The reputation of CEOs is becoming more and more important every day and is closely related to the reputation of the company and its brands.
Last week I shared some criteria to strengthen the reputation of CEOs and on this occasion I would like to complete this topic, with results from Reputation Institute’s Inaugural 2018 CEO RepTrak®, about the ten most recognized CEOs in the world. The main characteristics which identify these CEOs were: empathy, trust, consistency, social responsibility and openness.
The top 10 CEOs with the best reputation according to the study are: Sundar Pichai (Google); Keith Barr (InterContinental Hotels Group); Tatsumi Kimishima (Nintendo); Denise Morrison (Campbell Soup Company); Dirk Van de Put (Mondelēz International); Ralph Hamers (ING, retail banking); Bernard Hess (The Kraft Heinz Company); Jeff Weiner (LinkedIn); Fabrizio Freda (The Estée Lauder Companies) and Giorgio Armani (Giorgio Armani). The most prominent is Google’s Sundar Pichai, who is recognized for his excellent reputation, leadership, management, influence, strategic vision, responsibility and his ability to anticipate change. In addition to his strong position against climate change, migration and the defense of human rights.
That same commitment of being a positive part of society has earned Denise Morrison, CEO of Campbell Soup, an honorable mention. She is the only woman in the top 10 list. Morrison has worked to transform Campbell, a company of almost 150 years, into a socially responsible brand. All this by promoting initiatives to fight hunger and improve food labeling. Under her leadership, Campbell has advanced with several initiatives promoting the empowerment of women.
As stated in the report from Reputation Institute, this ranking leaves great lessons for the corporate world. The most important, perhaps, is how much the role of the CEO has evolved. It is no longer enough to generate financial results like Jack Welch or develop innovative products such as Steve Jobs. We are in the era of CEO activism. That is why we see a new generation of CEOs, with different profiles and competences than the previous ones. In fact, other data from the study indicates that it was the year (2017-2018) with the highest CEO turnover. More than 132 leaders resigned in January 2018.
Apparently the leadership in the corporate world is evolving, to meet the expectations of society in economic, social and environmental matters.
Gustavo Manrique Salas, Director of Strategic Communications & Partner at Stratego.