Dan Houston, chairman, president and CEO of Principal Financial Group, has been named the recipient of the 2022 John Winthrop Wright Ethics in Action Award. The award, presented by Character.org, recognizes a person who demonstrated a sustained commitment to ethical leadership by modeling and emphasizing core ethical values that are essential to their organization. Scott Raecker, executive director of the Robert D. and BIllie Ray Center at Drake University, nominated Houston for the award. “Dan is passionate about ethics and integrity,” Raecker wrote in his nomination. “He repeatedly encourages his employees to speak up if someone is not following the company’s Global Code of Conduct. Dan wants his employees to summon their courage and do the right thing.” According to a news release announcing the award, the Global Code of Conduct is a component of Principal’s ethics and compliance program. Employees are required to review the code and participate in annual training about its contents. Noreen Fierro, senior vice president and chief compliance at Principal, said that under Houston’s leadership, the company’s commitment to ethics and integrity is central to the Principal’s identity. “People want to work for a company they can trust and are proud to work for a company known for its ethical culture,” Fierro said in the release. Houston was presented with the award during the Character Counts awards ceremony in September.