Clarifying the Case for DEI - Investing in People and Opportunity

Daniel Aronson of Valutus

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On April 18, 2024, we spoke with Daniel Aronson, Founder of Valutus, to explore “The Value of Values: How Quantification Strengthens the Case for Action (and CPR).”

As more companies face challenges related to ESG and DEI initiatives, some are pulling back on investments and hesitating to take public stances on issues. But prevailing public sentiment and market indicators rebuke the conventional idea that business leaders must choose between profit and purpose. Increasingly, the numbers — factual and financial — show the tangible value for corporations in establishing and prioritizing values and intentionally deciding where and how to show up for policy discussions. Established values can also inform a corporate political responsibility framework that companies can use to navigate the policy landscape and decide how and when to act. As leaders take the courageous and sometimes vulnerable steps to lead with values, they adopt a long-term perspective on management and decision-making that creates more resilient businesses with stronger bottom lines.  

In this module, we explore:

• How can you use data to show that profit and purpose are not mutually exclusive?
• Why does investing in people and opportunity creates more resilient and innovative businesses? 

The Corporate Political Responsibility Taskforce (CPRT) Expert Dialogues are in-depth, recorded conversations with academic experts, stakeholder advocates, and business practitioners to provide our members and other CPR champions with the expertise and context they need to develop principled, proactive CPR strategies. Each module is designed to spark constructive, non-partisan, principles-based dialogue without “being political.”

As Founder of Valutus, Daniel Aronson specializes in creating value through sustainability and responsibility. During his consulting career, he has led sustainability strategy consulting for Deloitte and IBM and has worked with global leaders in the field — including Nike, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, Autodesk, Interface, Biogen, and Philips. He has been researching, writing, and consulting on the environment, social responsibility, and innovation for over 25 years.   

The full transcript for this module is available here.  

KEYWORDS: #CorporatePoliticalResponsibility #CPR_Long-term Value #CPR_ESG #CPR_Enterprise Risk #CPR_Systemic Risk #CPR_BizStrategy #CPR_Markets #CPR_PublicPolicy #CPR_Accountability #CPR_Responsibility