P. Roy
Vagelos
Year
1999
Subject
Leadership
Award
Bower Award for Business Leadership
Affiliation
Merck & Co., Inc. | White House Station, New Jersey
Citation
For his role in battling "River Blindness," a disease spread in Third World nations by the bite of a common blackfly that lives near fast-flowing streams and carries a microscopic worm (Onchocerca colvulus).
Vagelos saw a critical human need outside corporate walls and moved decisively and compassionately to meet that need. The former chairman of the board and CEO of Merck & Co., Inc., he serves as a model to other leaders by recognizing humanitarian obligations and using his business position to improve the well being of society at large. The Bower Award in Business Leadership is given to an American executive who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in business or industry.
Information as of 1999