Geralyn Ritter knows about personal and organizational resilience. She was on Amtrak Train #188, which derailed outside Philadelphia in 2015 at 106 miles per hour. The crash killed eight people and injured more than 200. Geralyn was critically wounded. Her doctors use the word “miraculous” to describe her survival and recovery. She also knows about organizational resilience, as the current Head of External Affairs and ESG for Organon, following twelve years at Merck, where she held numerous...

Geralyn Ritter knows about personal and organizational resilience. She was on Amtrak Train #188, which derailed outside Philadelphia in 2015 at 106 miles per hour. The crash killed eight people and injured more than 200. Geralyn was critically wounded. Her doctors use the word “miraculous” to describe her survival and recovery. She also knows about organizational resilience, as the current Head of External Affairs and ESG for Organon, following twelve years at Merck, where she held numerous...

The COVID-19 pandemic shone a spotlight on the level of health inequity in the US, where access to health care can depend on a person’s zip code, income, insurance, and contacts in the medical profession. This podcast discusses the role that companies – and, specifically, boards of directors – can play in helping to address this problem, which accounts for approximately $320 billion in the US. The discussion makes clear that all companies – not just those in the health sector – can play a...

The ESG reporting landscape is quickly evolving. Not only is it cluttered with an ever-growing number of rating agencies, initiatives to harmonize reporting frameworks and standards are underway, and regulations are rapidly arising in many jurisdictions – making ESG disclosure a business reality rather than a passing fad. So what’s a company to do?   In this podcast, Merel Spierings, Corporate Governance Researcher at the ESG Center, speaks with Andrew Fowler, Partner at the law firm of...

Natural disasters are increasing in both frequency and intensity. Yet, only 22 percent of corporate citizenship executives say their number one priority is preparedness – taking action to mitigate the effects of a natural disaster before it occurs. Only 3 percent of corporate citizenship executives prioritize long-term recovery and reconstruction. In this podcast, Patty McIIreavy, President and CEO of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy speaks with Lindsay Beltzer and Jeff Hoffman from The...

Only 29 percent of C-suite executives rate their board’s effectiveness as good or excellent.  And 74 percent of executives say two or more of their directors should be replaced. That’s despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of C-suite executives say their boards understand the company’s strategy, risks and opportunities, and competitive landscape -- and that nearly 90 percent say their directors have independent judgment and are willing to challenge management.  In this podcast, Paul...

Join Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Congressman Ken Buck (R-CO) and Gretchen Carlson, the woman whose lawsuit helped ignite the #MeToo movement and who co-founded the non-profit Lift Our Voices, to discuss the recent groundbreaking bipartisan legislation, The Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act. Passed with strong bipartisan support in February, the legislation marks one of the most significant workplace reforms in the last 50 years. Under the...

Traditionally, corporate board members played a limited – and only occasional – role in discussions with investors. But now investors expect to hear from independent directors on the board’s oversight of ESG issues.  And companies are recognizing that involving their directors in discussions with investors can have significant near-term and long-term benefits.     In this podcast, Paul Washington, Executive Director of the ESG Center, speaks Bill Ultan, Managing Director at Morrow Sodali, to...

For the year ahead, what are the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) priorities of business leaders around the world? This year’s annual survey of the C-suite provides fascinating ESG insights. Listen to this ESG News and Views podcast as Chuck Mitchell, Executive Director of Content Quality, unpacks the findings with Paul Washington, Executive Director of the ESG Center.

Many have viewed corporate political activity with skepticism, if not suspicion.  In 2021, companies faced a combination of surprises and scrutiny that made their political activity exponentially more difficult . . . and 2022 promises to be equally, if not more, challenging.  In this podcast, Paul Washington, Executive Director of the ESG Center, speaks with experts, Adie Olsen and Jason Abel, Partners at Steptoe and Johnson, and Bruce Freed, President of the Center for Political...

In this podcast, Paul Washington, Executive Director of the ESG Center, speaks with Martin Whittaker, the founding CEO of JUST Capital. They discuss what companies are doing – and can do – regarding economic opportunity and fairness.

In this podcast, Jeff Hoffman, Institute Leader of Corporate Citizenship & Philanthropy at the ESG Center, speaks with Sarah Keh, Vice President of Inclusive Solutions at Prudential Financial and Vice President & Secretary of The Prudential Foundation, and Vishal Jain, Prudential’s Head of Financial Wellness Strategy and Development.

In this podcast, Paul Washington, Executive Director of the ESG Center, sits down with Solange Charas, Founder and CEO of HCMoneyball and Distinguished Principal Research Fellow at The Conference Board Human Capital Center, and Ross Jeffries, Deputy General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Bank of America, to discuss human capital disclosure trends; Bank of America’s HCM story, which may serve as a model for others; and how to prepare for disclosure requirements on the way.

In this podcast, Paul Washington, Executive Director of the ESG Center, speaks with Dr. Millicent Ruffin, Director of Community Affairs for the Office of Racial Equality and Social Unity, who leads the development and execution of programs that address the racial inequality and socioeconomic disparities in the communities around the world where Corning operates.

ESG investing has been around for decades, but it has gained considerable momentum in recent years. Paul Washington, Executive Director of the ESG Center, speaks with Hari Balkrishna, Portfolio Manager for T. Rowe Price’s Global Impact Equity strategy, about ESG investing, including impact investing, and what it means for investors, companies, and all of us as members of society and the planet we inhabit.

Jeff Hoffman, Institute Leader of Corporate Citizenship & Philanthropy at the ESG Center, interviews Jenny Flores, Head of Small Business Growth Philanthropy at Wells Fargo, and Elizabeth Gore, Co-Founder and President of HelloAlice.com. In their conversation, they discuss how corporations can further support small businesses and entrepreneurs not only with funding but with their expertise, as well as the role of technology, partnerships, and innovation in supporting minority-owned...

John Wilcox, Chairman Emeritus at Morrow Sodali, is one of the most recognized and respected figures in corporate governance in the world. In his book, The Evolution of Corporate Governance, he provides a real-time picture of how governance evolved over the years through a collection of essays and articles he has written during his distinguished career.

Bob Zukis, co-author of “The Great Reboot: Succeeding in a World of Catastrophic Risk and Opportunity” offers eye-opening guidance for corporate leaders on how to move beyond traditional risk management approaches to identify and prepare for systemic risks. Bob shares insights from his book as well as from his experience as CEO and Founder of Digital Directors Network, Adjunct Professor of Management and Organization at the USC Marshall School of Business, and ESG Center Fellow.

Paul Washington, Executive Director of the ESG Center at The Conference Board, interviews Ben Biles, CEO and Co-founder, American Veterans Group, and Jeff Cathey, Senior Military Affairs Executive at Bank of America, about the value of supporting veteran-owned businesses and employees, and how Covid-19 and changing demographics may lead to new strategies in private sector.

In the final part of our series exploring corporate citizenship in the Global South during COVID-19, Jeff Hoffman, Institute Leader of Corporate Citizenship & Philanthropy, speaks with Bassam Alfeeli, Director of Innovation at The Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences, and Jennifer Suleiman, Chief Sustainability Officer, and Malek Hammoud, Chief Investment & Digital Officer from the Zain Group on how digital transformation is accelerating positive change across The Middle...

In Part 3 of this 4-part series, Jeff Hoffman, Institute Leader of Corporate Citizenship & Philanthropy, speaks with Sandeep Makkar, Managing Director of Johnson & Johnson, Medical India, and Prabhat Pani, Senior Advisor, Partnerships & Technology at Tata Trusts, to learn how COVID-19 is impacting India’s economy, healthcare system, and how their businesses are responding to and addressing the dire effects of the pandemic.

Corporate Citizenship in the Global South During COVID-1: Part 2 – Latin America. In Part 2 of this 4-part series, Jeff Hoffman, Institute Leader of Corporate Citizenship & Philanthropy, speaks with Sandro Mesquita, Vice President of Corporate Citizenship & Sustainability for Latin America, AT&T, and Maria Luiza de Oliveira Pinto e Paiva, Director of Sustainability, Suzano, to learn how COVID-19 is impacting South America, the resulting economic crisis, and how their companies are...

Corporate Citizenship in the Global South During COVID-1: Part 1 – Africa. In Part 1 of this 4-part series, Jeff Hoffman, Institute Leader of Corporate Citizenship & Philanthropy, speaks with Dorcas Onyango, Head of Sustainability, Southern & East Africa Business Unit, Coca-Cola, and Ruth Lewin, Head of Corporate Sustainability, Discovery Limited, to learn how their companies are navigating the pandemic and providing critical support throughout the continent.

From Larry Fink, Chairman and CEO of BlackRock to the Gates Foundation, leaders from the investment and philanthropic worlds are making public and bold statements about climate change. Paul Washington, head of the ESG Center, speaks with Carl Pope, former Executive Director & Chairman of the Sierra Club and Satyajit Bose, Columbia University Professor about the roles of asset managers and philanthropists in addressing climate change.