Ariel Armony vice chancellor for global affairs, director of the University Center for International Studies presents Carl Ware (GSPIA’ 70) with the inaugural International Achievement Award from the University of Pittsburgh Center for International Studies.
Carl Ware (GSPIA’ 70), one of the most influential business leaders of his generation, received the inaugural University of Pittsburgh Center for International Studies International Achievement Award last week.
The award recognizes individuals for their outstanding personal and professional accomplishments outside the United States. It celebrates the University’s ongoing efforts to improve lives and communities at every scale taking on some of society’s greatest and most pressing challenges.
Ware rose from the son of a Georgia sharecropper to head Coca-Cola Company operations in Africa. He retired as Coca-Cola Company’s Executive Vice President, Global Public Affairs and Administration. Ware used his leadership position with Coca-Cola to shape the company’s anti-apartheid strategy toward economic inclusion and untold improvements in the lives of Black Africans.
Ware has been honored by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and South African President Nelson Mandela for his contributions in ending apartheid and for his successful work to increase employment and economic opportunities for Black Africans in Coca-Cola’s businesses across the continent.
“Carl took on Apartheid and built a path forward for social justice, making him an exemplary leader and more than deserving of this award,” said Ariel Armony, vice chancellor for global affairs, director of the University Center for International Studies. “As the inaugural winner, Carl’s name will forever be associated with the award and will serve as a beacon for University of Pittsburgh faculty, researchers, alumni, and students who aspire to support global equity and inclusion.”
At Pitt, Ware has been a Trustee (1992-1996), 225 Medallion Award winner (2015), Legacy Laureate (2002), and Distinguished Graduate Medallion recipient (1984). He recently published Portrait of an American Businessman: One Generation from Cotton Field to Boardroom and currently manages Ware Investment Properties from the home he built on the 1,000-acre farm that his family once sharecropped.
Read more about Carl Ware in the Spring 2024 edition of Pitt Magazine.