Global Companies Come Together to Create Solutions for Challenges Facing People and the Planet

NEW YORK, May 25, 2021 /3BL Media/—Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose© (CECP) is bringing together more than 300 leaders from the world’s largest global companies for the 2021 CECP Summit: Strength in Solutions. The 18^th CECP Summit gathers corporate responsibility professionals who create and implement societal investment strategies at the world’s large companies.

Held virtually due to the global pandemic, this year’s CECP Summit features leaders who are taking a long-term view while responding to stakeholder needs in the moment. The variety of topics addressed reflect the many issues companies are addressing in their effort to create long-term value for all stakeholders: creating conditions for boys and young men of color to thrive; the role of business and the Covid-19 vaccine; women’s advancement and gender equality; digital inclusion; rebuilding the economy through good jobs; carbon neutral and climate change; stakeholder capitalism; and mental health and leadership.

“As the world looks to re-open and recover, the CECP Summit offers a vital venue for companies to continue to learn from each other and their stakeholders,” said Kari Niedfeldt-Thomas, Managing Director, CECP.  “Companies have an important role to play in being a ‘force for good’ and they can magnify this impact by sharing best practices, redefining how they invest in society, and collaborating with their peers.”

The Summit includes the presentation of the Charles H. Moore Award for Leadership in Corporate Community Engagement. The 2021 “Charlie Award” is awarded to Tae Yoo, Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Corporate Social Responsibility, Cisco. The award is named in honor of CECP’s founding Executive Director and is presented to senior leaders who exemplify perseverance in the pursuit of societal advancement, the trait for which Charlie Moore was best known. 

The catalyst for Cisco’s CSR vision, Tae leads the company’s social investments as well as champions environmental efforts and a triple bottom line framework across the business. She drives a strategy that engages public-private partnerships and leverages Cisco’s business, technical, and financial assets to advance sustainable, inclusive impact in communities around the globe. After a commitment in 2016 to positively impact 1 billion people by 2025, 527 million people have already been impacted, primarily through social impact grants and efforts to catalyze an entrepreneurial ecosystem. Another key program is Cisco Networking Academy that, under Tae’s leadership, has become one of the largest ICT education programs in the world, reaching over 12.6 million students since its inception in 1997 and helping 2.7 million get jobs since 2005.

“Charlie was a true champion who lived his life with incredible passion and intention. He was relentless not only in his pursuit of Olympic Gold, but also in championing business as a force for societal good,” said Tae Yoo. “I am humbled and honored to help carry on Charlie’s legacy, working together with purpose-driven organizations like CECP and others to ensure we’re creating a better world through business--a world where everyone will be able to participate and succeed in the digital economy.”

The CECP Summit offers an unparalleled line-up of speakers and moderators including:

• Jackie Albano, Senior Communications Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility, North America, Tata Consultancy Services
• Monique Baptiste, VP, Jobs and Skills, Corporate Responsibility, JPMorgan Chase & Co.
• Kendra Berenson, Associate Director, FSG
• Catalina Caro, Senior Manager of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Partnerships and Research, JUST Capital
• Dr. Marvin Carr, Director, Center for Racial Equity, Walmart
• Michelle Carter, CEO, Shot Diva
• Jyoti Chopra, Chief People, Inclusion, and Sustainability Officer, MGM Resorts International
• Ashwani Chowdary, SVP, ESG Program Director, Bank of America
• Katie Couric, Founder, Katie Couric Media
• Shaibya Dalal, Director of Strategic Growth and Operations, PolicyLink
• Ronald F. Day, Ph.D., Vice President of Programs, The Fortune Society
• Julia DiCesare, Senior Manager, Social Impact and The Coach Foundation, Tapestry, Inc.
• Roberta Meyers Douglas, Director of State Strategy and Reentry, Legal Action Center
• Richard Edelman, CEO, Edelman
• Kelly Fisher, Head of Corporate Sustainability, HSBC Bank USA
• Lynn Forester de Rothschild, Founding and Managing Partner, Inclusive Capital Partners
• Mark Foster, Senior Vice President, IBM Global Business Services
• Mahlet Getachew, Managing Director of Corporate Racial Equity, PolicyLink
• Lucy Godshall, Senior Manager, Climate Change and Sustainability Services, EY
• Robert Goodfellow, Director, Corporate Purpose Communications, Colgate-Palmolive Company
• Marisa Hamamoto, Founder, Infinite Flow - An Inclusive Dance Company
• Jim Harter, PhD, Chief Scientist, Workplace Management and Wellbeing, Gallup
• Michelle Hillman, Chief Campaign Development Officer, The Ad Council
• Barbara Humpton, President and CEO, Siemens Corporation
• Mitch Jackson, Vice President, Environmental Affairs and Chief Sustainability Officer, FedEx Corporation
• Surya Kant, Chairman, Tata Consultancy Services North America
• Claire Koeneman, Head of North America Corporate Communications Practice, Golin
• Fiona Ma, California State Treasurer
• Nancy Mahon, Senior Vice President, Global Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability, The Estée Lauder Companies
• Matthew Nelson, CVP, Corporate Responsibility, New York Life Insurance Company
• Sandy Nessing, Managing Director, Corporate Sustainability, American Electric Power
• Ed O’Boyle, Global Practice Leader, Gallup
• Michael O'Hara Lynch, Partner, 3 Emerald Marketing
• Michelle Peluso, Executive Vice President and Chief Customer Officer, CVS Health
• Suzanne Potts, National Director, Athletes for Hope University
• Representatives from the National Millennial and GenZ Community
• Lata Reddy, Senior Vice President, Inclusive Solutions, Prudential Financial
• Christiana Riley, CEO of Americas, Deutsche Bank
• Lisa Ross, U.S. Chief Executive Officer, Edelman
• Kyra Scalea, Manager of Community Stewardship, Vanguard
• Sara Schlossberg, Executive Director of Strategy + Impact, NYC Department of Small Business Services
• Laura Simão, Vice President, Urban Investment Group, Goldman Sachs
• Shamina Singh, Founder and President of the Center for Inclusive Growth & Executive Vice President of Corporate Sustainability, Mastercard
• Michael Smith, Executive Director, My Brother's Keeper Alliance, Obama Foundation
• Alan Spears, Senior Director for Cultural Resources, National Parks Conservation Association
• Geoffrey Starks, Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission
• Zeynep Ton, Professor, Operations Management, MIT Sloan School of Management
• Joe Ucuzoglu, CEO, Deloitte US
• Dalila Wilson-Scott, Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer, Comcast Corporation
• Tae Yoo, Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Corporate Social Responsibility, Cisco

Breakout sessions include:

• Understanding Total Social Investment (TSI)
• Living with Purpose in a Digital World: Gen Z and Millennials Weigh In
• A Power Pairing: CSR and DEI
• Purpose Communications: Meeting the Moment
• 5 Key Questions About Employees and ESG
• The CEO Blueprint for Racial Equity - A Roadmap for Transformation
• It Takes a Village to Renew Main Street: Innovative Partnerships for Small Business Success
• Second-Chance Hiring: Unlocking Social and Economic Potential
• Creating Social and Business Value Through Volunteerism

CECP will also share with attendees’ data from the Giving in Numbers^TM Survey. The study is the largest and most historical data set on trends in the corporate societal investment, shared by more than 600 multi-billion-dollar companies over 20 years, representing more than $348 billion in corporate social investments over that time span.

CECP thanks its Convening Sponsors for their generous support of the 2020 CECP Summit: Assurant, Bank of America, BNY Mellon, KPMG, Mastercard, Newman’s Own Foundation, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, UPS, and USAA.

CECP also congratulates the 2020-21 Company Spotlight honorees: American Electric Power, American Express, BD, Citi, Cognizant, Discovery Education, Edward Jones, Genentech, Hilton, Intel, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Macy’s, and Wells Fargo. On a quarterly basis, CECP selects companies for the sought-after Company Spotlight, through a thoughtful information-sharing and communications-support process. Companies are selected through a review of the CECP Pillars of Excellence: CEO Leadership, Partnership, Innovation, Measurement, and Integration into the Business. Company Spotlights are shared with CECP’s nearly 2,000 affiliated corporate contacts, posted on the CECP website as case studies, and recognized at the CECP Summit.

Following the conclusion of the 2021 CECP Summit, CECP will be posting on its website media, photos, videos, guest blogs, and an Executive Summary.

The application process for the 2022 Charlie Award is open. Nominate a peer senior leader in CSR today. The deadline is August 31, 2021. The application can be accessed on the CECP homepage or by emailing CECP.

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ABOUT CHIEF EXECUTIVES FOR CORPORATE PURPOSE (CECP)

CECP is a CEO-led coalition that believes that a company’s social strategy — how it engages with key stakeholders including employees, communities, investors, and customers —determines company success. Founded in 1999 by actor and philanthropist Paul Newman and other business leaders to create a better world through business, CECP has grown to a movement of more than 200 of the world’s largest companies that represent $11.2 trillion in revenues, $23 billion in societal investment, 14 million employees, and $21 trillion in assets under management. CECP helps companies transform their social strategy by providing customized connections and networking, counsel and support, benchmarking and trends, and awareness building and recognition. For more information, visit http://cecp.co.