World’s Most Ethical Companies 2026: the 8.2% Ethics Premium

About this episode

Tom Fox and Erica Salmon Byrne discuss the 2026 World’s Most Ethical Companies and the associated Ethics Premium.

In this episode, Tom Fox welcomes back Erica Salmon Byrne to talk about Ethisphere’s 20th edition of the World’s Most Ethical Companies. Erica began by noting that there are 19 first-time honorees across 40 industries and 17 countries in the 2026 World’s Most Ethical Companies awards. They discuss the rigorous 250+ question Ethics Quotient and documentation review. They discuss the Ethics Premium using a five-year lookback (Jan 1, 2021–Dec 31, 2025), which showed 8.2% statistically significant outperformance versus a benchmark, based on index-firm analysis with capped company weighting. Beyond outperformance, the data showed a resiliency pattern during volatility: lower drawdowns, less time at the bottom, and faster recovery, which is correlated with practices that protect intangible assets. They highlight common honoree program elements, including transparency on investigations and discipline, more interactive “espresso shot” training, and manager toolkits and expectations to drive culture. They preview the 17th Global Ethics Summit in Atlanta and the WME gala. Key highlights: How the WME Process Works Record 8.2% Outperformance Resilience and Drawdowns Compliance Protects Value…

People in this episode

Host: Thomas Fox

Guest: Erica Salmon Byrne

Topics covered

• World's Most Ethical Companies
• Ethics Premium
• Corporate Ethics
• Resilience in Business
• Global Ethics Summit
• Ethisphere Awards

Keywords

• Ethics Quotient
• outperformance
• transparency
• corporate culture
• investigations
• training
• intangible assets
• volatility
• drawdowns

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Ethisphere, Global Ethics Summit, Solactive GBS Global Markets All Cap USD Index, FCPA Compliance and Ethics blog

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