CSR Report Expert Judy Sandford Joins Cone Communications
November 17, 2014 /3BL Media/ - Cone Communications, a public relations and marketing agency, has hired Judy Sandford as a vice president in its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practice. Judy will lead the agency’s award-winning CSR reporting services, drawing upon her decade of experience in sustainability communications and Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) reporting, as well as more than 20 years of experience in marketing communications.
“Judy has a well-honed ability to blend data with storytelling. It’s a powerful combination for CSR communications,” says Bill Fleishman, CEO of Cone Communications. “Transforming business commitments into engagement opportunities is what we thrive on at Cone, and I know our clients will see a real difference in their reporting and CSR strategy as a result of Judy’s expertise, creativity and dedication.”
Prior to Cone, Sandford founded the Sustainability Communications practice at a New York-based creative agency, and provided strategic counsel to Fortune 500 corporations and leading sustainability NGOs. She also educated clients on the latest trends in sustainability reporting with roundtables and webinars covering reporting basics, social media promotion, integrated reporting and science-based goals. For the last two years, Sandford created and taught a course in Sustainability Communications Strategy & Reporting as a professor for the master’s program in Sustainability Management at The Earth Institute, Columbia University.
“Today, almost every major company has a CSR report, or at least some kind of CSR data. What makes reporting an effective and worthwhile investment is bringing complex data alive for stakeholders in ways that are personally relevant and compelling through a wide range of media touch-points,” Sandford says. “I’m so excited to join Cone and lead companies into the next era of CSR reporting. This is a team that will make sure reporting is simple and engaging, and makes a meaningful difference to our clients’ business.”
Cone’s expertise in CSR spans almost three decades – creating and executing some of the nation’s most memorable and impactful cause marketing and CSR programs. Its pioneering CSR research on stakeholders’ expectations of companies’ role in addressing social and environmental issues helped mainstream and continues to shape CSR communications. Today, Cone fuels remarkable CSR experiences that inspire action and deliver return for business and society.
Drawing upon the GRI standards (with certification in using the G4 guidelines), Cone also helps companies deliver credible and impactful CSR reports, bringing a company’s responsible business commitments to life and effectively engaging diverse stakeholders across multiple touch-points based on deep stakeholder mapping and insights.
###
About Cone Communications
Cone Communications (www.conecomm.com) is a public relations and marketing agency known for igniting brands with high-impact strategies and programs based in deep insights, unique subject matter expertise and innovation. Focusing on key areas such as consumer product media relations, social media, cause marketing, corporate social responsibility, nonprofit marketing, corporate communications and crisis prevention/management – the agency is positioned to help clients achieve both business and societal outcomes. Cone Communications is a part of Diversified Agency Services, a division of Omnicom Group Inc.
About Diversified Agency Services
Diversified Agency Services (DAS), a division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) (www.omnicomgroup.com), manages Omnicom’s holdings in a variety of marketing communications disciplines. DAS includes over 200 companies, which operate through a combination of networks and regional organizations, serving international and local clients through more than 700 offices in 71 countries.
