CECP Insights Blog

It was recently climate week in NYC where there was a lot of conversation about ESG. Despite the pushback, particularly in the U.S., ESG is alive and well, even if companies are talking about it less and in different ways. The idea that large companies should pay more attention to the impact of their actions […]

This August, CECP hosted its fourth ESG and Sustainable Business Peer Connect– a quarterly opportunity for senior leaders to connect with peers and experts on trending ESG topics. The event discussed how the scope of responsibilities for Chief Sustainability Officers (CSO) have dramatically shifted over recent years, growing to become integral cross-organizational partners in strategy […]

Daryl: In the past five years that you have been President and CEO of Siemens USA, how has your company significantly ramped up its sustainability efforts? Share with us what that has looked like. Barbara: Back in 2015, shortly before I stepped into the U.S. CEO role, Siemens made a big commitment. We pledged to […]

The pandemic has arguably been the broadest disrupter in recent memory, shifting our thinking about our deep-seated values and priorities. Many of us have reevaluated how we spend our time, and the meaning of work in our lives. As we continue to shape our new normal, we ask ourselves, “Why am I doing this?” Leading […]

There were many complaints—and just as many platitudes—about environmental, social, and governance (ESG) policies during Climate Week and the 77th session of the U.N. General Assembly. But as I listened to the back and forth, the consensus seemed to be that instead of demonizing ESG, we need to bring clarity around what it is, how we […]

Driven by investor pressure, the number of companies measuring and reporting on environmental, social and governance (ESG) data has grown exponentially over the past two decades. As investors started incorporating this information into their investment decisions and seeing positive correlations among ESG management, risk mitigation, and financial returns, they began urging companies to publish more […]

The headlines are a buzz. And in them, ESG has taken a beating, with “woke capitalism” as the click bait of the week. But we’re not worried. ESG can take it. We welcome the debate as it only makes companies’ convictions stronger. It refreshes their corporate purpose, reminding them why they are on this journey. […]

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 […]

Investing in Society is the authoritative source to assess the corporate sector’s progress toward being increasingly purpose and stakeholder driven. CECP’s assessment combines rigorous analysis with research, trends, and cases from the ESG landscape, examined through the lens of CECP’s engagements with more than 200 of the world’s leading companies. Investing in Society organizes its […]

Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose© (CECP), in collaboration with its Global Exchange (GX) Country Partners, has released the inaugural Global Impact at Scale: 2020 Edition report in 18 countries around the world. The report marks a new dawn for advocates and practitioners of Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG). Informed by data collected for the […]

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 […]

We’re going to want to reach for the pitchforks as we watch baggage-charging, space-squeezing airlines get a chunk of taxpayers’ money as part of the Covid-19 stimulus package, with very few strings attached. Particularly so after a decade of airlines shipping cash out the door in share buy-backs at an extraordinary scale. As a result, […]

On November 7, 2019, Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose (CECP) and Edelman hosted a webinar titled Communicating Long-Term Plans: Best Practices and Examples from the Industry, which can be accessed here. The combined Strategic Investor Initiative and Edelman Long-Term Plan presentation is here and the underlying research on which the content guidance we provide to companies is found here. There […]

This article first appeared on LinkedIn. Brian Tomlinson and Mike Krzus’ report, The Method of Production of Long-Term Plans, can also be viewed for full coverage of the topic. Four thoughts for better long-term focused disclosures Communicating new topics to investors often requires new operational processes, personnel, and data; disclosure can work as an organizational forcing function. Corporations are […]

This article appeared first in the National Association of Corporate Directors’ blog, BoardTalk. Board members don’t need another tome outlining the uncertain times in which their companies find themselves. What they need is a road map to guide their companies in sustainable value creation, which, in a sense, future proofs their business strategies. Uneasy markets? […]