Guest: Christopher Marquis believes that purposeful company stewardship is required more than ever. He is the Sinyi Professor at the University of Cambridge Judge School of Business. He writes a regular column for Forbes and his work has appeared in the Boston Globe, Washington Post, Fortune, TIME, Foreign Policy, and Harvard Business Review. His previous books, Better Business: How the B Corp is Remaking Capitalism and Mao and Markets, a Financial Times “Best Book of 2022,” were published by Yale University Press.

Episode Insight: It’s time for leaders to rethink our current economic system and envision a more equitable and sustainable future, leading with purposeful company stewardship.

Background: In this week’s episode of Reflect Forward, I interview Christopher Marquis, a business professor at the University of Cambridge and author of ‘The Profiteers.’ Chris shares his journey and focus on corporate social responsibility and purposeful company stewardship, discussing the challenges of aligning profit motives with social goals. We highlight the importance of purpose-driven leadership, sustainability, and addressing systemic environmental issues. Chris offers insights into teaching ESG concepts, the role of strategic governance, and innovative companies like Grove Collaborative. We also cover corporate gaslighting in industries like fossil fuels and plastic and the need for upstream thinking to tackle the root causes of systemic problems.

How to find Chris:

Website: https://chrismarquis.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-marquis/

Books: https://www.amazon.com/Better-Business-Movement-Remaking-Capitalism/dp/030024715X
https://www.amazon.com/Profiteers-Business-Privatizes-Profits-Socializes/dp/1541703529
Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/christophermarquis/#6fdf8e2e67dc

Timestamp for Episode

• • 00:00 Welcome and Introduction
  • 00:00 Meet Christopher Marquis
  • 01:11 Journey into Academia
  • 02:51 Teaching Impactful Business
  • 05:02 Challenges in Sustainable Business
  • 06:31 Innovative Business Practices
  • 09:02 Leadership and Purpose
  • 11:30 Elon Musk: A Case Study
  • 13:46 Corporate Gaslighting: Shifting Blame to Consumers
  • 14:48 Fossil Fuels and Carbon Emissions: The Hidden Truth
  • 16:03 Plastic Recycling Myths: The Reality Behind the Ads
  • 17:21 Upstream Thinking: Addressing Root Causes
  • 19:11 Corporate Social Responsibility: A Deeper Dive
  • 25:08 Reflect Forward: Influencing Future Leaders
  • 26:20 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Reflect Forward · Purposeful Company Stewardship w/Christopher Marquis

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