While CEOs learned that
trust in business is low and expectations have never been higher, corporate societal investment increased, and became more focused and innovative. But CEOs agreed they could do more.

A clear theme emerged from the 2013 CECP Summit: collaboration. It’s not just something that organizations do in times of tight resources.

CECP’s 8th Annual Board of Boards CEO conference featured panel discussions focused on the crucial role leading CEOs can play in engaging the interest of consumers and shareholders.

CECP’s 7th Annual Board of Boards CEO conference featured panel discussions focused on the crucial role leading CEOs can play in engaging the interest of consumers and shareholders.

On the morning of International Corporate Philanthropy Day, CECP convened nearly 70 global business leaders to discuss the theme Business at its Best: Maximizing Long-Term Profitability and Societal Impact.

Consistent with its forward-reaching agenda, the program began with a review of research conducted by McKinsey & Company on the top demographic, environmental technological, and geopolitical trends shaping the landscape for corporate community involvement over the next ten years.

The conference was launched with an overview of four
potential scenarios for business in 2020 taken from CECP’s
forthcoming thought leadership report titled Shaping the
Future.

Once considered a limited corporate function, informally guided by the personal interests of top senior executives, many corporate philanthropy
programs appear to be currently undergoing an extensive transformation.

Corporate societal engagement is as vital as ever to business and society, but it faces steep pressures to demonstrate that it is also cost-effective and aligned with corporate needs. Indeed, many corporate giving professionals cite measurement as their primary management challenge.

To realize meaningful benefits, corporate societal engagement must be managed no less professionally, proactively, and strategically than any
other core business activity.