William E. Connor & Associates Named One of World’s Most Ethical Companies for Fifth Year in a Row

HONG KONG, March 07, 2016 -- William E. Connor & Associates Ltd. announced today that it has been recognized by the Ethisphere Institute, the leading U.S. business ethics think-tank, as a 2016 World’s Most Ethical Company for the fifth year running.

The Hong Kong-based global sourcing company – represents household names, such as: Dillard’s, Crate & Barrel, BonTon, Pier 1, Harrods, Sear’s Canada, Bloomingdale’s, Fullbeauty Brands and others – is consistently the only sourcing organization to receive the award and one of only a few Asia-based companies to be honored.

“Sixty-seven years ago, our founder articulated a clear and uncomplicated code of conduct: we will represent only one interest, that of our principal, and will do so transparently, ethically, and to the very best of our ability. This code remains the cornerstone of our culture today,” said Chairman and CEO William E. (Chip) Connor, “Being awarded this honor by Ethisphere doesn’t mean we don’t ever encounter issues.  It means we won’t tolerate them and that we work tirelessly toward a future of ethical sourcing and manufacturing.”

The company practices its own ethical standards internally. Every employee must go through ethics training each year and they must stick by the company’s code of ethics. Connor also employs an independent whistleblower program where anyone can contact a third-party company to report an ethical breach. Connor then does a thorough investigation and works to resolve the issue.

“William E. Connor & Associates has an unwavering focus on conducting business in an ethical manner in truly challenging geographies,” explained Ethisphere’s Chief Executive Officer, Timothy Erblich. “They clearly understand their role in the broader global business community and aim to ensure their client’s supply chains are sustainable and legally compliant, an effort that is sure to have a ripple effect. Congratulations to everyone at Connor for being recognized as a 2016 World's Most Ethical Company."

Connor secured a hard-earned spot on the Ethisphere list again by employing and maintaining upright business practices and initiatives that are instrumental to the company’s success.  “Our transparency as a company starts at the top down and we require every member of our staff to abide by our ethical code,” Connor said. 

This year marks the tenth anniversary of Ethisphere and the World’s Most Ethical Companies designation which recognizes those companies who align principle with action, work tirelessly to make trust part of their corporate DNA, and in doing so, shape future industry standards by introducing tomorrow’s best practices today.

The World's Most Ethical Company assessment is based upon the Ethisphere Institute’s Ethics Quotient™ (EQ) framework developed over years of research and vetted and refined by the expert advice from Ethisphere’s World’s Most Ethical Company Methodology Advisory Panel. The EQ offers a quantitative way to assess a company’s performance in an objective, consistent and standardized way. The information collected provides a comprehensive sampling of definitive criteria of core competencies, rather than all aspects of corporate governance, risk, sustainability, compliance and ethics.

Scores are generated in five key categories: ethics and compliance program (35%), corporate citizenship and responsibility (20%), culture of ethics (20%), governance (15%) and leadership, innovation and reputation (10%) and provided to all companies who participate in the process.

About Connor:

Connor (www.weconnor.com) headquartered in Hong Kong, employs over 1,400 professionals in more than 35 locations across 20 countries around the world working on behalf of world recognized retailers and consumer brands on four continents.  Connor does not trade, broker, or sell merchandise. Focusing instead on representing clients and their global procurement needs.

Connor’s services include identifying markets and vendors for required product; providing product development assistance; sampling; order placement; on-site production tracking, quality control, social accountability, and human rights due diligence.   

Since its inception in 1949, the company has made the foundation of its business that of providing top tier service with uncompromising integrity. Many client partnerships have endured for decades, in part because Connor has never strayed from their core philosophy, of uncompromised transparency, ethic, and performance.

About Ethisphere Institute:

The Ethisphere® Institute is the global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices that fuel corporate character, marketplace trust and business success. Ethisphere has deep expertise in measuring and defining core ethics standards using data-driven insights that help companies enhance corporate character. Ethisphere honors superior achievement through its World’s Most Ethical Companies^® recognition program, provides a community of industry experts with the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance (BELA) and showcases trends and best practices in ethics with the publication of Ethisphere magazine. More information about Ethisphere can be found at: http://ethisphere.com.

Media Contacts

Connor Media Contact
Nicole Lasorda
610.649.9292
[email protected]

Ethisphere Media Contact
Clea Nabozny
480.397.2658
[email protected]