Paul Deighton, LOCOG CEO and the man in charge of delivering The London 2012 Olympic Games, will speak at this year’s FT ArcelorMittal Boldness in Business Awards.

Deighton, one of the longest serving members of LOCOG, will speak to the global business community at the fourth annual awards on 20 March 2012. The FT ArcelorMittal Boldness in Business Awards celebrate the boldest and most innovative businesses and decision makers in mature and emerging markets.

Lionel Barber, editor of the Financial Times, said: “I am delighted Paul Deighton will be our keynote speaker at this year’s awards. Paul’s involvement with the biggest sporting event in the 2012 calendar, combined with his background in the investment banking sector, makes him especially relevant to our audience of global business leaders.”

The 2012 awards will seek to recognise companies and individuals that have demonstrated their commitment to innovation and change, and have stood out during another tumultuous year for businesses globally. Judges for this year’s awards are:

The award categories represent the critical decisions faced by businesses and individuals in 2011: Drivers of Change; Corporate Responsibility; Environment; Entrepreneurship; Emerging Markets; Newcomer and Person of the Year.

Winners of the FT ArcelorMittal Boldness in Business Awards will be announced at a ceremony hosted by Lionel Barber, Editor, Financial Times and Lakshmi Mittal, Chairman and chief executive, ArcelorMittal at a central London location.

The Financial Times will publish a bespoke magazine and micro-site containing news and results from the event following the awards ceremony.

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Bold drivers of change see opportunity where others see only danger and are not afraid to change their company and even their industry. They are decisive. A bold mergers and acquisitions transaction, for example, is one that has the potential to transform the company – allowing it to dominate its own sector or to move into new ones.

Boldness on this front means not only taking responsibility for the impact of your organisation on all stakeholders and the wider community, but also trying to improve society as a whole – be it through innovation, education or philanthropy.

Many companies increasingly claim they are ”green” or at least ”greener”. But the winner of this category will have gone beyond offsetting its carbon footprint to considering sustainability on a much broader front.

With emerging markets fast becoming the engine of global growth, companies from these countries are increasingly taking on those from developed markets and winning. The next challenge is to develop a globally recognised business

Entrepreneurs not only have good ideas – they work harder, faster and smarter to see them realised.  The winner in this category, large or small, will have taken risks – and been proved right.

Which company has broken through in the last 12 months and has the potential to grow into a leader in its industry?

Lionel Barber has been editor of the Financial Times since November 2005. Previously, he was US managing editor, editor of the European edition and news editor. He has also been Brussels bureau chief and Washington correspondent.

Lakshmi Mittal is chairman and chief executive of ArcelorMittal. Mr Mittal founded Mittal Steel in 1976 and built it through a series of high-profile acquisitions, culminating in the takeover of Arcelor in 2006, creating the world’s largest steelmaker. He is a member of the Indian Prime Minister’s Global Advisory Council and the World Economic Forum’s International Business Council.

Dipak Jain is Dean of INSEAD, the international business school based in Fontainebleau (France), Singapore and Abu Dhabi.  He is also the INSEAD Chaired Professor of Marketing. Professor Jain’s enduring and illustrious career spans nearly three decades both as an educator and as a business school administrator.

John Authers is the FT’s senior investment columnist. He was previously global head of the Lex column and has held a number of other positions during his 20-year career at the Financial Times. Auther’s latest book is The Fearful Rise of Markets.

Luke Johnson is chairman of Risk Capital Partners, a private equity firm he founded in 2001 and plays a leading role in the operations of all the company’s investments which include the Giraffe restaurant chain, Patisserie Valerie and Signature Restaurants.  He writes a weekly column for the Financial Times.

Anne Méaux is president and founder of Image Sept a Paris-based public affairs and media relations consultancy. She was communications adviser to Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, the former president of France, and communications adviser to the cabinet of Alain Madelin, French minister of industry.

Terry Smith is a veteran stockbroker who began his long association with the City in 1974. He is now chief executive of Tullett Prebon and founder of Fundsmith, the fund manager.

Leo Johnson is partner in PwC’s Sustainability and Climate Change team, and co- founder of Sustainable Finance Ltd, sustainability advisers to more than 50 leading banks and corporates, and now a part of PwC.

The Financial Times, one of the world’s leading business news organisations, is recognised internationally for its authority, integrity and accuracy. Providing essential news, comment, data and analysis for the global business community, the FT has a combined paid print and digital circulation of 592,390 (Deloitte assured, 4 July to 2 October 2011) and a combined print and online average daily readership of 2.1 million people worldwide (PwC assured, May 2011). FT.com has 4 million registered users and 250,000 paying digital subscribers. The newspaper, printed at 23 print sites across the globe, has a global print circulation of 337,239 (ABC, November 2011).

ArcelorMittal is the world’s leading integrated steel and mining company, with a presence in more than 60 countries.

ArcelorMittal is the leader in all major global carbon steel markets, including automotive, construction, household appliances and packaging, with leading R&D and technology. The Group also has a world class mining business with a global portfolio of over 20 mines in operation and development, and is the world’s 4th largest iron ore producer. With operations in over 22 countries spanning four continents, the Company covers all of the key industrial markets, from emerging to mature, and has outstanding distribution networks.

Through its core values of sustainability, quality and leadership, ArcelorMittal commits to operating in a responsible way with respect to the health, safety and well-being of its employees, contractors and the communities in which it operates. It is also committed to the sustainable management of the environment. It takes a leading role in the industry’s efforts to develop breakthrough steelmaking technologies and is actively researching and developing steel-based technologies and solutions that contribute to combat climate change. ArcelorMittal is a member of the FTSE4Good Index and the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index.

In 2010, ArcelorMittal had revenues of $78.0 billion and crude steel production of 90.6 million tonnes, representing approximately 6 per cent of world steel output. The Group’s mining operations produced 47 million tonnes of iron ore and 7 million tonnes of metallurgical coal.

ArcelorMittal is listed on the stock exchanges of New York (MT), Amsterdam (MT), Paris (MT), Brussels (MT),Luxembourg (MT) and on the Spanish stock exchanges of Barcelona, Bilbao, Madrid and Valencia (MTS).

For more information about ArcelorMittal visit: www.arcelormittal.com

James Matheson / Richard Lambert, Braben
T: 020 7025 8021
E: FT@braben.co.uk

Giles Read
Head of Media Relations
tel: +44 20 3214 2845
e: Giles.Read@arcelormittal.com

Kristina Eriksson, Financial Times
T: +44 (0)207 873 4961
E: kristina.eriksson@FT.com