The Ark Trust, an American non-profit animal protection organisation and presenter of the annual Genesis Awards, will salute the award-winning John S Hendricks, founder, chairman and CEO of Discovery Communications.

He is being recognised for his pioneering commitment to high quality documentary programming that celebrates the animal world. 

The gala ceremony will take place at the International Ballroom of The Beverly Hilton on 16 March.

An official release states that the Genesis Awards honours outstanding individuals from the major news and entertainment media for spotlighting animal issues with courage, creativity and integrity. Hendricks will get its coveted Guest of Honor distinction. 

The release informs that since Discovery Channel's inception in 1982, Hendricks has been the driving force behind DCI's dramatic growth to a global operation that covers 155 countries with over 650 million subscribers. Its current stable of networks now encompasses 33 distinctive programming networks, representing 14 entertainment brands, which include The Learning Channel (TLC), Animal Planet, Travel Channel, Discovery Health Channel, Discovery Kids, and a family of digital channels.

DCI's other properties consist of discovery.com and 170 Discovery Channel retail stores. As one of the leading visionaries in the media industry, Hendricks has been the recipient of numerous accolades, including a previous Genesis Award for The Discovery Channel in 1991. Among his other awards are a Primetime Emmy and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences highest honour, the Governors Award.