During the presentation of the report on trends and challenges for organizations in Latin America, CMI highlighted the role of corporate purpose and values for generating trust toward companies in society.
Responsible leadership, corporate purpose, diversity, equity and inclusion are the trends that will be high on the agendas of Latin American corporations, according to data from the study "Approaching The Future 2022 - Trends in Reputation and Management of Intangibles"
The report was prepared by Corporate Excellence - Centre for Reputation Leadership, CANVAS - Estrategias Sostenibles and Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management as worldwide partner, and had the collaboration of Corporación Multi Inversiones (CMI), PIZZOLANTE’s Cátedra Itinerante, Secretaría General Iberoamericana, AG, Grupo Universal, Ternova Group and Ficohsa.
The team of researchers, led by Ángel Alloza, CEO of Corporate Excellence - Center for Reputation Leadership and Clara Fontán, Director of Intelligence and Knowledge of Corporate Excellence, presented the results in which they identified 16 key issues that corporations are working on, as well as the challenges they face in making decisions on the management and resources for these challenges.
Italo Pizzolante, director of Pizzolante’s ‘Cátedra Itinerante’, or ‘Traveling Lectureship’, emphasized society’s demand towards companies for a social commitment, since managing reputation and intangibles is a strategic point for business.
Ranking of the most relevant trends for Latin American organizations
- Responsible leadership
- Corporate purpose
- Diversity, equity and inclusion
- Reputation and reputational risk
- Digitalization
- Corporate government and ethics
- Trust from interest groups
- Communication and publicity
- The future of work
- Metrics and ASG report
- 2030 agenda
- CEO’s reputation
- Activist brands
- Climate change
- Cybersecurity
- Sustainable investment
To conclude the event, the forum ‘The vision of organizations: good practices in Latin America’ was held. It included the participation of José González-Campo, Senior Director of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability at CMI, together with other professionals from various Latin American corporations. The panelists analyzed the great challenges that Latin American corporations will face in reputational risk management in the context of the results presented in the report Approaching the Future 2022.
CMI, a family-owned ‘multi-latin’ company with a purpose
In his speech, González-Campo delved into several points, such as the challenges that companies currently face in reputation management, the trust that must be established between the company and society, and the importance of the Corporate Purpose. In the case of CMI, he highlighted what it means to live the REIR corporate values: Responsibility, Excellence, Integrity and Respect, and the importance of congruence, to act and live in accordance to what is said.
Regarding the new challenges facing companies, González-Campo commented that people expect companies to go one step further in their evolution: "People are asking us to exist. Companies are a big factor of trust. People expect more from us and that represents an enormous responsibility," he said.
As for the report Approaching the Future 2022, in its Latin American edition, it highlights the fundamental role of purpose, principles and corporate values in a company that is admired, which generates trust in employees, investors and consumers.
At the top of the trends, according to the report's findings, is the focus on corporate purpose and responsible leadership that also leads the ranking of priorities globally.
For Latin America, responsible leadership leads this group of priorities, highlighting the interest in promoting new forms of leadership, focused on building commitment and trust with society in order to bring about transformation and generate a positive impact.
In the case of Corporate Purpose, it ranked as the second most relevant in the region, and yet it is the objective that draws the most resources, with half of the Latin American organizations implementing this purpose, and more still joining this trend.
For González-Campo, it is important for corporations to have a corporate purpose, because this goes beyond solving a single need of the population. "It is to be a social agent that allows changes in our society, and for that you need a lot of consistency. This can only be achieved by having solid values, such as our REIR values at CMI: Responsibility, Excellence, Integrity and Respect," he emphasized.
Another big challenge is trust in companies, and to build it, the right messages must be connected to the right audiences.
For González-Campo, the passion and Corporate Purpose of a family business like CMI must be lived, felt and reflected in all the employees and the social actions that the Corporation develops. "The challenge is for people to live that congruence between what one says and what one does; that is fundamental", he concluded.