operations; Climate Resilience; and Inclusive Economic Growth.

• Two companies were awarded in the category Responsible Business Operations. Anova Technical Services, LLC, a small-sized enterprise in Bali, Indonesia, won this year’s award for offering fully traceable seafood through secure seafood tracking from its point of catch to its point of sale. GAP Inc., India, was awarded for taking care of people during the COVID-19 pandemic: when the pandemic hit and their suppliers were unable to pay their employees, GAP Inc. stepped in, negotiated payment of wages, and ensured financial security for those most vulnerable to the economic impacts of the pandemic.
• In the Climate Resilience category, the 2022 ACE Winner is Drinkwell, Bangladesh. Drinkwell provides safe and affordable water directly to residents of densely packed neighborhoods in Dhaka.
• In Inclusive Economic Growth, the 2022 ACE Winner is Intel, Costa Rica for its Skills 4 Life capacity-building training, designed for underserved afro-descendent and indigenous populations in one of the lowest-income regions in Costa Rica.

This year commemorates the Award for Corporate Excellence’s 23rd year.  Established in 1999, the ACE recognizes the crucial role U.S. companies are playing in elevating higher standards of business conduct.  Together, these companies are leading the way in addressing some of our greatest global challenges.

The U.S. Department of State is committed to working with companies to further responsible business practices worldwide and to recognize their efforts to improve lives at home and abroad.  For more information, please visit the Secretary’s Award for Corporate Excellence webpage.

The invitation-only 2022 ACE ceremony will be open to credentialed members of the media on a space-available basis.  A separate notice to the press with access details will be issued soon.  For media inquiries, please contact eb-press-inquiry@state.gov.