CECP Insights Blog

2022 was another year of unprecedented societal challenges, requiring constant adaptation to issues caused by the pandemic, rising inflation, labor shortages, the war in Ukraine, supply chain limitations, and more. While many employees, investors, consumers, and suppliers are re-evaluating what they expect from companies, one thing has stayed consistent: “my employer” remains the most trusted […]

Societal discord is at an all-time high and it’s impacting how global businesses manage their reputation, recruit employees, and improve company culture. Media has become increasingly biased, information is less trustworthy, and opinions have intensified.   This year, Gallup found just 7% of Americans have “a great deal” of trust and confidence in the media, and 27% have […]

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 […]

A conversation with Daryl Brewster, CEO, CECP, and Rob Bernshteyn, CEO & Chairman, Coupa Software Daryl: Rob, thanks for taking the time to talk with us. You’ve served as Chairman & CEO of Coupa Software since early 2009. You’ve seen a shift, especially in the last few years, in how companies define their purpose. Share […]

Organizations are working hard to retain employees in today’s competitive job market and create healthy cultures that foster productivity. In our view, the most important element is to ensure that toxicity has no place in the workplace. Today, 30 percent of men and 40 percent of women say preventing sexual harassment, misogyny, and other unfair […]

Months of warfare have taken a devastating toll on the people of Ukraine, and the impact of war on their health system has left hospitals damaged and outpatient clinics destroyed. As the country’s citizens require access to essential health services more than ever, it has become exceedingly difficult for Ukrainians to get the medical care […]

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 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. […]

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 […]

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 […]

Photo originally featured in Sustainable Brands On March 8, 2022, Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose (CECP) convened 17 CEOs and key legal leaders to discuss newly proposed environmental and social governance (ESG) disclosure requirements from the SEC. If adopted, the mandated disclosures would require publicly traded companies to release information to investors about their emissions […]

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, sustainability has been confounding expectations. As more CEOs and world leaders recognize the systemic nature of the challenges we face, it is also rising in importance on the corporate and global agenda. On climate 70% of countries, accounting for around 90 percent of global emissions, now have some kind of net-zero commitment, […]

Despite corporate purpose proliferating in importance, few companies are actively planning ways to bring its purpose journeys to life. According to CECP’s Giving in Numbers report, 90% of the C-Suite and 71% of middle management refer to corporate purpose in their communications. And reassuringly, 80% of high performing companies are successful at infusing purpose throughout their […]