Insights
Boyden Executive Search: CEOs and the New CSR Priority
A new survey from Boyden Executive Search finds an overwhelming number of Millennials more likely to work for a company with a robust CSR Program.
- An overwhelming 88% of those surveyed believe it’s important for a company’s CEO to play an active role in CSR and act as a spokesperson for the company’s CSR activities.
- An impressive 83% of Millennials say they are more likely to work for a company with a robust CSR program in place.
The emphasis on CSR is pushing CEOs and other senior executives to engage in dialogues with a wider variety of stakeholders, fast-track innovation and solutions, and better measure social impact initiatives.
“CSR has evolved, and more recently taken on a moral tone,” said Lynn Ogden, Partner, Boyden United States. “Leaders who embrace CSR see it as an integral and foundational part of their company’s DNA and corporate culture. More often top CEOs are choosing positive social impact to the potential detriment of initial financial returns. For today’s CEO, it is about engaging with customers for a better future and not just short-term gains.”
Additional Findings
- CEOs and corporate leaders are increasingly viewed as both directors and models of society’s moral compass.
- Greater CSR often challenges business practices, including supply chain management.
- Building more environmentally and socially sustainable business practices creates uncertainty, particularly in the short and medium terms.
- CSR initiatives create opportunities for new and improved direction for the organization.
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