ITASCA, Ill., March 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE: AJG) today announced that it has again been recognized by the Ethisphere Institute, an independent center of research promoting best practices in corporate ethics and governance, as a World's Most Ethical Company® in 2014. 

"This is the third year in a row that Gallagher has been honored with this award, which reflects how we focus on conducting our business with integrity and strong ethical values," said J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr., Chairman, President and CEO. "This award is also a testament to our nearly 16,500 employees worldwide, who understand the central role integrity plays at Gallagher. It is a tremendous honor to once again be recognized as a 2014 World's Most Ethical Company®."

Ethisphere recognizes organizations that continue to raise the bar on ethical leadership and corporate behavior. It reviewed hundreds of companies and named those that surpassed their industry peers to this year's World's Most Ethical Companies list. Its proprietary methodology for the WME ranking includes reviewing codes of ethics, litigation and regulatory infraction histories; evaluating the investment in innovation and sustainable business practices; and looking at activities designed to improve corporate citizenship. The 2014 list recognizes 144 companies spanning 41 industries, 22 countries and five continents.

"The entire community of World's Most Ethical Companies believe that customers, employees, investors and regulators place a high premium on trust and that ethics and good governance are key in earning it," said Ethisphere's Chief Executive Officer, Timothy Erblich. "Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. joins an exclusive community committed to driving performance through leading business practices. We congratulate everyone at Gallagher for this extraordinary achievement."

The full list of the 2014 World's Most Ethical Companies can be found at http://ethisphere.com/worlds-most-ethical/wme-honorees/.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., an international insurance brokerage and risk management services firm, is headquartered in Itasca, Illinois, has operations in 25 countries and offers client-service capabilities in more than 140 countries around the world through a network of correspondent brokers and consultants.

Contact:  Linda J. Collins 
Vice President - Corporate Communications
630-285-4009 or Linda_Collins@ajg.com

SOURCE Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.