Carol Cone is internationally recognized for her work in purpose, corporate citizenship, and ESG. For more than 30 years, Cone’s mission has been to educate, inspire and accelerate purpose strategy, programs, and impacts for corporations, brands, nonprofits, and current and emerging professionals around the world.
Through her steadfast commitment to leading the purpose movement, Cone has executed over 250 purpose programs—from overall enterprise purpose, ESG strategies, and communications to cause branding and nonprofit positioning, fundraising, and stakeholder engagement. To solidify the value of purpose, Cone has conducted 30+ research studies to educate and inspire professionals. She also hosts the podcast Purpose 360, which has more than 130 episodes to date. And to support more powerful business and nonprofit partnerships, she authored Breakthrough Nonprofit Branding.
She is a highly sought-after speaker and media expert, sharing her insights on purpose branding, corporate citizenship, sustainability, and CSR around the globe from the New York Times, to the Economist, the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company to CNN, and the AP. This extensive body of work has garnered fascinating descriptions: Purpose Queen (from the BBC), one of the world’s 7 Sustainability Pioneers (Sustainable Brands) to “arguably the most powerful and visible figure in the world of ‘Cause Branding’ (PRWeek Power List).
Some of the most memorable moments in her career include: igniting the walking, breast cancer, and heart disease, early childhood education, and overall purpose movements; the creation of ‘Inspire Food•Nourish Life’ purpose for the Kerry Group; and creating My Special Aflac Duck, a social robot to comfort pediatric cancer patients during their 1,000 days of treatments. My Special Aflac Duck was named one of Time Magazine’s Best Inventions of 2018 and Best in Show at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show. It won two Cannes Lions and gave the world’s first purpose speech on the Main Stage at Cannes to inspire thousands of professionals around the world regarding the power of purpose.
Her most special personal moment: meeting the Dalai Lama, before her speech in Calgary, titled “The Power of Business for Good.” When she met him, he held her hand for 5 minutes. It was about a week before she got the nerve to wash that hand.
