INTERVIEW
draws all four things together. Additionally, whenever anybody – a company or one of their staff members – gives to any charitable project, it creates Community Credits. The vision is that Community Credits become the bespoke standard measurements of all giving in the whole of the UK and beyond in the future; that’s a big vision. “It’s a disruptive model, the first of its kind in the CSR
space, and the feedback has been very positive. On top of that, we have also agreed a partnership deal with IBM, so we’ll have a truly internationally-recognisable platform at that point; very robust, totally compliant and highly scalable. We hope to have the strongest product in the market for a long time to come.” So just how big is the appetite for CSR? While Philip is a
firm believer in doing good for the sake of doing good, he also thinks that a growing understanding within the corporate world that engaging in CSR can make a tangible difference to a business is helping to embed the business practice still further in the ethos of leaders. “I think CSR has grown in prominence because people
understand that linking up with, and engaging in, their communities provides them with a source of marketing,” argues Philip. “We have a mantra of “giving is the new marketing” at
Investors in Community. People are so confused by the online marketing presence these days. There is so much being thrown at consumers that they can’t discern whether the email and social media correspondences they receive should be treated as good, bad or indifferent. They don’t understand the people sending them because they haven’t met them and we’re almost coming full circle into a values- based relationship between people, which is what we had
‘As businesses become serious about employing high quality people I think a CSR strategy is the cornerstone of any recruitment process’
many years ago and what I think has become a bit lost among the technology rush. Coming back to values-based relationships is really important.” The business culture, Philip suggests, is shifting and with
that comes an even greater emphasis on corporate social responsibility. “As Millennials reach management positions and move
into running their own companies, it will become part of the day-to-day thinking process around what makes a successful business. CSR is probably a label that has been applied to a set of values that you espouse in business but it should just be normal business practice. I believe it will move that way as younger professionals come through. “The Millennials certainly have a key part to play in this as
they are very enthusiastic about this area. They look at companies and ask what their CSR policy is before committing to join. As businesses become serious about employing high-quality people I think a CSR strategy is the cornerstone of any recruitment process. The bigger businesses almost make an industry out of their CSR activity because they understand the need to pay forward into a community before they start doing business there, or before they start recruiting from that community, in order to show their true values to that community. People buy into values far greater than they buy into companies and job titles.” So are there any barriers or drawbacks when it comes to
CSR that need to be taken into account? Philip’s response is emphatic. “I don’t think there are any barriers in place other than
people’s own perceptions. If I am in a small business and we decide to raise money for a certain charity then it has a knock-on effect and a number of direct commercial benefits - for a start you engage your staff, they all get involved which raises motivation. That’s not a waste of their time if you can carry that momentum forwards. “I think it was Peter Drucker who said “culture eats
strategy for breakfast” and I think that’s very true. When you have a culture of people who are motivated and enthused and surrounded by a common value base, you will get productivity like never before. It doesn’t take a strategy to do that it takes people and in this complex world it still boils down to the fact that you need to work with people; they are still the difference. “We are people in our communities and hopefully we can
improve our communities and improve general wellbeing which in turn will improve mental health and support for our elderly and vulnerable and that has to be good for the culture of any society.” So what does the future look like for Investors in
Community? While a great deal of progress has been made, Philip is not resting on his laurels. In fact the hard work, he suggests, starts now – and the sky’s the limit. “We had a major company in New York contact us
recently wanting to get involved in the platform and asking whether we can connect 15 languages and 26 countries,” reveals Philip. “The answer is clearly not yet but that’s the aim, to
spread this around the globe. We need to make sure it works and we’re still in that formative stage at the moment. It’s been a difficult and slow journey but my board - chaired by Justin Urquhart-Stewart, who is a tremendously philanthropic individual - is incredibly supportive of me. I have a good team in Chesterfield and I am looking forward to seeing big results in a short timeframe. “Sometimes we can lose sight of what is real and what is
possible in our communities. We immerse ourselves in social media and lose contact with people who need help and people who have the ability of giving help. I hope to bring that back together into a cohesive centre that people understand and recognise. I get great joy out of bringing people together and that’s what life is all about.”
40 business network July/August 2018
Engaging in CSR can make a difference to the business and the local community
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