Miller Hughes was the only European finalist in a field which included Sun Microsystems, the US Army, Johnson Controls and many of the world's leading corporations.

Hughes presented a paper on his innovation, 'Maximising benefits for the corporation through the application of a sustainable, socially responsible real estate disposal methodology' at the summit in California, which gathered together more than 3,000 of the world's top corporate property executives.

Accepting the award, Hughes said: 'Many of the best companies already recognise that the exercise of corporate social responsibility is no longer a bolt-on extra but is instead, in a post Enron world, an essential element of corporate credibility and success. What is surprising however is that this tends not to be applied to company property. Our innovative process fills this gap, adding substantially to shareholder, stakeholder and brand value.'