John A. Ikard, President and CEO of FirstBank Holding Company, delivered the first annual lecture of the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative at Colorado Law.聽 Entitled "Leading an Ethical Organization in a Sometimes Unethical World," the lecture was held in聽the Wolf Law building on the CU-Boulder campus.
As the leader of FirstBank and the Chairman of the American Bankers Association, Ikard has successfully addressed questions on whether and how, during the recent financial crisis, banks maintained (or failed to maintain) a commitment to ethical practices, trustworthy behavior, and the creation of long-term value for all relevant stakeholders.聽 In his talk, he reflected on how he practices ethical leadership and resists the sort of pressures that have led other companies to lose the confidence of customers, regulators, and the public.
Ikard joined FirstBank in 1981 and in 1999 was elected President and CEO of FirstBank Holding Company. FirstBank is the second largest bank in Colorado, holding聽just under聽$15 billion in assets, employing 2,000 people, and has locations in Colorado, California, and Arizona.
Colorado Law was recently selected as a new participant in the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative, and this lecture is one of several ways that the law school is advancing its mission to develop legal professionals who are capable of acting as principled leaders. 鈥淓ffective lawyers who are leaders must integrate ethical traits and values into their overall mindset and approach to legal practice. With the support of the Daniels Fund, Colorado Law will continue to experiment with innovative ways of incorporating ethics and professionalism into the Colorado Law experience,鈥� says Phil Weiser, Dean of the 乐播传媒 Law School.
Reflecting Bill Daniels' personal commitment to ethics and integrity, the Ethics Initiative was established in 2010 to strengthen the teaching of principle-based ethics, fostering high ethical standards in students, and engage the overall community in an ongoing conversation about this important topic.聽