Sharing Best Practices in Communicating Ethics
By Ethisphere
As the Ethisphere moves forward in 2013, one area of increased emphasis is communications. The goal is to assist companies that have already achieved World’s Most Ethical (WME) Company recognition, as well as those who aspire to be a WME company, by identifying and sharing best practices in internal and external communications related to ethics.
To help guide this effort, the Ethisphere Communications Advisory Board was established in December 2012. The nine members of the communications advisory board, who are listed below, serve as a real-time think tank for the Ethisphere. The board comprises recognized leaders in the corporate communications profession – with WME company communications executives as well as expert perspectives from academia, the leading professional association for communications executives and the world’s largest public relations firm.
Ethisphere Communications Advisory Board
- Paul Argenti, Professor of Corporate Communication and Corporate Responsibility, The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth
- Roger Bolton, President, Arthur W. Page Society
- Ben Boyd, Global Chairman, Corporate Practice, Edelman
- Barry Caldwell, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications, Waste Management, Inc.
- Ana María P. de Chiquilani, Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Ethics Officer, Panama Canal Authority
- Ray Day, Vice President of Communications, Ford Motor Company
- Paul Gennaro, Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer, AECOM Technology Corp.
- Laura Kane, Vice President, Corporate Communications, Aflac, Inc.
- Gary Sheffer, Vice President, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs, General Electric Company
“Based on our work evaluating thousands of companies around the world, we know that robust communication programs that emphasize ethics are key enablers of an ethical business culture,” said Alex Brigham, executive director of the Ethisphere. “We look forward to leveraging the collective expertise of the Ethisphere Communications Advisory Board to advance the dialogue around global best practices in ethics communications – to benefit WME companies and the business community as a whole.”
The advisory board includes six corporate communications executives from companies that have earned WME recognition: Barry Caldwell, senior vice president of Public Affairs and Communications for Waste Management, Inc.; Ana María P. de Chiquilani, vice president of Corporate Affairs and ethics officer for the Panama Canal Authority; Ray Day, vice president of communications for Ford Motor Company; Paul Gennaro, senior vice president and chief communications officer for AECOM Technology Corp., who is serving as chairman of the advisory board; Laura Kane, vice president of Corporate Communications for Aflac, Inc.; and Gary Sheffer, vice president of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs for General Electric Company.
Additionally, the advisory board includes Paul Argenti, professor of Corporate Communication and Corporate Responsibility at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth; Roger Bolton, president of the Arthur W. Page Society; and Ben Boyd, global chairman of the Corporate Practice for Edelman. Argenti’s research covers topics such as reputational risk, corporate social responsibility, corporate values and strategy implementation through communication. At the Arthur W. Page Society, Bolton leads an organization whose New Model for Corporate Communication aims to strengthen the enterprise leadership role of the chief communications officer. Boyd’s work at the world’s largest public relations firm includes the Edelman Trust Barometer, which annually measures trust in government, business, media and non-governmental organizations.
“Our work with the communications advisory board has already begun,” said Stefan Linssen, chief editor of the Ethisphere. “In addition to the theme of the issue of Ethisphere focusing on communications – including several insightful articles – we are also working on content for the Global Ethics Summit, in New York City on March 5 and 6, and the Best Practices in Ethics Communications Workshop, in New York City during May.”
Linssen noted that the communications advisory board will help advance a program to share internal communication strategies that create an ethical business culture and engage staff. It will also highlight external communication programs that emphasize ethics as a differentiating brand attribute.
“We look forward to working together with the communications advisory board to leverage communications and raise the bar for ethical business performance expectations,” Linssen said. “We will be analyzing internal and external communications trends, discussing major developments and shifts within the corporate communications profession, and exploring how Ethisphere can best advance its message.”
