Leadership
30 Leading CEOs and Companies Join ‘CEO Force for Good’ in 2013

29 of the world’s leading CEOs and companies in 2013 joined CECP, a coalition of CEOs united in the belief that societal improvement is an essential measure of business performance, founded in 1999 by actor Paul Newman.

These CEOs and companies work with CECP to elevate their societal investment strategies and connect them to their core business, as they are a direct line to employee engagement, innovation, customers, new markets, stronger brands and sustainability, as well as mitigating risk and building trust. CECP convenes and supports CEOs, whose companies committed $14 billion last year to solving pressing community challenges.

In 2013, CECP welcomed the following 10 CEOs into its ranks:

· Sheri McCoy, Avon Products, Inc.

· Mike Gregoire, CA Technologies

· Bill Goodwyn, Discovery Education

· Douglas Baker, Ecolab

· Deanna Mulligan, Guardian Life Insurance Company of America

· Gordon Nixon, Royal Bank of Canada

· Mike Polk, Newell Rubbermaid Inc.

· Russ Girling, TransCanada Corporation

· Scott Davis, UPS

· Bill McNabb, Vanguard

“I joined CECP because I recognize the value of working with my CEO peers to address pressing societal issues, as solutions will come from many different actors with unique resources,” said Douglas Baker, Chairman and CEO of Ecolab. “Alone, we cannot find solutions to the world’s toughest challenges, but together, we will make the difference.”

The following 11 corporations recently joined CECP at the company level:

· Adobe

· Autodesk

· CSAA Insurance Group

· DTE Energy Company

· PPL Corporation

· RBS Citizens

· Southwest Airlines Co.

· Symantec Corporation

· Toshiba America, Inc.

· Under Armour, Inc.

· Union Pacific Corporation

CECP says it supports leaders and community investment teams within companies to make an impact on both the communities around them and their bottom lines. The organization does this by through networking, collaboration, one-on-one support, measurement and research.

“These CEOs and companies demonstrate that effective and innovative solutions to business challenges can be found through close ties to the community,” said Daryl Brewster, CEO of CECP. “CECP was founded 15 years ago by Paul Newman and other business leaders with the premise that CEOs should be a ‘force for good in society.’ We stand by that idea today, along with 150 leading CEOs who are using the scope and scale of their businesses to make progress on the world’s most urgent concerns.”

In other CEO news, General Motors recently announced that Mary Barra will replace Dan Akerson as CEO on January 15, 2014 — making her the first woman to lead a major automaker.