Meet Shannon Schuyler

“We are about our people, but we are a people business. That's what we do. We don't sell widgets. We are people and people have changed. What people desire has changed over the course of time. We have needed to dig into that to have an appreciation of what people wanted and the way in which they worked. And the motivations for working a hundred years ago are different than they are now.”

Shannon Schuyler, PwC’s U.S. Chief Purpose and Inclusion Officer, leads the professional services firm’s efforts to deliver and embed purpose throughout culture and operations. Her work enables employees to be stewards of organizational purpose and embrace social transformation both internally and externally through coalitions and skills development.

We invited Schuyler to share how PwC has aligned its purpose with all 295,000 employees to upskill talent for a global, digital economy; engage authentically with social issues; and have honest conversations about inclusion and diversity.

Listen for Shannon’s insights on:

• How PwC approaches each employee as an individual when it comes to their purpose, experiences, background, and skills.
• How PwC is building trust with stakeholders, clients, and society to deliver sustained outcomes through the New Equation strategy.
• How to collaborate with competitors in order to address industry-wide issues while amplifying societal impact.
• How PwC changed the way it approached topics of diversity and inclusion.

Resources + Links:

• Shannon Schuyler’s LinkedIn
• PwC’s Purpose and Values
• The New Equation
• New world. New skills. Program
• Trust Leadership Institute
• CEO Action for Racial Equity
• CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion

Carol has been an attendee of the Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose (CECP) Summit for over 20 years, but 2022’s Summit felt different. It was the first time colleagues were reuniting since the pandemic started, infusing the Summit with excitement and eagerness to share the latest in purpose insights.

Step into the Summit with Carol as she reconnects with purpose leaders from Tata Consultancy Services and Blackbaud to explore what they learned during the past two years. 

Listen for insights on: 

• How to introduce virtual volunteerism opportunities that both engage employees and deliver impact.
• How smaller companies with fewer resources can help employees identify their personal purpose and link it to organizational opportunities.
• Why investing in human connections can accelerate purpose success.

Resources + Links: 

• Kari Niedfelt-Tomas’s LinkedIn
• Balaji Ganapathy’s LinkedIn
• Rachel Hutchisson’s LinkedIn
• Nandika Madgavkar’s LinkedIn
• CECP’s Website

“When you are aligned, you instinctively know what to do. You’re equipped to close the gap between the leader you are and the leader you want to be. When your professional and personal values are aligned, you lead with authenticity and everything becomes possible.”

Many guests on Purpose 360 have shared how they activate employees, collaborate in partnerships, communicate to customers, and engage in the community. It is clear that purpose work requires companies and leaders to care for and focus on many different stakeholders. But while leaders must focus on internal and external stakeholder alignment, it’s vital to also invest in yourself to maintain alignment.

Hortense le Gentil, Executive Coach and Author, defines alignment as the congruence of who you are with what you do. Much like how an organization looks to its values to define purpose, individuals must do the same to be the best version of themselves, drive change, and create impact.

Listen for Hortense’s insights on:

• The most effective ways to find alignment
• Why showing emotion is vital in effective leadership.
• How to break down “mind traps” to unleash your potential
• What leaders can learn from model CEOs, including Satya Nadella (Microsoft), John Donahoe (Nike), and Corie Barry (Best Buy)

Resources + Links:

• Hortense le Gentil on LinkedIn
• Hortense le Gentil’s Website
• Aligned: Connecting Your True Self to the Leader You’re Meant to Be

Many first jobs are not forever jobs, but that’s not how it worked out for Dawn Jones at Intel. Now Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer, Dawn began her career at Intel almost 25 years ago, thinking that she’d only stay for a few years. Intel’s support for her and her goals – from paying for her higher education to offering an inclusive culture – was what made the difference. The result is an incredibly committed and intelligent woman determined to advance inclusion for future Intel employees, and for the industry at large.

Intel’s purpose is to create world-changing technology that improves the life of every person on the planet. Dawn’s work directly brings this purpose to life, driving inclusion internally by embedding it in Intel’s culture and advancing inclusion externally through language in coding, bringing more girls in STEM, and providing educational support to underrepresented students in STEM at community colleges.

Listen for Dawn’s insights on:

• Why listening and respecting others’ perspectives are the best mindsets when collaborating.
• How to work with a diverse and representative workforce to activate them for good, whether it's in the work that they're doing or in the community.
• Why it’s important for industry leaders to collaborate in standardizing goals and metrics, for the industry and world as a whole.
• Why it’s important to devote time and resources to pursue awards and rankings.

Resources + Links:

• Dawn’s LinkedIn
• CSR at Intel
• 2021-2022 Corporate Responsibility Report
• 2030 RISE Strategy and Goals
• Alliance for Global Inclusion
• Intel Commits $50 Million with Pandemic Response Technology Initiative to Combat Coronavirus

Anheuser-Busch has been making beer for 170 years. But even with legacy brands that have stood the test of time, like Budweiser and Stella Artois, Anheuser-Busch is a company in constant pursuit of a better, more sustainable future.

Sometimes a company’s purpose needs to be refreshed in order for it to remain relevant and meaningful both internally and externally. At the start of 2022, Anheuser-Busch launched its new purpose: We dream big to create a future with more cheers. From creation and piloting to introducing and activating, Anheuser-Busch ensured that this purpose reflected the company’s history while being meaningful to both employees and customers into the future.

We invited César Vargas, U.S. Chief External Affairs Officer, and Lindsay King, U.S. Chief People Officer, to discuss how the purpose came to be, ways internal and external stakeholders were engaged, and how they activate purpose so Anheuser-Busch will serve its beers for another 170 years.

Listen for César and Lindsay’s insights on:

• How to pilot a new purpose to ensure it resonates with employees across an enterprise.
• Why it’s important to create a strong foundation for internal engagement.
• How to inspire employees to serve as ambassadors for your company and its purpose.
• Why consistency in communicating purpose lends greater meaning.

Resources + Links:

• César Vargas on LinkedIn
• Lindsay King on LinkedIn
• Anheuser-Busch’s Ten Principles
• “It’s Time to Dream Big and Create a Future with More Cheers”
• “We’re taking flight. Here’s to our next chapter” video

For some, purpose’s integral role in business is a newer conversation topic. But others have seen the power of purpose for decades, including company founders like Ray Anderson, pioneers like host Carol Cone, and business journalists like Alan Murray.

Alan Murray has a unique perspective of the purpose movement. While Ray strategically aligned Interface with environmental commitments and Carol advises and supports companies in establishing purpose-based commitments, Alan followed CEOs from nescience to enlightenment to implementation. In his new book, Tomorrow’s Capitalist: My Search for the Soul of Business, Alan reveals how he observed corporate CEOs recognize the significance of human-centered sustainability – not just so their companies could continue to operate, but so they would thrive.

We invited Alan Murray, CEO of Fortune Media, to discuss Tomorrow’s Capitalist, his experience with the widespread cynicism of the broader public when it comes to businesses and purpose, and how companies can have both a soul and a future.

Listen for Alan’s insights on:

• How leadership must change for there to be strategic, long-term success in human-centered business.
• What should guide CEOs when deciding whether and how to advocate for an issue or defend an action.
• How to effectively amplify communications in today's snackable, hard-to-get-anybody's-attention media landscape.
• The three areas all CEOs and leaders need to think about when looking to the future of human-centered business.

Links & Notes

• Alan Murray’s LinkedIn
• Tomorrow’s Capitalist
• Fortune: “Why I wrote ‘Tomorrow’s Capitalist,’ my upcoming book on the stakeholder capitalism movement”
• Leadership Next
• Humans Are Underrated by Geoff Colvin

For some, purpose’s integral role in business is a newer conversation topic. But others have seen the power of purpose for decades, including company founders like Ray Anderson, pioneers like host Carol Cone, and business journalists like Alan Murray.

Alan Murray has a unique perspective of the purpose movement. While Ray strategically aligned Interface with environmental commitments and Carol advises and supports companies in establishing purpose-based commitments, Alan followed CEOs from nescience to enlightenment to implementation. In his new book, Tomorrow’s Capitalist: My Search for the Soul of Business, Alan reveals how he observed corporate CEOs recognize the significance of human-centered sustainability – not just so their companies could continue to operate, but so they would thrive.

We invited Alan Murray, CEO of Fortune Media, to discuss Tomorrow’s Capitalist, his experience with the widespread cynicism of the broader public when it comes to businesses and purpose, and how companies can have both a soul and a future.

Listen for Alan’s insights on:

• How leadership must change for there to be strategic, long-term success in human-centered business.
• What should guide CEOs when deciding whether and how to advocate for an issue or defend an action.
• How to effectively amplify communications in today's snackable, hard-to-get-anybody's-attention media landscape.
• The three areas all CEOs and leaders need to think about when looking to the future of human-centered business.

Links & Notes

• Alan Murray’s LinkedIn
• Tomorrow’s Capitalist
• Fortune: “Why I wrote ‘Tomorrow’s Capitalist,’ my upcoming book on the stakeholder capitalism movement”
• Leadership Next
• Humans Are Underrated by Geoff Colvin

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In 2007, the recently merged Sprint Nextel was only six months away from going bankrupt. But under Dan Hesse, its new CEO, the company focused on a new strategy and internal culture that prioritized employee satisfaction to improve customer experience. This led to Sprint Nextel placing first in the wireless industry in customer satisfaction and ranking #1 in total shareholder return among all S&P 500 companies in his final two years as CEO, 2012 and 2013.

Dan believed in the power of stakeholder-based capitalism to build culture and drive business success before many of his peers. Now retired from the C-suite (he also served as President and CEO of AT&T), Dan serves on various boards to help companies build and elevate purpose-driven cultures that support ESG commitments.

We invited Dan, Board Member of JUST Capital, PNC, and Akamai Technologies, to share how purpose remains the driving force behind his leadership, business success, and counsel for companies today.

Listen for Dan’s insights on:

• The three things CEOs and boards must do to advance purpose initiatives that build both stakeholder and shareholder value.
• The biggest barriers to boards embracing purpose as a business strategy, and how leaders can overcome them.
• The three principles of a culture that creates business success: employees, customers, and purpose.
• How the role of boards in overseeing purpose has changed and what boards expect in terms of ESG today.
• How employee input, company values, and culture come together to shape strategic decision-making.

Links & Notes

• Dan Hesse on LinkedIn
• Dan Hesse’s Website
• Articles + Resources Featuring Dan Hesse
• Forbes: “ESG Insights From A Courageous CEO Pioneer”
• CEO Forum Magazine: “Culture Unifies Companies and Nations”