Established in 1999, The Morgan Stanley Leadership Award for Global Commerce recognizes individuals whose personal leadership has made a critical contribution to the effective use of information technology throughout the world.

"There is a certain desire that one has to have to create and innovate if you're going to be an effective leader. Whether you call it entrepreneurship or not is up to you, but I think it is all about what leadership is. Leadership is about creating something different, getting people excited about what the possibilities are, and moving ahead on those ideas." — John W. Thompson from April 13, 2007 Oral History

John W. Thompson is chairman of the board of directors and chief executive officer of Symantec Corporation. Under Thompson's leadership, Symantec has grown from a small consumer software publisher to a global leader in infrastructure software, enabling businesses and consumers to have confidence in a connected world.

Thompson and his team have grown the company by building new solutions internally, making strategic acquisitions and establishing relationships with key technology partners. With global operations in 40 countries, the company helps customers protect their infrastructure, information and interactions by delivering software and services that address risks to security, availability, compliance and performance.

In September 2002, President George W. Bush appointed Thompson to the National Infrastructure Advisory Committee (NIAC), to make recommendations regarding the security of the critical infrastructure of the United States. In addition, Thompson has served as the chair of the Silicon Valley Blue Ribbon Task Force on Aviation Security and Technology to identify and evaluate technology-driven solutions to improve the security and efficiency of national and local aviation.

Prior to joining Symantec, Thompson had a distinguished career with the IBM Corporation where he held senior executive positions in sales, marketing and software development. In his last assignment, he was general manager of IBM Americas and a member of the company's Worldwide Management Council.

He is a member of the board of directors of UPS, Seagate and Teach for America. Thompson also serves as the chairman of the board for the Cyber Security Industry Alliance, the only advocacy group dedicated exclusively to ensuring the privacy, reliability and integrity of information systems through public policy, technology, education and awareness. He completed his undergraduate studies at Florida A&M University and holds a master's degree in management science from MIT's Sloan School of Management.