The Anglo-Australian company carried off the overall prize, known as the Impact on Society Award for large companies, for its top-down leadership on corporate responsibility, its collaboration with campaign groups and its long-term relationships with governments and people affected by its operations.

It is the first time the award has been made to a company in the extractive industry, a sector that has a large impact on communities and the environment in developing countries and is therefore particularly exposed to pressure group campaigns. It is also the first time that a business has won the award for its global rather than UK operations.

"BHP Billiton provided an inspiring example of building business success on values of sustainable development and responsible business practice," said BITC, the business-led corporate responsibility charity.

In this sense, the choice marks a contrast with last year, when the award went to Marks and Spencer, the struggling retailer, in the midst of the proposed takeover bid by Philip Green, the retail entrepreneur. That decision raised questions about whether social and environmental programmes are sustainable without business stability.

Julia Cleverdon, chief executive of BITC, praised BHP Billiton for tackling the most challenging issues in the natural resources sector head-on. "It is committed to building long term relationships with key NGO partners such as Oxfam and WWF as well as governments and peoples on whose land it operates," she says. "These partnerships deliver significant shareholder value as well as life-changing economic and social impacts for communities that often struggle with poverty and disease."

The awards, in association with the Financial Times and the Department of Trade and Industry, came at the end of a year's selection process involving 100 independent assessors from business, government and voluntary organisations.

Utilities groups were heavily represented in the shortlist for the top award, which included National Grid Transco, PwC, RWE npower and United Utilities. "What was so striking about this year was how leadership driven rather than programme driven they were," says Mark Goyder, director of Tomorrow's Company, a business think tank, and one of four judges of the top award. "There is still sometimes a tendency for companies to think of (corporate responsibility) in terms of programme boxes they can tick. Those that came through outstandingly say: 'It's about the whole way we do business'."

He says that Chip Goodyear, chief executive of BHP Billiton, was in Beijing at the time of the presentation to the judges but sent a video message conveying his belief in, and plans for, sustainable and responsible business practice.

Alex Vanselow, president of the aluminium business, was part of the presentation team. "The sense that it came from the top was really well communicated," says Mr Goyder.

The judges were also impressed by the variety of "adventurous" programmes that the group ran in its many businesses around the world. These went beyond the business case to embrace areas such as health and education, where the mining company considered it had the capacity to make a difference. One example was its collaboration with efforts by South Africa, Mozambique and Swaziland to eradicate malaria in an area of more than 40,000 square miles covering the three countries, says BITC.

This led to a big reduction in the number of children carrying the malaria parasite in the area around the group's aluminium smelter in Mozambique and raised productivity among employees who took far fewer days off.

A report by Henderson Global Investors last month named BHP Billiton as one of the FTSE 100's main emitters of greenhouse gases, the biggest of which were Shell, BP and Scottish Power. The mining group's environmental record and programmes played an important part in winning it last night's award and the citation says that its greenhouse intensity index, which monitors emissions, showed a 9 per cent reduction in 2003-4.

Senior BHP Billiton managers take part in a programme developed by Oxfam on corporate community leadership that exposes them to issues that arise with large infrastructure projects and to best practice techniques in community development.

However, the extractive company goes far beyond recognising it must leave sites in good order when it pulls out, says Mr Goyder. "BHP Billiton did weave value and values together."

The winner's initiatives reflected another theme of last night's gala awards dinner at the Royal Albert Hall, the proceeds of which are to be donated to the Nelson Mandela Legacy Trust UK. One of three new awards - the Oracle International Award - focused on Africa. The winner was Anglo American, which was singled out for its support for development, for example in investing in social projects and in tackling HIV and Aids. BITC said the company was a pioneer "in understanding both the social and business imperatives of their operations".

Other winners of the 14 award categories last night included British Gas, Royal Mail, Serco, the services company, and Yorkshire Water. Axis Europe, a diversified group with operations in contracting, maintenance, retail display and printing, was named small company of the year.

Boots won the new HBOS Supply Chain Award for its work on verifying and improving standards among its suppliers in emerging markets in Europe and Asia, while 3M won the new UnumProvident Healthy Workplaces Award.

The Prince of Wales, BITC's president, recognised individual leadership by presenting his ambassador awards to Baroness Sally Greengross and John Spence of Lloyds TSB.

Baroness Greengross, former director general of Age Concern England, has chaired the parliamentary all-party group on corporate social responsibility since its inception in 2000. Mr Spence, a deputy chairman of BITC, was recognised as an outstanding campaigner for neighbourhood renewal.