Simon Mainwaring is founder & CEO of We First, a strategic consultancy driving growth and impact for purpose-driven brands. He’s on the Steering Committee of Sustainable Brands, the Forbes Business Council, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. His company, We First, was a Real Leaders’ Top 100 Impact Companies in the US for 2021 and 2019, as well as a B Corp ‘Best For the World’ Honoree. Simon’s first book, We First was a New York Times bestseller and named Best Marketing Book of the Year by strategy+business. His new book, Lead With We, will be released in November, 2021. Simon was a Real Leaders Top 50 Keynote Speakers in the World in 2020. Prior to We First, Simon was an award-winning writer and creative director at top creative agencies including Wieden & Kennedy, Ogilvy and Saatchi & Saatchi.
Simon Mainwaring
New York Times bestselling author & Founder/ CEO
We First
Purpose at Work: How Wrangler Is Creating the Next Generation of Sustainable Fashion
Supply Chain / Wrangler is taking big steps to achieve sustainability. By tackling the industry’s biggest challenges, the jeans giant is carving out a competitive advantage and helping other apparel makers improve industry practices. - 1 year ago
Purpose at Work: How to Engage Consumers to Do Good at Scale
Behavior Change / Consumers want to help brands shape their culture and impact. To ignite impact-driven consumer engagement you must build awareness, create a foundation for action, and inspire consumers to join you. - 2 years ago
Purpose at Work: How Brandless Creates Community by Making Better Stuff Available to All
The Next Economy / Communicating your brand’s purpose is vital to creating emotional connections with your customers. But it must be done authentically and in line with your overall brand positioning, story and tone of voice. - 2 years ago
How SAP's Purposeful Customer Network Solves Business & World Challenges
Supply Chain / “Be authentic. You may have lost it for whatever reason: acquisition, merger, leadership changes, a value prop has evolved … but never forget where you came from.” — Alicia Tillman, SAP - 2 years ago
Q&A: Simon Mainwaring on Teaching Companies to ‘Live to Serve Life Itself’
Organizational Change / Simon Mainwaring has an “all-hands-on-deck” sense of purpose — and that purpose is to help us find ours. - 2 years ago
How VSP Global Drives Growth, Impact Through Purpose
Walking the Talk / The optical health company’s goal to “provide access to affordable, high-quality eye care and eyewear to the world” guides business development, branding, product innovation and other integral operations. - 2 years ago
‘We Believe’: Communicators Weigh In on P&G’s Controversial New Ad
Marketing and Comms / We reached out to communication leaders in the SB community for their take on P&G’s spotlight on toxic masculinity. - 2 years ago
How Lyft Drives Growth Through Purpose
Leadership / Brands that position themselves as purpose-driven activists dedicated to using profits to further their mission carve out a competitive advantage amongst today’s conscious consumers. Lyft is an excellent example of a company distinguishing itself by building a brand around values, as well as quality. The rideshare company is the second-largest in the sector, controlling over one-third of US market share, with Uber driving the majority. While there is tough competition, Lyft stands out with its purpose, mission and activism, which recently lead the company to celebrate 1 billion rides. - 2 years ago
How MOD Pizza's People-First Culture Drives Growth and Impact
Organizational Change / Corporate culture sets the groundwork for how your team interacts with each other and your customers. - 2 years ago
Sixty South: How to Turn Sustainability into Business Growth
Walking the Talk / Today’s consumers are increasingly concerned about the impact their purchasing decisions have on the planet. People want to know how products they buy affect social and environmental ecosystems, and are paying more money for and attention to healthy foods and consumer goods. - 3 years ago
Sustainable Brands Gathers Global Brand Innovation Leaders at SB’18 Vancouver
Press Release / Sustainable Brands kicks off its largest community gathering today with Sustainable Brands '18 Vancouver at the Vancouver Convention Centre West in Vancouver, British Columbia. - 3 years ago
4 Ways Your Brand Can Deliver ‘The Good Life’ to Consumers in 2017
The Next Economy / Every business leader wants consumers to think of their company as an essential ingredient in building a better life, yet the very definition of what constitutes the ‘Good Life’ changes over time. - 4 years ago