The B Corp movement was started by a group of conscious entrepreneurs in the early 2000’s who believed business should be about more than maximizing profits. Today, there are over 3,500 B Corps across the world. In this episode of Lead With We, I speak with Anthea Kelsick, the CEO of B Lab U.S. & Canada, which is the non-profit that certifies B Corps. We talk about the value of the certification process and accountability, how these companies collaborate on critical issues like reducing carbon emissions, and the incredible momentum around purposeful business today as we face mounting crises.
Anthea Kelsick
Anthea Kelsick is Co-CEO of B Lab U.S. & Canada, part of a global network of organizations responsible for stewarding 3500 companies around the world who meet the rigorous standards of the B Corp certification. She is a champion of business as a force for good, connecting companies to the tools and resources they need to operate in the interest of all of their stakeholders, and not just shareholders. She and her team then leverage the power of B Corps to inspire other business leaders, policy-makers, and the public to build an economic system that works for all people and the planet. She joined B Lab in 2018 as Global Chief Marketing Officer and led the organization’s first campaign garnering international attention that called for the Business Roundtable to take action and live up to their Purpose of the Corporation statement of serving people alongside profits.
Prior to B Lab, Anthea spent an 18-year career in both management consulting and heads of strategy roles in Marketing & Advertising leading engagements for some of the world’s largest brands. She is a proud alumna of Stanford University with an MBA from Wharton.
Simon Mainwaring
Simon Mainwaring is a brand futurist, global keynote speaker, and bestselling author. He is best known as the author of We First: How Brands and Consumers Use Social Media to Build a Better World and the Founder and CEO of We First, a strategic consultancy that works with brands to define their business strategy, company culture, and brand communications.
This episode of Lead With We was produced and edited by Goal17Media and is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.
Resources
Connect with Anthea on LinkedIn
For case studies and other free resources about purposeful business, go to WeFirstBranding.com
