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Apologies…

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Apologies the last few months have run away with me and with good reason. I completed the manuscript for the third book I was writing…a book that took me over a year and a half to write. What Will YOUR Legacy Be? – Conversations With Global Game Changers About The Climate Crisis will be out on 30 January 2025. I then returned from Milan in November, where the pro planet film I was representing at FICTS, which is an event for film television and sports – won an award!  FICTS is closely associated with the Olympics. The film project I was part of, cleverly tied water sports with marine conservation, where we combined the power of storytelling with sustainability and sport.

As soon as I was back from Milan, a couple of days later Serendipity PR was at the Business Show, where we also hosted a lunchtime session speaking about why the business community needs to be thinking about its sustainability initiatives. It was busy at the Show and there was a definite buzz. Companies want to do the right thing and be authentically sustainable. There is a real drive to do better.

I have also been working on an initiative looking at the relevance and importance of local newspapers, media, and journalism with City Hall. This is a really interesting project, because those who know me, will know that I believe in the importance of local newspapers, which I regard as the backbone of communities, providing independent information about what is going on in local areas. Sadly, with the advent of social media, we have seen a decline in local newspapers in the UK, even the London Evening Standard now only has an online presence where much of the news is curated by artificial intelligence. There are very few local newspapers with a real editor left, who reports on the ground. I believe we need to recognise local journalism as an important part of community life and invest in this mechanism of information, which counteracts misinformation and disinformation. This will be ongoing work.

As I furiously type to get this posted in time for Christmas, let me say this…2024 has been a year of lots of opportunities, where a variety of seeds have been sown for 2025…where next year will be a flourishing garden of interesting initiatives, announcements, and celebrations. Stay tuned and Merry Christmas!

 

 

The Body Shop

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I was sad to read that The Body Shop is facing a crisis and that its new owner, the third in seven years! – is expected to put the retailer’s UK business into administration. Aurelius, the private equity firm that bought The Body Shop for £207m in November 2023, took the drastic decision after poor sales during the all-important Christmas shopping season seeped into January. No one knows what this means for The Body Shop’s 200 stores across the country but am sure many will have to close.

The Body Shop was set up by the pioneering late Dame Roddick in 1976, which was talking about ethical products, recycling, and refilling, way back then, which has inspired the beauty sector of today. I love the Body Shop and what Anita stood for, so much so that I included both in my last book, Corporate Social Responsibility Is Not Public Relations, and managed to grab a conversation with the magnificent Löis Acton who was mentored by Anita, through a stroke of serendipity.  It’s a magical way that they met, and if you have read any of Anita’s books, it’s so typical of Anita.

In the 1980’s the Body Shop was popular, and there were so many of us in love with the White Musk perfume, the peppermint foot lotion, body lotions, and banana shampoo, which all became Christmas stocking staples. So, how did a brand that was so relevant become irrelevant?!

Well, I think the late Dame Anita Roddick can answer this, as she once said, “Be courageous. It’s one of the only places left uncrowded.” She also said, “If you do things well, do them better, be daring, be first, be different, be just.” Finally – “One of the most intriguing things in management and business is the role of storytelling – people need the anecdotes to do the work that they do.”

And that is what I believe went wrong with The Body. All its various owners lost the connection with its community, it stopped innovating, being different, and courageous and stopped storytelling, it rested on the laurels that Anita built, and it got lazy. Brands need to evolve and inspire; they need to make us want them.

But Anita created something more than a brand, she woke us up to being conscious consumers, about fair trade, what was happening to the planet, about having purpose and being ethical, and so much more. So, I will let Anita have the last word on this…

 

Shedding Light on The Challenges Marketing Teams Face On Their Net Zero Journey

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I was privileged to be part of a panel discussion with experts on 6 December 2023, where we shed light on the challenges sales & marketing teams in B2B organizations face on their journey to Net Zero – based on the latest business research commissioned by Hattrick in partnership with The Carbon Literacy Trust.

We delved into some of the complexities businesses are navigating and discussed what’s needed for organizations to make genuine progress on their sustainability journey.
Facilitated by Josh Pitman from Priory Direct, the panelists were:
– Phil Korbel, Co-founder/Director of Advocacy at The Carbon Literacy Project
– Sangeeta Waldron, Founder/Owner of Serendipity PR & Media and author of the acclaimed book ‘Corporate Social Responsibility is not Public Relations’
– Christos Tsaprounis FCIPD (he/him), People & Culture Leader, Auto Trader UK
– And Malin Cunningham, Founder/Owner of Hattrick | B Corp™ certified
You can watch here:

Download the report here!

Podcast – Where Does It Come From

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They say there’s no rest for the wicked and it’s true! Soon after the Business Show, I did a podcast conversation with Jo Salter, host of the Where Does It Come From podcast about greenwashing, corporate social responsibility (CSR), fast fashion, the power of local communities, fake news, and of course my book, CSR Is Not PR.

So if you have time, do have a listen to my dulcet tones and let us know what you think!

Success At The Business Show This November

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It was an incredible full-on two days at the Business Show at the Excel Centre in London on 22 and 23 November. We met lots of people, talked to lots of companies about corporate social responsibility (CSR), talked to many people about the book, CSR Is Not PR, sold lots of copies of the book, and just had a good time.

 

 

On the first day of the Show, which was 22 November, we also had an opportunity to create an interactive session about the book, which was very popular, where lots of people had to stand.  I am grateful to Ben Walker, the award-winning business editor, for being such a great host and getting everyone involved. There were some great questions from the audience, with two questions that kept cropping up – what’s the difference between CSR and ESGs (environment, social, and governance); and how do you track CSR?

 

There was a lot of love for the book, and the two posters proved to be a hit, we had lots of attendees coming over to take photos for that Instagram moment!  My highlights were when someone came rushing over to the stall to buy a copy of the book, because they had seen so many people carrying the book at the Show and had FOMO! The other moment was when the company, Print and Trees arranged to plant a tree in South America to acknowledge the book and support it.

I want to say a few thank yous – to my publisher, LID Business Media, and everyone who swung by our stall at the Business Show. I shall leave you with a few more photos from the event.

 

 

Come See Me At The Business Show – 22 & 23 November, 2023

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I will be in the hot seat with business journalist Ben Walker at The Business Show in London on 22 November at 1.15 pm in Theatre 7 at London Excel, talking about CSR Is Not PR. This will be a lively conversation, and we will be getting the audience involved!

This year the Business Show has a strong sustainability theme and quite rightly so! Businesses need to get with the programme and understand why being CSR-led, eco-friendly, sustainable, and ethical is extremely good for business and really no longer an option.

Ben serves as editor-at-large of Dialogue Review, the official leadership and management journal of Duke Corporate Education, published by LID business media…and there will be free copies of Dialogue for the audience.

So come join us and be part of the conversation. Copies of my book, Corporate Social Responsibility Is Not Public Relations will be available.

Threads of Change 2023 DAY 3 – Responsible Business and Co-creation

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I am delighted to be able to participate in the Threads of Change event that is being organized by Khadi London and Chelsea College at the prestigious Nehru Centre in London, where I will be talking about corporate social responsibility and the themes from my book CSR Is Not PR. This is a free event that runs over five days, from 16 to 20 October.

Natural fibres, regenerative practices and heritage textile crafts all have a key role to play as the world faces choices in its journey towards a sustainable future…could the fashion and textiles industry drive the change, thread by thread? This curated exhibition is aimed at everyone, from those in the global fashion and textiles community to all of us as consumers who want to see revolutionary change and who recognise our collective power to make it happen. This is where CSR comes in as we as consumers are voting with our wallets and want to buy from businesses and brands that care about the planet.

Khadi London is a UK-based social enterprise focusing on sharing knowledge and skills in regenerative textiles. This five-day event will feature a range of discussions from the regenerative production of fibres to talks from businesses working with these fibres to the steps that must happen to enable the wider adoption of these approaches. Craft Demonstrations including natural dyes, spinning and block printing will be a part of the exhibition.

Each day is themed as follows:

Monday & Tuesday – Climate Change and Social Justice

Wednesday – Responsible Business and Co-creation

Thursday – Education, Heritage, and Culture

Friday – Culture and Inclusive Eco-System

I will be speaking on Thursday 19, between 3.30 pm to 4.30 pm and you can find out more and book tickets here on eventbrite.

Photo credit: Khadi London

CSR Is Not PR At The PR Link Building Show Brighton

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Last week on 13 September I was at the Brighton SEO conference, the largest PR industry show that ran from 13 to 15 th. I was delighted to speak to my industry about how Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is shaping PR campaigns, forcing brands to take a long hard look at themselves and their purpose.

And I am pleased to say that CSR Is Not PR was well received by the PR community. Sir David Attenborough has called the plight of the planet a communications issue and yes it does start with us in the media industry…we can help brands be more accountable, to do better, and be authentic about their values and storytelling. There is no room for any business or brand to be making up fairytales, as that’s just greenwashing. Consumers are savvy and voting with wallets, loyal to brands and businesses that are eco-friendly, ethical, and doing right by the environment. After all, there is no business without the planet.

We Don’t Have Time

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Did you watch this brilliant and honest conversation with Ingmar Rentzhog CEO and Co-Founder of We Don’t Have Time about the climate crisis? Well don’t worry, you can watch it here. This video since its release on 7 September has had 947K views alone on Twitter also known as X.

And yes the cat is out of the bag, I am writing my third book, for publication in 2024. It is a pro-planet book, about legacy and climate change, with a diversity of voices. This book draws on the inspiration from the success, of CSR Is Not PR and includes ‘in conversations’ with global change makers about the climate crisis.

 

 

 

TED Talk with David Lammy MP & Justin J. Pearson – How to be a leader for climate justice

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This TED talk with UK David Lammy, MP, and Tennessee state representative Justin J. Pearson is so spine-tinglingly good. It is a 15-minute watch, where they discuss how brave leadership can shepherd global movements and uplift historically marginalized communities in the face of humanity’s greatest challenge: climate change. “We must have outrage, but we must have optimism as well,” says Lammy. Climate justice is taking center stage — geopolitically, socially, and morally – Watch it!