Editors’ Note

Daryl Brewster has served as the CEO of Krispy reme Doughnuts, Inc.; President of Kraft’s $6-billion North American Snacks, Confections, ereal, and Pet portfolio; President of the $2-billion Planters Specialty Products Company; and Managing Director of Campbell Soup’s U.K./European operations. In addition, Brewster serves on several public, private and nonprofit boards.

Organization Brief

Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose® (CECP) is a trusted advisor to companies on their corporate purpose journeys to build long-term sustainable value and tell their impact stories. Working with CEOs and leaders in corporate responsibility, sustainability, foundations, investor relations, finance, legal, and communications, CECP (cecp.co) shares actionable insights with its CEO-led coalition to address stakeholder needs. Founded in 1999 by actor and philanthropist Paul Newman and other business leaders, CECP is a movement of more than 200 of the world’s largest companies that represent $11.2 trillion in revenues, $23 billion in total community investment, 14 million employees, 30 million hours of employee engagement, and $21 trillion in assets under management. CECP helps companies transform their strategy by providing benchmarking and analysis, convenings, and strategy and communications in the areas of societal/community investment, employee engagement, environmental social governance/sustainable business, diversity equity inclusion, and telling the story.

Will you highlight CECP’s mission and purpose?

Since its founding in 1999 by Paul Newman and leading CEOs, CECP has focused on empowering the world’s leading companies on their purpose journeys to drive long-term business success through positive social impact. Today, more than 230 companies representing over $7 trillion in revenue are part of the CECP network, along with 20 like-minded country organizations around the world representing two-thirds of global GDP.

CECP has evolved its name to Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose. How does this effectively represent CECP’s work?

Over the last 22 years, CECP’s name has changed, but the organization’s driving mission to be a “force for good in society” and help build a better world through business, has remained the same. The field of corporate social responsibility has evolved from a “philanthropy mindset” to one that’s driven more than ever by corporate purpose. Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose most accurately reflects what CECP stands for today.

Will you provide an overview of the services that CECP provides to its member companies?

CECP provides its 230+ affiliated companies with a host of services including custom benchmarking, fast track consulting and insights, strategy and communications support, as well as opportunities for deeper engagement such as customized studies and forums tailored to the company’s specific areas of focus. We also offer a Comprehensive Services package, which provides companies access to CECP’s CEO Investor Forum Network, webinars, the ESG Snapshot, issue briefs, and more. We primarily serve CEOs and leaders in the corporate responsibility, corporate sustainability, corporate foundation, investor relations, finance, communications and legal counsel spaces. Our services are structured around five Centers of Excellence:

• Societal/Community Investment
• Employee Engagement
• Environmental, Social, Governance/Sustainable Business
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
• Telling the Story

Companies looking for support on their purpose journeys and help in advancing their priority areas are invited to explore our website at CECP.co or reach out to
info@cecp.co.

How did CECP adapt its business to address the challenges caused by the pandemic?

Overnight, the team transitioned to 100 percent virtual/remote work and began reaching out to our network of 230+ companies to learn their top priorities and concerns. In response, we increased the frequency of our events for CEOs and corporate leaders to provide them a space to safely discuss their struggles and best practices around COVID-19 and social justice. The team escalated CECP’s annual cadence of one in-person Board of Boards for affiliated company CEOs and approximately 25 webinars for corporate leaders to over a dozen virtual CEO Roundtables and nearly 50 webinars for corporate leaders, all of which had record engagement and net promoter scores. Our companies told us what they needed, and I am delighted to say that the CECP team delivered.

How proud are you to see the leadership of CECP’s member companies in supporting their communities and providing support for those in need during this unprecedented time?

Incredibly proud. Societal investment increased by 41 percent last year and, according to the Edelman Trust Barometer, business is now seen as the most trusted industry and is the only one viewed as both ethical and competent. For example, companies like American Express and Hilton, both of which were highlighted as CECP Spotlight Companies this year, pledged up to one million hotel room nights to medical professionals on the front lines. Of course, with higher trust comes higher expectations. To quote one of CECP’s founders, Paul Newman, companies can continue to “do more.”

What do you see as the responsibility that leading companies have to being a force for good in society and addressing societal issues?

This cannot be seen as a “nice to do.” Addressing societal issues is essential for the well-being of your stakeholders and for the long-term sustainable success of your business. When companies use their resources and influence to benefit society, everyone wins.

CECP is headquartered in New York. Are you optimistic about New York’s recovery and rebuilding from the pandemic?

Yes, I am optimistic. New York City will continue to change, adapt, recover and rebuild as it always has, ever since its days as the Big Oyster.

What do you tell young people beginning their careers about the importance of working for a company that is purpose-driven and making a difference?

My advice is to consider not only how you can make a living, but also how you can make the world a better place as you do so. As Winston Churchill noted, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”