The Beginnings: "Premio Mercurio D'oro," an Italian National Award

Gold Mercury was founded in 1961 on the initiative of “Centro Giornalistico Annali”, an independent association of journalists devoted to the promotion and exchange of economic cooperation. The first Gold Mercury Awards were presented in Rome in November of that year.

The award, initially called 'Mercurio D'oro', was bestowed upon Italian companies and individuals that showed good governance initiatives. It became increasingly influential, receiving the official patronage of the President of the Italian Republic. Its mission was to publicly acclaim Italian companies for productivity and innovation by granting an official acknowledgement. For each company one key motivation was used: “for the development of corporate initiatives for trade, production and economic cooperation among countries in order to foster commerce and peace”.

The ceremony was originally held in Rome's “Campidoglio”. Il Campidoglio, was designed by Michelangelo in the 16th Century and chosen because of its symbolic value, having been witness to some of the most important historic events and official ceremonies of the Roman State - for instance, the investiture ceremony of Roman Consuls. It was also the point at which the Governors of Roman provinces initiated the journey to their destination within the empire.

Gold Mercury: The Name and Its Symbol

In 1960, Gold Mercury adopted as its symbol the famous statue of Hermes, “Mercurio”, the mythological Greek messenger of the gods and patron of trade and travellers. The statue of Mercury, on which the Gold Mercury Award is based, was designed in 1564 circa by the Flemish sculptor Jean Boulogne (“Gianbologna”) and presently resides at the National Museum of the Bargello in Florence.

Becoming an International Organisation and Award

The awards and conferences began expanding beyond Italy in the late 1960s. The name “Gold Mercury International” was first used in 1975 when the organisation had truly achieved international recognition and begun operating at the international level, bringing together leaders from all over the world to discuss governance issues.

The Gold Mercury Conference in 1970 was held in Rome under the high patronage of H.E. Prof. Giuseppe Saragat, President of the Italian Republic. Since that time Gold Mercury International has been honoured by the patronage and participation in its conferences of H.M. King Juan Carlos I of Spain, H.E. Anwar Sadat President of Egypt, Soviet Leader Leonid Brezhnev, United Nations Secretary General Dr. Boutros Boutros Ghali, Italian Presidents H.E. Giovanni Leone and H.E. Giulio Andreotti, Sheikh Khalifia bin Sulman Al-Khalifia of Bahrain, H.E. Luis Herrera Campins President of Venezuela, and H.E. Zine El Abidine Ben Ali President of Tunisia, among many others.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Gold Mercury International was active worldwide, developing conferences and award ceremonies in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

Gold Mercury's promotion of peace and dialogue through trade, cooperation and sustainable practices has captured the attention of statesmen, companies, politicians, the media and the public.

Encouraging European Integration

Gold Mercury has always believed in the importance of promoting unity and cooperation among the peoples of Europe. In 1970, Jean Rey received the Gold Mercury Award. Jean Rey was the first President of the European Commission between 1967 and 1970. His involvement in European affairs includes the consolidation of the Benelux, the development of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), and the negotiations that led to the founding of the ECC and the Euratom Treaty (the European Commission for Atomic Energy). During the 1960s, Jean Rey increasingly devoted his attention to the structure of Europe, first as a member of the Commission of the CEE (1958-1967), and subsequently as the first President of the Commission of the merged CSCE, CEE and EAEC (1967-1970). Jean Rey made a deep impression through his resolute and constructive approach and is widely regarded as one of the founding fathers of a united Europe.

Historic Gold Mercury Awards

In the 1970s and 1980s, Gold Mercury Awards were presented to recognised and respected figures, institutions and organisations in four main award categories: Industry & Commerce, Peace, Humanitarian, and Media.

The First Awards for Industry and Commerce

The first Gold Mercury Awards were given to promote sustainable industry and commerce. Since its foundation, this award has been bestowed upon some of the most important individuals and organisations in the corporate sector, including as Masaru Ibuka, founder of the Sony Corporation, and Gunnar Engellau, who is credited with making the Volvo name synonymous with safety, quality, durability, and value. The Gold Mercury Award for Industry and Commerce is a historic international public acknowledgement for those who show the will to improve the working practices of corporations and for stimulating productive development and economic and social cooperation.

A Global Award for Peace

In 1970, the tradition of presenting the Gold Mercury Award for Peace was born, starting with President Giuseppe Saragat of Italy. The award has since been given to Prof. Gustav Heinemann, President of German Federal Republic; President of the French Republic, M. Georges Pompidou; H.M. Baudouin I King of Belgium; H.R.H. Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands; Leonid Brezhnev, President of the Praesidium of the Supreme Soviet of U.S.S.R.; and United States Presidents Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan among others.

Media Awards

In order to emphasise the importance of information in the efforts of global democratisation, Gold Mercury adopted an award for Media. This award has been bestowed upon leading newspapers and publications such as: Corriere della Sera, Le Monde, The Times, Axel Springer Verlag, De Telegraaf, Le Soir, Ettela'at, Borba Publishing House, and many more. This acknowledgement honours the role of information and media as a way to foster the communication of ideas and cultures among people, which is essential for democracy to flourish.

Awards for Humanitarian Work

Gold Mercury International has awarded international organisations such as FAO (the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations), UNICEF (the United Nations Children Fund), and the International Red Cross with for their work and special mission of combating poverty, hunger, and malnutrition throughout the world. We have also bestowed the Gold Mercury Award upon individuals such as H.M. Queen Sofia of Spain for international cultural and humanitarian efforts.

Contributors and Members through the Years

The people who have contributed to Gold Mercury’s development through the years are unparalleled for their thinking and contribution to world affairs, business, and governance. The Gold Mercury Advisory Board has included individuals such as Boutros Boutros Ghali, former Secretary General of the U.N., Soihiro Honda-Founder of Honda Motor co., Gunnar Engellau-Former Chief Executive of Volvo, Uolevi Raade-Chairman of Neste Finland, Ramon Areces-Founder of El Corte Ingles, Mr Hans Suessenguth,-Chairman of Lufthansa A.G., and Lord Rees Mogg-former Editor of the London Times.

Re-Launching the Awards

Gold Mercury International went through a period of transition and reflection during the 1990's, during which time no awards were granted.

With the new millennium in sight, the organisation undertook an internal review and restructuring. This was done in order to identify and focus on the new challenges and strategic areas of the future. Gold Mercury was re-launched with the new stronger purpose of fostering Global Governance and Ethical Leadership. During this time, and due to its international focus, the award headquarters were also relocated from Rome's Via Flaminia to London. The organisation now coordinates the awards and forums from the Gold Mercury International Building in London's Mayfair.

A new executive team and new board members joined Gold Mercury International in 2002 and the awards were re-launched in the period of 2004-2005. Winners were Tunisian President H.E. Zine el Abidine Ben Ali for Peace and IESE Business School Honorary President, Prof. Rafael Termes for Economic & Social Policy. The new executive team decided to extend the award categories to cover critical new areas as well as move to grant the awards annually.

For the 2005-2006 awards, we have added four new award categories to our original categories bringing the total number of Gold Mercury Awards to eight. Our new award categories are:

Social & Economic Policy

Corporate Governance

Health & Science

Environment

The Global Governance Forum

Organising high profile international conferences and forums has always been part of our strategy to bring together the world's greatest minds in order to discuss crucial world issues and affairs. We have held our international conferences and forums in many different regions around the world, including Russia, Spain, Italy, Pakistan, China, Iran, Congo, Bahrain, Mexico, Egypt, Bulgaria, Venezuela, Gabon, Turkey, and Belgium. Our conferences have been held in the most prestigious settings from the Quirinale Palace in Rome to the Kremlin in Moscow and many other high profile venues.

With this extensive experience under our belt, Gold Mercury International has created the Global Governance Forum in order to continue its mission of progressing Global Governance. This event encompasses the Gold Mercury Award ceremony, the award banquet dinner, and a four-day conference on Global Governance and Ethical Leadership issues. The purpose of our forum is to create a high level economic, governance and cultural exchange platform that facilitates the sharing of information and offers a forum for the exchange of views on some of most important global and regional economic, political and social issues of the day.

Gold Mercury International: Looking Forward

Gold Mercury's continuing role lies in identifying and assisting in solving key world issues by maintaining the same principles of “peace and cooperation” among nations via communication and understanding, business and trade. Our Global Governance Forum will unite world leaders and experts from all sectors of society to discuss pressing international issues and our awards will honour the key players in solving or pressurising to solve those issues and generating innovative ways to confront world problems.