Universal Music’s Will Tanous Receives Ellis Island Medal of Honor

By Jem Aswad

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Will Tanous, Universal Music Group’s executive vice president of communications and member of the company’s executive management board, received the prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honor at the 34th annual ceremony on Ellis Island in New York Harbor.

The award is presented annually to U.S. citizens “who have distinguished themselves within their own ethnic groups while exemplifying the values of the American way of life.” Previous recipients include seven U.S. presidents, a vice president and numerous leaders in business, education, the arts, sports and government, among them the late Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel, Coretta Scott King, John Sculley, Muhammad Ali, Lee Iacocca and Rosa Parks, among many others.

The Ellis Island Medal of Honors Ceremony is sponsored by the Ellis Island Honor Society, whose mission is to honor and preserve America’s diversity and foster tolerance, respect and understanding among religious and ethnic groups. The Society also supports the restoration and maintenance of Ellis Island.

Tanous, who is Lebanese-American, plays a central role in UMG’s business strategy development and manages the company’s worldwide communications across more than 60 countries, as well as public policy, investor and government relations, special projects and events and social responsibility.