Should CEOs Speak Out on Social Issues?

A special thanks to those who joined us for the Trend Watch Virtual Debate: Should CEOs Speak Out on Social Issues?

During this lively discussion, moderated by Joanne Henry, SCMP, Katie Macaulay argued against the position, citing CEOs should pass the mic. Stephen Forshaw, debating in the affirmative, took a stance that CEOs must use the power of their office to effect change.

A recording of this event is now available to all IABC members for free through IABC Advance. Log in with your membership to access the free download.

Watch the Recording

Disclaimer: The participants made a case for either side of this issue for the purpose of the debate. Their comments do not necessarily reflect their personal views, the views of their employers or the views of IABC

Kudos to Our Presenters!

Thank you to the three members of the IABC Trend Watch Committee who led us in discussion and spent time preparing for this event. Get to know them below and connect on LinkedIn.

Joanne Henry, SCMP, is president of PR for Good, a public relations consultancy based in Minneapolis, USA, that serves local, regional and global clients. Her communications and public relations work, as well as her writing and speaking, demonstrate her passion for the central role of trust in developing and sustaining relationships and reputations. Joanne is a frequent speaker on social impact, media relations and reputation. She is the founder of the Common Good breakfast series to promote private-public partnerships and is an award-winning business communications with a 35 year track record. Connect with Joanne on LinkedIn.

Stephen Forshaw is based in Singapore and serves as head of public affairs and internal communications for Temasek, a global investment company. Prior to joining Temasek, Stephen was senior director of corporate communications for Microsoft, covering Asia Pacific. He is also a member of the Singapore Institute of Directors, and the Singapore Advisory Committee of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Connect with Stephen on LinkedIn.

Katie Macaulay is based in London and is the managing director of the communications agency AB. She is a member of the IABC International Executive Board, author of “From Cascade to Conversation – Unlocking the Collective Wisdom of Your Workforce,” and host of The Internal Comms Podcast, which recently reached 100,000 downloads and reaches an audience across 55 countries. Connect with Katie on LinkedIn.

A special shout out to the rest of the Trend Watch Committee, who supported our debaters: Tammy Korgie (vice chair; Omaha, Nebraska), Shaniek Parks (Kingston, Jamaica), Dan Walraven (Christchurch, New Zealand), Joe Bobbey (Cincinnati, Ohio), Peter Yorke (Bangalore, India), Anne-Marie Palmer-Ikuku (Lagos, Nigeria), and Donna Itzoe (Dallas, Texas). They put the “I” in IABC and we are better together as a result!

Related Resources

Dive further into the issue with current headlines that helped inform the debate.

How Companies Can 'Walk the Talk' on Pressing Social Issues, World Economic Forum

New 4A's Survey Finds Majority of Consumers Dislike When Brands Get Political, PR Newswire

Shaping the Sustainable Organization, Accenture

CEOs Ignore Social Issues at Their Own Peril, Wall Street Journal

Why Wokeism Will Rule the World, Bloomberg

And hear from a fellow IABC member who offered an example during our Q&A portion:

We created a video statement called “Belonging at Proposify” from our CEO for both internal and external audiences about our stance on social issues. It touches on many of the points Katie brought up if anyone would like an example. You can see the video here: https://www.proposify.com/diversity —Jennifer Faulkner, Director of Communications, Proposify