My career has focused on social impact, initially with Oxfam and Amnesty International before moving into the corporate world in 2002 as International Director of Salesforce.org.

For the last 10 years through NED, board advisory, and consulting work, I’ve helped companies understand that they don’t operate in isolation but as part of an ecosystem of employees, communities, customers, shareholders, partners, and supply chains. Engaging these stakeholders builds trust, attracts talent and customers, and ensures thoughtful governance – all while showing that social impact can mitigate risk, open new markets, and create long-term value.

From these experiences, my top tips for driving innovation and transformation from social impact are:

• ask, don’t tell: engage employees and customers to uncover innovative ideas that add both commercial and social value. Experian has done this: since 2013 they have invested $15m into 40 product ideas – most of which have come from employees – and reached 100m people through social Innovation products which have generated revenues in excess of $475m. Limpa Nome case study, Experian Support Hub.

• widen your customer horizons: think innovatively about how your product could serve a wider set of customer segments and you can add revenue and enhance reputation. Salesforce did this by donating and discounting its product for nonprofit and education organisations. When Salesforce.com acquired salesforce.org’s 40,000 customers in 2019 it paid $300m.

• minimise your risk: by making social impact a core strategic objective, you are on the front foot of mitigating human rights risk in your supply chain and meeting ESG reporting requirements. You are also removing barriers to winning new clients, for example from 1 October 2025, Social Value becomes mandatory for all in-scope UK central government procurement under Procurement Policy Note, PPN 002 meaning that at least 10% of the overall tender score becomes a contractual commitment to social impact.

By putting social impact at the heart of innovation, you can not only transform your company – you can create lasting change that benefits people, communities, and society as a whole.

Get in touch with Isabel

https://www.linkedin.com/in/isabelkelly-pwp-esgx/

isabel@profitwithpurpose.co.uk