For Immediate Release
July 15, 2015

Contact: Ashley Martin, Director of Communications
Email: martin@deltasig.org

In Delta Sigma Phi, members strive to be The Better Man everywhere they go—on campus, in the classroom and even in the workplace. The Fraternity’s Career Achievement Award honors those Delta Sigs who have achieved outstanding success in their professions. On Sunday, July 12, during the Fraternity’s 2015 Convention in New Orleans, Brother John Walden was recognized with the award.

Walden, a 1979 initiate of Alpha Alpha Chapter at University of Illinois, is the Chief Executive Officer of Home Retail Group, the United Kingdom’s leading home and general merchandise retailer. The company owns brands including Argos and Homebase with more than £5.7 billon (or $8 billion) in annual sales.

During Walden’s address to Convention attendees, he spoke of his career trajectory and his top tips on how to be an impactful leader. Using his own resumé as an example, he cautioned attendees to remember that a person’s career path is almost never a straight line, but a curved one that can take you down different or lateral paths. Walden has previously served in the U.S. Army Reserves, as an attorney, and in the C-Suites for companies like Best Buy and Peapod.

“John Walden is recognized as a visionary leader with a proven record of leading business growth across a diverse range of companies, from start-up to Fortune 500,” said Delta Sigma Phi Grand Council President Tom Cycyota, a chapter brother of Walden’s at Illinois. “It is my honor to present my good friend with this honor and recognize all he has achieved.”

Walden’s three pieces of leadership advice to Convention attendees were: to open yourself to opportunities—especially those outside of your comfort zone—to develop your leadership skills, make sure service to others is always one of your motivating factors, and treat everyone with fairness and humanity at all times.

“The scope of your humanity will determine the scale of your leadership,” Walden said. “Our Fraternity was founded on the principles of diversity and good character. Our Founders, I think they had something right back then. True leaders go and find people different than them, learn for them and make change.”

Walden is the 14th man to receive Delta Sigma Phi’s Career Achievement Award. First given in 1985, the list of recipients includes two Pulitzer Prize winners; a U. S. Presidential candidate; a member of the U. S. House of Representatives; and CEOs of the world’s leading brands including Hershey, Wal-Mart, and others.

Delta Sigma Phi was founded on Dec. 10, 1899 at the City College of New York and was the first non-sectarian fraternity to be established. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, Delta Sigma Phi has initiated more than 120,000 men since its founding. To learn more, visit www.deltasig.org.

Delta Sigma Phi Career Achievement Award Recipients
1985 – Micahel K. Deaver, San José State University
1987 – Dr. Robert H. Felix, University of Colorado
1988 – Lee O. Hills, University of Missouri
1989 – Gilbert P. Williamson, San José State University
1990 – Hon. Thomas Harkin, Iowa State University
1992 – William E. Moore, Georgia Institute of Technology
1994 – Hon. William J. Hughes, Rutgers University
1995 – Neal J. Shine, University of Detroit Mercy
2002 – Michael Waller, Millikin University
2013 – John P. Bilbrey, Kansas State University & Dean C. Hallett, University of South Carolina
2014 – Tom Roeser, Purdue University & Mike Duke, Georgia Institute of Technology
2015 – John Walden, University of Illinois