damon jones

Purpose is under pressure.

Last year, we said 2022 would bring a “great reckoning” for corporate purpose – and it did. ESG made headlines and came under fire. Urgency around climate action accelerated, as progress failed to cool our planet. Employees shuffled between companies in search of greater meaning, pay, and balance. Twelve months later, we’re left feeling unsettled, but sure of one thing: When a strategy like purpose causes this much tension and change throughout the global economy, it’s for a good reason.

It is now a new year, bringing new opportunities for change, commitments, and action. But what challenges will purpose face this year? And how will purpose guide us to transformative change and progress?

We invited four great minds and leaders in purpose to answer these questions. Damon Jones, Chief Communications Officer at P&G; Shannon Schuyler, Chief Purpose and Inclusion Officer at PwC; Artis Stevens, President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America; and Martin Whittaker, CEO of JUST Capital have joined Carol to share their insight, predictions, and advice for acting with purpose and succeeding in 2023.

Resources + Links:

• Damon Jones’ LinkedIn
• Shannon Schuyler’s LinkedIn
• Artis Stevens’ LinkedIn
• Martin Whittaker’s LinkedIn

• (00:00) - Welcome to Purpose 360
• (00:13) - Purpose Predictions 2023
• (02:07) - Shannon Schuyler
• (13:41) - Damon Jones
• (21:36) - Martin Whittaker
• (37:37) - Artis Stevens
• (55:36) - Wrap Up

P&G has the distinct honor of being one of the oldest companies on our show, and one with a purpose that honors the organization’s legacy as much as it guides the multi-national CPG company into the future. 

Damon Jones, P&G’s Chief Communications Officer, joined Purpose 360 to talk about the company’s efforts to be “a force for good and a force for growth” across a portfolio of dozens of brands, with nearly 100,000 employees around the world. 

Listen for Damon’s insights on:

• How P&G crafted a purpose that is “built in, not bolted on” to be truly integrated in the company’s DNA—and that of its brands
• How purposes guides innovation across the organization, from global operations to brand-level improvements
• Why P&G pursues advocacy efforts around issues including gender and race equality, among others, and what the company has learned about embracing issues important to citizens
• The importance of authenticity and “walking the walk” of corporate purpose, and how P&G lives its purpose through commitments to fair and equal advertising, responsible supply chain, sustainability, and community engagement
• How the CPG company has responded to COVID-19 to protect employees in markets around the world, as well as consumers and communities 

Links & Notes

• Procter & Gamble
• P&G COVID-19 response
• Damon Jones on LinkedIn
• Citizenship Report 2019
• WSJ – P&G’s Mission to Be a Force For Good and Growth

• (00:00) - Welcome to Purpose 360 • Damon Jones, Procter & Gamble
• (03:38) - The Numbers
• (04:08) - Purpose as Table Stakes
• (07:46) - The Social Purpose Tipping Point
• (12:06) - How do you integrate communications and the brand?
• (16:29) - Diversity
• (21:48) - Important measures in purpose-driven work
• (24:48) - On Agreement – "Keeping everyone happy has never been the goal."
• (30:49) - Responding to COVID-19
• (36:32) - "Returning" to Work
• (39:08) - Assisted Shaving
• (43:13) - Connecting mission to supply chain
• (46:59) - Three Insights
• (49:11) - Who are your heros?