The fourth publication in our acclaimed “Roads to” thought leadership series is focused on the concept of corporate purpose within a shifting business and risk environment. Corporate purpose has risen up the agenda over the past decade. Roads to Repurposing is an in-depth examination of the concept, aimed at business leaders, policymakers and risk professionals. The report looks at what is being covered under the label ‘corporate purpose’ and ‘repurposing’, why these ideas have acquired such an urgency within the business world, and how companies are applying and using them to improve their business performance and manage risk.

Given the importance of corporate reputation today, there is still a shortage of business leaders who are effectively leveraging reputation intelligence for the benefit of their organisation. Polecat interviewed global reputation professionals to gain a better understanding of how they are applying their efforts to get ahead and tackle the obstacles they face when managing corporate reputation.

Since the pandemic struck, its impact on business and supply chains has cut deeply into normal operations for every sector of industry, and the pattern of Covid-19 spread means companies are seeing employees unable to attend their normal place of work.

As boards move beyond crisis management, survey results suggest that specific risks and organisational issues are increasingly top of mind. More often than their peers, directors on the most adaptable boards cite, as agenda items, issues such as technological trends and topics that are more cultural or organisational in nature, such as corporate social responsibility, and the company’s purpose.