Purposing (Given Agency)

Having purpose at the heart of your business is essential for meaningful brand impact. It’s also essential that your purpose is understood by all areas of your organisation. 

But with growth, unpredictable change and societal shifts, can your purpose become irrelevant? Was it clear enough to begin with? And how do you know when it’s time to change your purpose? 

Today, Becky is joined with Chris Jackson, Group Head of Colleague Experience at Centrica, Leading energy services and solutions provider focused on energising a greener, fairer future. In this conversation, they’ll be discussing when it’s time to change your purpose and how to implement a new one that is clear and understood across your organisation.

Do you want to learn how to build a purpose-driven business from Given, the consultancy that’s helped some of the world's largest organisations become purposeful? Download the Insiders’ Guide to Purpose HERE.

The science on climate change is clear: the planet is heating at an alarming rate. We’re already at risk of breaching the limits set in the 2015 Paris Agreement. Rapid action is needed to ensure net zero pledges are kept and sustainable practices are implemented across business. 

No amount of disclosure or engagement will correct the course we’re on if businesses and business leaders don’t fix the fundamental market failures that are driving climate change.

Today, Becky Willan is joined by Steve Waygood, Chief Responsible Investment Officer at Aviva Investors to discuss the financial and economic arguments for tough, fast action on the climate emergency. Steve’s been at the heart of sustainable finance since the 1990s, witnessing its growth in ambition, scale and influence every year. Working with the World Wide Fund for Nature straight out of university, Steve established their ethical investment policy, and has been with Aviva Investors for almost two decades.

Do you want to learn how to build a purpose-driven business from Given, the consultancy that’s helped some of the world's largest organisations become purposeful? Download the Insiders’ Guide to Purpose HERE. 

Anyone interested in solving the world’s biggest social and environmental challenges will tell you that it can only be done through collaboration. No single business, NGO or government can do it alone. But that’s easier said than done. 

Charity Business In The Community (BITC) exists to help change that - by bringing organisations together to create a fairer and more sustainable world. 

Today, host Becky Willan sits down with Amanda MacKenzie OBE, BITC’s CEO. Becky discovers how BITC facilitated collaboration between arch rivals Mcdonald's and Burger King and how they mobilised businesses up and down the UK to make a difference for communities in response to COVID-19. This episode shows you how to make the case for deeper, more purposeful collaboration.

Do you want to learn how to build a purpose-driven brand from the company that’s helped some of the world's most influential organisations become more purposeful? Download the first and the second editions of the Insiders' Guide to Purpose here.

Family-owned businesses are truly unique, serving as the embodiment of tradition, community, and legacy. But how do these qualities shape their sense of purpose? More importantly, can the core values that define family businesses be infused throughout an entire organisation, driving culture and long-term success?

Today, Becky is joined by Steve Beechey, Group Public Sector Director at the Wates Group. 

In this conversation, they’ll be discussing how Wates designed, shared and implemented purpose in a family owned business.

Do you want to learn how to build a purpose-driven business from Given, the consultancy that’s helped some of the world's largest organisations become purposeful? Download the Insiders’ Guide to Purpose HERE.

Having the right global purpose strategy to create change is essential. But how do you make sure it also has local impact?

Today, Becky is joined by Alma Alejandro, Marketing Director for Global Intimate Health and Wellness Brands at Kimberley Clark. In this conversation, we'll be exploring how to drive global impact with the right global purpose strategy and how to demonstrate results.

Do you want to learn how to build a purpose-driven business from Given, the consultancy that’s helped some of the world's largest organisations become purposeful? Download the Insiders’ Guide to Purpose HERE.

It's one thing for C-suite executives to get excited about purpose. But what’s the point if that’s not reflected across the entire workforce?

When the original activist beauty brand The Body Shop rewrote its purpose, the first question was: how do we get the message from the boardroom to the shop floor and help everyone understand, own and act on our purpose?

Today, host Becky Willan sits down with The Body Shop’s Head Franchise Director for Latin America Jenny Whitehorn. We find out how they worked with psychologists to help a thousand employees discover their personal purpose, and what it took to land the message in 70 different countries in the midst of a global Pandemic. This episode will help you inspire your entire team to live their purpose at work.

Do you want to learn how to build a purpose-driven brand from the company that’s helped some of the world's most influential organisations become purposeful? Download the Insiders’ Guide to Purpose HERE.

Note: At the time of recording, Jenny’s role was Global Customer Experience Director. She’s since moved to the role referenced above.

Building purpose into a business from the ground up is hard. No surprises there. But reinforcing a long-standing intention can be almost as tricky. 

This was the task Lloyds Banking Group undertook when they decided to double down on their ambition of ‘Helping Britain Prosper’. 

In this episode, host Becky Willan speaks with Lloyd Banking Group’s Sustainable Business Director Fiona Cannon about the challenge of embedding purpose in one of Britain’s largest banks. This episode will help ensure your purpose-driven mission is delivered with substance and is factored into every business decision. 

Do you want to learn how to build a purpose-driven business from the company that’s helped some of the world's most influential organisations become more purposeful? Download the Insiders’ Guide to Purpose HERE.

Corporate reputation is more important than ever. Potential customers are not only looking at the services an organisation provides, but its public visual identity and how it makes a difference to society. 

But how do you build authentic corporate reputation through purpose and, in turn, create value?

Today, Becky is joined by Claire Hawkins, Director of Corporate Affairs and Investor Relations at Phoenix Group, The UK’s largest long-term savings and retirement business. In this conversation, they’ll be discussing how to build corporate reputation by putting purpose at the heart of innovation and how to navigate the risks that come with using your voice to create change.

Do you want to learn how to build a purpose-driven business from Given, the consultancy that’s helped some of the world's largest organisations become purposeful? Download the Insiders’ Guide to Purpose HERE.

This is a Flamingo Media production brought to you by Given

If businesses want to achieve anything more than incremental change which reinforces that system, we need a new way of operating. It’s true that the world is messy and complicated, but if we’re serious about delivering purpose and driving environmental and social change, we need to rewire the system around us so that we can all thrive in the future.

When components of a system synchronize on shared aims, purpose can be better achieved. So how can systems thinking benefit people and the planet?

In this episode, Becky Willan talks to Sally Uren, CEO of Forum for the Future. Forum was founded in 1996 with the aim of advancing the goals of sustainability. As non-profit organisation, Forum works with with business, governments and civil society to accelerate the shift towards a just and regenerative future. Sally received an OBE in the 2017 for her efforts in making business more sustainable. 

Do you want to learn how to build a purpose-driven business from Given, the consultancy that’s helped some of the world's largest organisations become purposeful? Download the Insiders’ Guide to Purpose HERE.  

Less than 10% of all motorsports participation is female. And low statistics like this transcend across the sporting world compared to male athletes. 

With so many myths, stigmas and systemic barriers, how do you break the glass ceiling and allow these champions to take the wheel? 

Today, Becky is joined with Ali Donnelly, CEO of More Than Equal, the global not for profit organisation with a mission to find and develop the world's first female Formula One champion. actionable In this conversation, we'll explore how to create positive change in the system through one of the most important cultural lenses out there, sport.

Do you want to learn how to build a purpose-driven business from Given, the consultancy that’s helped some of the world's largest organisations become purposeful? Download the Insiders’ Guide to Purpose HERE.

This year, many businesses are finding it tougher than ever. So wouldn’t it be easier to put purpose and sustainability on the back burner? At least until it feels like there’s less of a trade off with profit…

What if I told you that despite the current economic climate, some of the world’s leading organisations are taking an entirely different approach, prioritising purpose as a fundamental driver of organisational performance? And they are thriving. 

I’m Becky Willan, CEO of Given, back with a 3rd season of Purposing, the podcast that lifts the lid on how to run a truly purpose-driven business.

With more leaders worried about ESG backlash, and purpose being seen as a distraction from commercial priorities, we’re bringing you brilliant guests who are committed to doing purpose properly - and are reaping the rewards. 

They’re leaders in organisations like Mars, Kimberly Clark, Centrica and many more. Together we demystify this often misunderstood topic, as they share their successes, learnings and actionable advice to help you to put purpose at the heart of your business.

Do you want to learn how to build a purpose-driven business from Given, the consultancy that’s helped some of the world's largest organisations become purposeful? Download the Insiders’ Guide to Purpose HERE.  

It might feel like purpose is under attack from the “anti-woke” brigade. But that isn’t stopping leading companies rewiring their businesses around a different set of priorities - making them more sustainable, more inclusive, and, ultimately, more purposeful.

Becky Willan, CEO of brand purpose agency Given, is back with a brand new season of Purposing - the podcast that lifts the lid on how to run a truly purpose-driven business.

Last season we spoke with leaders from organisations like IKEA, The Body Shop and John Lewis Partnership to discover how they defined their purpose and put it to work in their business - boosting engagement, driving innovation and building better brands.

This season, we’re back with more guests from Ben and Jerry’s, Farfetch, and Aviva and many more, to demystify this often misunderstood topic into clear, actionable advice you can use in your own business. 

Do you want to learn how to build a purpose-driven business from Given, the consultancy that’s helped some of the world's largest organisations become purposeful? Download the Insiders’ Guide to Purpose HERE.  

Rewiring a business around a new set of purpose-driven priorities is a huge undertaking. It can take several years and involve reassessing strategy, culture, innovation, and investment. Companies serious about purpose recognise that every decision either advances or detracts from the role they play in profitably solving problems for people and the planet.

In her latest podcast episode, Given CEO Becky Willan spoke with Peter Simpson, CEO of Anglian Water and founding member and co-Chair of the University of Cambridge’s Corporate Leaders Group (CLG), about what it takes for businesses to play a meaningful role in the transition to a climate-neutral, resource-efficient and socially inclusive economy. 

Listen to Purposing to get the insider's story on how Peter has led Anglian Water’s transformation into a truly purpose-driven business, including the move to enshrine their purpose in the fabric of their company constitution; their Articles of Association. These efforts have been widely recognised in the UK; they were named Responsible Business of the Year in 2017, voted ‘best place to work’ in the UK by Glassdoor in 2019, and earned the Queen’s Award for Sustainable Development in 2020.

Do you want to learn how to build a purpose-driven business from Given, the consultancy that’s helped some of the world's largest organisations become purposeful? Download the Insiders’ Guide to Purpose HERE.  

Links: 

BSI standard on purpose-LED business: 

https://www.bsigroup.com/en-GB/standards/bsi-knowledge/sustainability/purpose-and-esg-standards/ 

Responsible Business Tracker by Business in the Community: https://www.bitc.org.uk/the-responsible-business-tracker/

Having a clear, actionable purpose that acts as a real North Star can help businesses attract and retain talent, build engaged workforces and drive innovation. But what if your starting point is diverse, disparate teams with completely different agendas?

Today, host Becky Willan speaks to Cath Possamai, Talent Acquisition Director for Amazon in EMEA. Before arriving in tech, she led recruitment for the British Army as part of a struggling and much-scrutinised partnership with Capita. The two organisatons were culturally misaligned, but by co-creating a shared purpose, Cath was able to instigate a major reset. Now at Amazon, Cath’s found teams can operate like separate businesses - from Web Services to Devices to Stores - so building a unified purpose is an essential part of breaking down siloes and driving collaboration. 

In this episode, you’ll learn that focusing on incremental change -  not just big promises - and upskilling leaders to bring purpose to life in a way that keeps it front of mind for everyone - can help you unlock the cultural benefits of purpose. 

Do you want to learn how to build a purpose-driven business from Given, the consultancy that’s helped some of the world's largest organisations become purposeful? Download the Insiders’ Guide to Purpose HERE. 

The idea of brand purpose is pretty contested within marketing. Critics are claiming that we’ve reached ‘peak purpose’ and are calling for people in advertising to stop trying to save the world and get back to selling stuff. But is this true, or have we actually reached another level of maturity when it comes to purpose? 

With consumers more switched on to social change than ever, marketers have a responsibility to create meaningful impact as well as driving sales. But how do you measure meaningful brand impact? 

Today, Becky Willan is joined by Mitch Oliver, Global VP of Brand and Purpose at Mars Inc - a multinational manufacturer of confectionery, pet food, and other food products and the fourth-largest privately held company in the United States. In this conversation, we’ll be discussing how to translate a business’s purpose into meaningful and measurable brand impact - across different markets, categories and products.

Do you want to learn how to build a purpose-driven business from Given, the consultancy that’s helped some of the world's largest organisations become purposeful? Download the Insiders’ Guide to Purpose HERE.

Want to create a podcast for your business or brand? Contact Flamingo Media to make it happen.

Does your company's approach help solve the world’s problems? If not, it might be time to take action for the future of your business and the planet. 

Join CEO of Given Agency, Becky Willan and guests from some of the world's biggest brands to discover what it takes to become a truly purposeful business. 

New episodes air every second Wednesday.

This episode is a Climate Week special, in which we’ll be getting an insider’s view of New York Climate Week - the people there, the key events, trends and topics.

This year’s theme is ‘It’s Time‘, emphasises the urgency of climate action and spotlight businesses, organisations, and governments already driving momentum and breaking down barriers to progress. 

Today, Becky is joined by Annabelle Stamm and Stuart McLachlan, who were on the ground at Climate Week representing Anthesis, a company committed to driving sustainable performance. They spent the week bringing together clients and organisations to address challenges, break down obstacles, and accelerate meaningful change.

Do you want to learn how to build a purpose-driven business from Given, the consultancy that’s helped some of the world's largest organisations become purposeful? Download the Insiders’ Guide to Purpose HERE.

To learn more about sustainable performance, follow Anthesis on Linkedin.

During 2020’s Covid pandemic, high street retail faced a catastrophe. But the high street legend John Lewis Partnership saw it as an opportunity - to take the time to refresh their purpose and galvanise their 78.000 Partners. 

Today, Nina Bhatia, Executive Director, Strategy & Commercial Development at John Lewis Partnership, sits down with Given CEO and host Becky Willan to discuss how the Partnership’s Purpose became more vital than ever. 

Find out about the co-creative strategy used to update and embed their new purpose and how it's propelled John Lewis Partnership into bold new business areas outside traditional retail. This episode will help you identify the right time to reset your purpose agenda and show you how to implement a plan to embed and activate your purpose. 

Do you want to learn how to build a purpose-driven business from Given, the original consultancy for purpose-driven businesses, that’s helped some of the world's largest organisations become purposeful? Download the Insiders’ Guide to Purpose here. 

Global supply chains and seasonal production gives fashion a big carbon footprint. We’ve heard a lot about this in fast fashion. But in the luxury space, the story is changing. Shoppers are conscious of where products come from, and how they impact the planet and people. But how can companies harness sustainability to drive purpose and growth?

Today, host Becky Willan speaks to a Global Director of Sustainable Business reshaping purpose in fashion. Tom Berry has been at FARFETCH for 5 years - a company that connects customers in over 190 countries with 1,400 of the world’s best-known fashion brands, boutiques and department stores. Four years into launching their sustainability strategy, Positively FARFETCH, Tom is demonstrating clear commercial results from their groundbreaking approach.

In this episode you’ll learn how FARFETCH embraces partnerships with forward-thinking start-ups, providing tangible solutions to the industry’s problems. And how small behavioural changes among company leaders, workforces and consumers, can help drive profit with purpose.

Do you want to learn how to build a purpose-driven business from Given, the consultancy that’s helped some of the world's largest organisations become purposeful? Download the Insiders’ Guide to Purpose HERE.  

At this time of year, around one in ten of your workforce is looking for new jobs. And nearly half of employees are considering leaving their job due to employers failing to live up to their stated values and purpose. 

So what does it take to have a good business culture, and what role does purpose have in creating the culture that attracts - and retains - talent?

In this best bits special episode, we’re looking back at some of our favourite interviews from series 3, with tips and examples from the people who have been there and done it…We’ll take you through five actionable steps for 2025 to build performance culture through purpose.

Do you want to learn how to build a purpose-driven business from Given, the consultancy that’s helped some of the world's largest organisations become purposeful? Download the Insiders’ Guide to Purpose HERE.

The power to drive real change comes when every single person in the business feels that they are extended members of the advocacy team - but what are the principles that underpin a credible and impactful advocacy strategy?

Today, Becky Willan is joined by Char Love, Global Director of Advocacy at Natura&Co, whose subsidiary brands include Avon and The Body Shop. Char has a track record of working with sustainable business - co-founding corporate sustainability thinktank VOLANS and later launching B Lab UK, to help businesses on the journey to becoming certified B Corps. Char’s new role in advocacy with Natura&Co has seen her developing and embedding the principles of  Authentic, Ambitious, Agency, Allyship, Activism into their advocacy strategy. 

Do you want to learn how to build a purpose-driven business from Given, the consultancy that’s helped some of the world's largest organisations become purposeful? Download the Insiders’ Guide to Purpose HERE.  

Our cities have been built around the automobile. So how do we reclaim our streets to promote modes of transport that benefit both people and the environment?

This week, Becky speaks to Will Butler Adams, CEO at Brompton. The company has inspired a whole new category within the bike industry and has become a force for positive change in urban mobility.

In this conversation, you’ll hear how to build a purposeful culture that drives innovation and how it has helped fuel the success of the Brompton business.

Do you want to learn how to build a purpose-driven business from Given, the consultancy that’s helped some of the world's largest organisations become purposeful? Download the Insiders’ Guide to Purpose HERE.

Creative expression brings joy, purpose, and meaning to human lives. More than that, it is the definition of the possible, the desirable and the tactical. But can the next generation actually use the arts to tackle climate change and help to build more equitable prosperity?

Today, Becky is joined by Polly Mackenzie, Chief Social Purpose Officer at the University of Arts London and former Head of Policy for the Deputy Prime Minister. 

In this conversation, they’ll be discussing how creativity needs purpose and how purpose needs creativity to create true social impact for society and the planet.

Do you want to learn how to build a purpose-driven business from Given, the consultancy that’s helped some of the world's largest organisations become purposeful? Download the Insiders’ Guide to Purpose HERE.

Recruitment is a commercially-driven industry where results and commissions keep the wheels turning. Few would expect purpose to be front and centre. But fundamentally, it’s an industry with people at its heart, and people are the drivers of purposeful change. So how can recruitment firms embed and activate purpose to transform their businesses?

Today, host Becky Willan speaks to a leader who climbed her company ranks from Graduate Recruiter to CEO. Hayley Still’s journey to the top of Hydrogen Group has put her in a prime position to reshape purpose at the company. Now operating in 67 countries, Hydrogen merged with Argyll Scott in 2017 - and when Hayley took over as CEO in 2022 she saw an opportunity to cement that merger, catalyze new company-wide values and ignite a fresh purpose. 

In this episode, you’ll discover how you can disrupt an industry through purpose, and using moments of change to rearticulate and reinforce core values. 

Do you want to learn how to build a purpose-driven business from Given, the consultancy that’s helped some of the world's largest organisations become purposeful? Download the Insiders’ Guide to Purpose HERE.  

Pioneers of purposeful business have been around for decades. Graze is a recent addition rewriting the snacking playbook for healthy people and planet. But what if balancing the needs of society with what's good for profits was required by law for every business?

On this episode of Purposing, Becky Willan speaks to healthy snack CEO, Joanna Allen. She joined British supermarket staple Graze in 2020, believing customers shouldn't compromise between taste and nutrition. With this purpose built into everything Graze does, the business isn't afraid to lean into big decisions or tough conversations. 

And Joanna's taking these conversations beyond the four walls of the company. Reengineering product packaging to make it more sustainable meant new partnerships with suppliers. And beyond this, she's now a prominent campaigner for the Better Business Act.

Do you want to learn how to build a purpose-driven business from Given, the consultancy that’s helped some of the world's largest organisations become purposeful? Download the Insiders’ Guide to Purpose HERE.  

In the last episode of the first season of the Purposing podcast, Given CEO Becky Willan speaks to Simon Henzell-Thomas, Global Director Climate, Ingka Group (IKEA). 

The two discuss how purpose can catalyse positive change inside and outside a global organisation, the challenge of sustainable growth, and busting myths about the retail giant. Simon explains how IKEA is shifting to sustainable materials and business models at a scale that’s unimaginable for most companies and lifts the lid on the things that really make the difference - from circular and inclusive design approaches to investment management, governance and measurement.

Listen to Purposing for the inside story on one of the world’s most respected purpose-driven businesses. 

Do you want to learn how to build a purpose-driven business from Given, the consultancy that’s helped some of the world's largest organizations become purposeful? Download the Insiders’ Guide to Purpose HERE. 

We need businesses and brands to have a tangible, positive impact on the world. Employees, customers and consumers expect it; they want to see the companies they work for and shop from take a stand on the issues they care about. But when those issues are complex and at times polarising, how does a business take action credibly and consistently, whether playing the role of advocates or activists?

To mark World Refugee Day, Becky Willan talks to Jessie Macneil-Brown, Head of Social Mission Europe at Ben & Jerry’s. It’s not only an iconic global ice cream brand, it’s vocal on the the rights of refugees and asylum seekers - one of the biggest issues of our time. It’s a political battleground and fraught with tension in the media. But for Ben & Jerry’s, they’ve not been afraid to stand firm. Jessie tells us exactly how the brand has advocated for safe routes, and helped entrepreneurial refugees resettle and thrive in their new homes. 

In this episode you’ll learn how to maintain your stance in the face of criticism, create safe spaces for open dialogue, and educate your staff on the right language to use. 

-

Do you want to learn how to build a purpose-driven business from Given, the consultancy that’s helped some of the world's largest organisations become purposeful? Download the Insiders’ Guide to Purpose HERE.  

When global fashion brand Tommy Hilfiger combined sustainability, inclusion and innovation in one team with a mission to drive purposeful business transformation, it was essential to embrace new ways of working.

In her latest podcast episode, Given CEO Becky Willan spoke with Esther Verburg, Executive Vice President of Sustainable Business and Innovation at Tommy Hilfiger Global & PVH Europe, about how their unique approach has transformed what success means for their iconic brand.

Listen to Purposing to  get the insider's story on how Tommy Hilfiger brings purpose to life by deeply understanding customer needs, finding new ways of changemaking within the business, and combining diverse skills, experiences and perspectives under one mission.

Do you want to learn how to build a purpose-driven brand from the company that’s helped some of the world's largest organisations become purposeful? Download the Insiders Guide to Purpose HERE.  

Even if you’re not familiar with Reckitt, you’ll probably have some of their products in your home, including iconic household brands like Dettol, Finish, Strepsils or Durex. The company exists to “protect, heal and nurture in the relentless pursuit of a cleaner and healthier world.” As you’ll hear in today’s episode, they take this purpose seriously; and are working hard to embed it in every part of the Reckitt culture. 

The sixth episode of Purposing offers insight into the multinational company’s strategy to make purpose more than just brand positioning, building systems for measuring impact and adding substance to new product development. David Croft, Global Director of Sustainability at Reckitt, will share how they’re applying purpose to innovation, sustainability, and supply chain management - in a way that drives growth and makes a positive difference on inequality and climate change. 

Do you want to learn how to build a purpose-driven brand from Given, the consultancy that’s helped some of the world's largest organisations become purposeful? Download the Insiders’ Guide to Purpose HERE.