OREANDA-NEWS. August 28, 2014. Lee D. Augsburger, senior vice president and chief ethics and compliance officer at Prudential Financial, Inc. [NYSE:PRU], has been ranked by the Ethisphere® Institute on its list of the 100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics.

“As we witnessed in the 2007 economic crisis, ethics is an essential component to the global stability of our business and social communities and it is important that we recognize those individuals who have created an imperative around ethical thinking and practices,” said Stefan Linssen, publisher of Ethisphere magazine. “Lee Augsburger is part of an exclusive community of leaders who have shown tremendous dedication to showcasing ethical best practices around the globe.”

Each year, the Ethisphere Institute, the global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices, recognizes individuals who have made a material impact in the world of business ethics and compliance. Augsburger was ranked 58th on the list for his work in 2013 as board chair of the Ethics & Compliance Officer Association (ECOA), a worldwide ethics and compliance membership associations for people responsible for their organization's ethics, compliance and business conduct programs.

“We congratulate Lee for this singular honor,” said Susan Blount, executive vice president and general counsel at Prudential. “We are proud of him and honored that Ethisphere recognizes the high ethical standards that not only has shaped Lee’s career, but has driven his work at Prudential in supporting a distinctive and strong ethical culture across the firm.”

Augsburger, who has oversight responsibility for Prudential’s worldwide business ethics awareness programs and its compliance organization said, “I firmly believe that effective business leadership is impossible without an unwavering commitment to business ethics. That’s why it is such an incredible honor to have my work in the ethics field recognized by such a prestigious organization as Ethisphere. I am humbled to be included on a list that includes some of the most dedicated and brightest leaders in the world.”

Augsburger joined Prudential in 1997 and has served in a variety of leadership positions, including chief legal officer for the annuities business, as well as vice president, compliance, for the Investment Division where he managed compliance programs for retirement services, institutional brokerage, asset management businesses and mutual funds.

Before joining Prudential, Augsburger was a director in PriceWaterhouse’s Regulatory Consulting Practice, worked with Van Kampen Merrit, served several years with Bell, Boyd & Lloyd law firm and was deputy general counsel for the mutual fund organization at Smith Barney.

Augsburger has an undergraduate degree from Wheaton College and a JD from ITT/Chicago Kent College of Law. He is a member of the bar of Illinois and of the National Society of Compliance Professionals. In addition to his service at ECOA, Augsburger serves on the Board of Trustees of Star of Hope Ministries, an inner-city mission organization in Paterson, NJ., and the Board of Advisors for the Institute of Ethical Leadership at Rutgers University.

The Ethisphere® Institute defines and advances the standards of ethical business practices that fuel corporate character, marketplace trust and business success. Ethisphere is also the leading provider of independent verification of corporate ethics and compliance. More information about Ethisphere can be found at: www.ethisphere.com.