The Ad Council gave Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase’s chairman and CEO, its highest honor at its 69th annual Public Service Award Dinner, which recognizes the organizations and individuals who support the Ad Council and its social impact efforts. Dimon was presented with this year’s Public Service Award for his role running a healthy and vibrant company while helping to create a more inclusive economy for their company’s employees and the customers and communities they serve, and for his support for numerous Ad Council campaigns.
Dimon was introduced by host of the night, actress, comedian and Saturday Night Live alum Cecily Strong, which gave way to a Q&A with Dimon and Carla Hassan, CMO of JPMorgan Chase and an Ad Council board member.
Hassan said that Dimon has called himself a “red-blooded, full-throated, free enterprise capitalist” but then asked him why purpose is so important to him for building a successful company and creating opportunities for people.
Dimon replied, “We make dreams happen for people, cities, schools, hospitals, countries around the world…what I love most is the value part—heart.”
Hasson then described how Dimon was instrumental in helping turn the entire city of Detroit around, with big help from the city’s mayor, starting a decade ago with investment at the community level, because lifting up local communities helps lift up the whole country.
The award was presented to Dimon by the Ad Council’s board chair, Diego Scotti, the former Verizon CMO who is joining PayPal on December 4.
Other honorees
Grammy Award-winning artist Brittany Howard was recognized by the organization as a Champion of Good and performed “You’ll Never Walk Alone” at the event and the dinner also featured live performances from the Brooklyn United Evolution Drumline and the LA CAN Freedom Singers from “America’s Got Talent.” The dinner raised a record-breaking $8.2 million to support the Ad Council and its national social impact campaigns.
“The Annual Dinner is an amazing opportunity to not only celebrate the impactful campaigns that have ignited positive change across the nation, but also honor the incredible individuals behind them,” said Lisa Sherman, president and CEO of the Ad Council. “As we come together to recognize all that we have accomplished, I look forward to the future, where we will continue driving meaningful progress with the compassion and purpose that define our work.”
The event also highlighted partners who not only have been impacted by the issues the Ad Council addresses, but who are also on the ground, working alongside the Ad Council to create an impact on those issues. These individuals included: Christian Heyne (gun violence survivor and chief programs and policy officer at Brady) and mental health advocate Tonja Myles (executive director, Set Free Indeed Ministry and certified peer counselor).
The Ad Council’s Public Service Award Dinner is the organization’s largest fundraising event.