James Edward Oglethorpe (22 December 1696 - 30 June 1785)

James Oglethorpe was a British philanthropist, Member of Parliament and an officer in the British army, who founded the colony of Georgia. In 1732, Oglethorpe was one of a group of trustees who were given a charter for a new colony from King George II. The creation of a new colony grew in importance as Great Britain sought to expand its holdings over the New World. The new colony would be called Georgia. The creation of Georgia was meant to maximise opportunities for lower class individuals. In early 1733, Oglethorpe and the first group of settlers arrived at the future site of Savannah, Georgia. Oglethorpe played a leading role in establishing the city of Savannah as one of the first settlements in Georgia. After several years, Oglethorpe returned to England to lobby for money to build forts to defend Georgia against the Spanish forces to the south that threatened British land and security. In 1737, Oglethorpe became a Colonel in the British army. His successful military leadership helped to protect Georgia, further cementing his legacy as a primary leader of the colony.

The BABC's Oglethorpe Award is an annual good corporate citizenship award that honors the most impactful contribution which has advanced British-American inspired business development.
Our past winners include:
   

Jeffrey Feagin (Virgin Atlantic)
Heather Foster (WorldPay)
Connie Certusi (Sage)
Mayor Kasim Reed (City of Atlanta)
Phil Kent (Turner Broadcasting)
Ray Anderson (Interface Flooring)
Michael L. Eskew (UPS Inc)
David A. Dodd (Serologicals Corporation)
 Steve Porter (President, Americas, Intercontinental Hotels Group)
 John Hancock (MFI Furniture Group plc
A. D. “Pete” Correll (Georgia-Pacific Corporation)
Richard Ussery (Total Systems Inc)
Sir Anthony Bamford (JCB Inc)
William (Bill) Bullock (Lockheed Martin)
G. Kimbrough (Kim) Taylor Jr (Kilpatrick Stockton LLP)
Richard Lawry (EGL Holdings Inc)
Barry Phillips (Kilpatrick & Cody)
Wesley Devoto (Devoto & Company Inc)
Peter Harding (Savannah Cocoa Inc)