CECP Insights Blog

According to an Axios/Ipsos survey released last week, public concern with the COVID-19 pandemic has resurged with the rapid spread of the Delta variant. Among the unvaccinated, approximately half now express an openness to the vaccine. Among this group, half say an employer requirement or a modest incentive would convince them to get the shot.  Meanwhile, hundreds […]

2020 has changed everything. The globe has faced unprecedented challenges–health, climate, inequality, –and the call to the business sector to play its part grows ever louder. As Richard Edelman, founder of the leading PR firm Edelman has said, “The events of this past year reinforced business’ responsibility to lead on society’s issues…”. With increased SEC […]

“Paralysis” is how one Adobe corporate social responsibility leader described March 2020. Seemingly overnight, all in-person volunteering programs at the multinational software company halted. As the pandemic dragged on, Adobe was forced to completely redefine its employee volunteering initiatives.  Traditionally, high-quality skilled volunteering programs required face-to-face experiences. COVID forced Adobe’s social impact and engagement leaders […]

As the country grapples with a pandemic, a racial equality movement and now, civil unrest, business leaders yearn to get back on the road to stability—and fast. This year, CEOs and investors are expected to intensify their focus on the “S” of ESG activities (environmental, social and governance investing), according to the latest Edelman Trust […]

Brazil and the world were deeply challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, Brazil had faced an unprecedented sanitary global crisis that widened the social and economic gap, which presented unique opportunities for innovation.   The urgency and gravity of the situation motivated all sectors of the economy to act in a systemic and integrated […]

Few of today’s CEOs earned their jobs because they were socially responsible and spoke out on hot topics. Yet now more than ever, key stakeholders want to know where companies and CEOs stand on critical social issues. Speaking out is a 21st-century requirement for the leaders of major companies. Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose (CECP) […]

Every quarter, companies are asked to do more: more measurement, more transformation, more stakeholders, more ratings and rankings, more standards, more purpose, more advocacy, more equity, more revenue, more sustainability, and so on. That’s not without reason. Real threats that were once just doomsday planning–or ones that we hoped were in the rearview mirror–are now […]

On September 29th, CECP sent a Pulse Survey to our companies asking if they would be providing support around casting ballots for the general election in November. We are proud to report that 75% of companies have pledged support to employees for voting, such as providing time off. Yet the role of companies does not end there. […]

The Business Roundtable’s Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation in August 2019 elicited many “nice start, what’s next?” reactions. In their article, “3 Ways to Put Your Corporate Purpose into Action,” Professor Bob Eccles and his co-authors recommended companies publish their corporate purpose in a formal Statement of Purpose signed by the board of directors in an […]

Last week, I spoke on a NIRI Webinar, Leveraging the Power of Retail Investors: Your Company’s Invested Ambassadors. During the conversation, my fellow panelists and I delved into the challenges and opportunities faced by Investor Relations Officers (IROs) seeking to engage with this critical stakeholder group and explored the context and reasons why the retail […]

This blog post was originally published on BBMG’s views page Visa, BBMG and CECP share best practices for brand purpose and storytelling in times of crisis In moments of profound challenge and change, a brand’s response shouldn’t begin with the story they want to tell, says Visa’s Stacey Zolt Hara. It must begin with the […]

Throughout these turbulent few months, business leaders, and more specifically CEOs, have been looked to by their stakeholders to communicate, support, and strategize in real-time throughout this dynamic corporate ecosystem. Over the past few months as companies and events have moved to online platforms, CECP has hosted a series of virtual CEO Roundtables for executives […]

In an interview on the Leadership Next podcast with Alan Murray of Fortune, Danone CEO Emmanuel Faber reaffirmed the company’s ambitious goal of becoming one of the first multinational companies to certify as a benefit corporation (B Corp) by 2025. Danone already has 17 B Corp-certified entities – Danone North America currently being one of […]

As companies face the wider economic impacts of Covid-19, CECP is tracking the ongoing decision making and planning of leaders during this monumental year that still has an uncertain future. As we move through this pandemic and gradual economic improvement, CECP is also collecting real-time data from companies through a series of Pulse surveys, helping […]

Doing business in the Covid-19 pandemic, and positioning for the rebound, has caused investors and chief executives alike to race toward resilience. In ordinary times, resilience is nice to have. In a crisis like a pandemic, resilience is the gold vein everyone is searching for in an underground mine. What does resiliency look like? The […]