James Cross, Deputy Governor of the SA Reserve Bank, is the recipient of the 1997 Distinguished Leadership Award from the New York Mercantile Exchange, the principal physical commodity futures exchange in the world.Mr Cross received the award for "continuously demonstrating his leadership role in the world banking community. Through his work as a brilliant leader in the South African financial community and in turn, the global marketplace, he has played an integral role in the world precious metals industry."Mr Cross received the award in New York on 5 November 1997 during the New York Mercantile Exchange Gold Week celebration, where representatives from the international gold industry gathered to honour a person of stature in world commodities markets.