Exciting News and Events Coming Soon from Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship
By Katherine V. Smith, Executive Director, Boston College Center
We’ve been on the road extensively and have met with executives from across North America, Latin America, Asia, and Europe over this past year. Consistent with the findings in our 2012 State of Corporate Citizenship research report that will arrive in members’ inboxes this month, we continue to see evidence that business leaders recognize that corporate citizenship delivers real business results. This fifth biennial survey of the attitudes and commitments of business executives toward corporate citizenship will be available to members in print and via our website as well as in an executive summary PowerPoint presentation. Highlights of the report will be available to non-members in a PowerPoint presentation on our website.
Data from our next piece of signature research, Profile of the Professionals, is currently being analyzed. Initial findings from this biennial survey on the responsibilities, backgrounds and compensation of corporate citizenship professionals will be available in a February webinar with publication of a report planned for the spring. Preliminary findings from the survey include:
- A higher percentage of corporate citizenship professionals have advanced degrees and more years of corporate citizenship experience than in prior surveys.
- Survey respondents report their companies sought talent mostly internally to fill corporate citizenship positions across all job levels, ranging from coordinator to vice president and above.
While spring may seem a long way off, it’s front of mind at the Center as we prepare for the 2013 International Corporate Citizenship Conference here in Boston, April 21-23. Next year’s conference promises to again be a dynamic convening of corporate citizenship professionals sharing knowledge and perspectives on their common challenges.
We expect more than 600 business leaders to take advantage of the tremendous networking opportunity the conference offers, joining professionals from a variety of business functions, including corporate citizenship, community relations, sustainability, communications, external affairs, and human resources.
Work is well under way on crafting breakout sessions to provide insights, proven success stories, and practical takeaways from leading companies. For our general sessions we’ve gathered a diverse group of world class leaders who will share their experience and knowledge. Their unique points of view range from CEO, CFO, and legal counsel to corporate affairs and community relations. With more to come, here is a sampling of our inspiring keynote speakers:
- Denise Morrison, president and chief executive officer, Campbell Soup Company
- Timothy R. Baer, executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary, Target
- Jennifer Hunter, senior vice president, Corporate Affairs, Altria Client Services
- Michael Monahan, executive vice president and chief financial officer, Pitney Bowes Inc.
Stay tuned to our website as we continue to plan a conference you won’t want to miss. In the meantime, enjoy the approaching holidays. We’re excited that 2013 will bring great things from the Center and for all of our members, and wish you a happy and prosperous new year.
