While Philip Morris International (PMI) is widely known as a cigarette company, in 2016 we announced our bold, new purpose: to deliver a smoke-free future. By focusing our resources on developing, scientifically substantiating, and responsibly commercializing smoke-free products that are less harmful than smoking, we aim to completely replace cigarettes as soon as possible. Our […]

The bar for corporations to behave morally is higher than ever. This year’s Edelman Trust Barometer report—a survey of 36,000 people in 28 countries—finds trust in all organizations is changing, but business remains the most trusted (61%), followed by trust in NGOs (59%), government (52%), and media (50%).  Just as protests after George Floyd’s murder […]

Over the past year and a half, volunteering has taken on new meaning. Its value has been stretched, renewed, and redefined. From community partners to business objectives, what’s become evident over these last 18 months is a deeper need for collaboration, clear communication, and relevant, achievable goals. Volunteering has value, but it’s defining that value, […]

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 […]

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) […]

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 […]

As companies settle in this world of “corporate purpose”, 2020 will focus on what those purpose statements mean—moving from words to action. Strength will be in solutions, not rhetoric. Stakeholders will be the golden thread of corporate purpose, requiring companies to understand what matters to them, meet their needs in line with the business, work […]

With the recent Business Roundtable statement and the Financial Times’ series on expanding corporate purpose beyond short-term shareholder value, there was plenty of momentum going into United Nations (UN) General Assembly and Climate Week. Several events and discussions addressed the private sector’s role in driving progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Throughout the week, […]