Daniel Vasella: First Responsibility

The first responsibility of a C.E.O. is to run his company successfully and generate products which are useful to your customers, resulting in economic value creation. We also have to act responsibly, respecting not only the law, but also fulfilling legitimate expectations that society has of us. Today these expectations in most instances go beyond short-term profit maximization . What people want is that businesspeople behave in a responsible way in communities in which they live, that they treat employees fairly, respect the environment and demonstrate sensitivity to the problems of other, disadvantaged people in the world. I think corporate social responsibility has taken a much more important role than it used to. … The world will look very closely to see if there is consistency between what you say and how you act. … Many think that politics have supremacy over business, but does this also imply that business is just a tool for government? On this, history teaches us some interesting lessons.

Dr. Daniel Vasella, CEO, Novartis.

William J. Hostein, “Diplomat Without Portfolio in Davos,” New York Times, 2/12/06.