Shownotes

In 2022 as an industry we should be able to reflect the diversity of the societies in which we live and try to influence. The same is true for leadership and when we speak about women in leadership there is a huge need to showcase ethnic and cultural diversity also. There is sufficient data to show that role models and leaders who look like us are critical to ensuring our diverse workforces are able to grow and thrive. And of course it is also vital for inspiring future generations of practitioners. 

My guest on The Elephant in the Room podcast this week is the Corporate Affairs Director for Mars Wrigley Asia, Jean Tan. A seasoned professional with over two decades of experience in diverse sectors. In this episode we spoke about her journey to Mars Wrigley

👉🏾 Her take on Purpose, what it means for organisations 

👉🏾 Communicating organisation purpose stakeholders not just as a comms strategy but as a business strategy. 

👉🏾 Purpose as a multi-year strategy rather than a one off campaign

👉🏾 Engaging authentically on issues, where you have the right to have a voice in and the credibility and resources to shape positive change

👉🏾 Integrating social justice responses into organisational risk management and crisis communications practices

👉🏾 The drivers of inclusion journey in South East Asia. Systemic, structural and self driven barriers women leaders face

👉🏾 What it means to lead in times of flux, transformational trends and much more.....

"Purpose for me is really more of a propeller and a guide. I see it as a decision-making lens that can permeate both big and small choices in life. For me, purpose isn't already joined up, neatly framed and forever unchanging statement. It evolves as life evolves and it motivates me to set meaningful goals. So I really see purpose as a accumulative outcome of setting and reaching meaningful objectives"

Like to know more, listen here 👇🏾👇🏾

Memorable passages from the episode

👉🏾 Thank you Sudha. I appreciate the opportunity to share some thoughts with you and your listeners. 

👉🏾 My name is Jean, I'm Singaporean. So I'm joining you from Singapore this afternoon and I've been in the reputation and corporate affairs business for coming to two decades now. I was trained as a journalist, but I started my career in PR and marketing before eventually making a pivot into corporate reputation, public affairs and employee engagement. I've worked for different industries and agency and in-house roles, including automotive, financial services, hospitality, technology and now FMCG.

👉🏾Thank you. It's been just a little over a year since I joined Mars. I have to say it wasn't my plan to start a new role in the middle of a global pandemic, but sometimes life happens that way. I was actually enjoying the autonomy and learning a lot by running my own consultancy but Mars offered the opportunity of joining the FMCG industry, which has always been intriguing to me. And in a role that ticked all the boxes, including the chance to lead and shape reputation and policy leadership across a dynamic region like Asia. So when you factor that in alongside the chance to work for billion-dollar brands, like M&Ms, Snickers and Extra in a purpose-led organisation, it was really a no brainer.

👉🏾 Purpose for me is really more of a propeller and a guide. I see it as a decision-making lens that can permeate both big and small choices in life. For me, purpose isn't already joined up, neatly framed and forever unchanging statement. It evolves as life evolves and it motivates me to set meaningful goals. So I really see purpose as a accumulative outcome of setting and reaching meaningful objectives.

👉🏾 I think if an organisation wants to attract the right talent, investors and consumers; you really don't have a choice but to be purpose led, it is no longer a nice to have. But at the same time, organisations need to realise that stakeholders are also wise to companies for merely purpose washing. The pledge over progress era for me it's way behind us. What we want to see and what we want from credible companies, tangible actions, visible progress and real investments and resources put behind whatever the company's purpose statement is. And on this point, there was some interesting takeaways from the 2022 Edelman Trust report.

👉🏾 This trust is now the society's default emotions, and this is largely driven by governments and the media who are feeling a cycle of distrust. And on the flip side, businesses are seen as the most trusted institutions and people are expecting companies and company leaders to step up and shape conversations as well as policy decisions on critical issues. So companies have this incredible opportunity and a huge responsibility to be purpose-led. 

Now, this doesn't mean that you shy away from the fact that you're here for commercial and profit-making objectives. It's actually making sure that your narrative and your strategy address both purpose and performance and actually show the world how one can actually drive the other.

👉🏾 I think it's extremely important to bring purpose to life for our internal and external stakeholders. First and foremost, it's a competitive advantage to have a meaningful well-thought-out and sustainable purpose strategy. And it's really important to separate the two, this is not just about a communication strategy. We're talking about a full business strategy that sees purpose integrated into the entire ecosystem of how you operate and how you make big decisions. Then you have to overlay that with a compelling internal and external communications program, because if purpose is not brought to life, then it's five fancy pages in an annual report or a nice poster in the employee cafeteria. 

👉🏾 In terms of best practice, I can share a few, so starting with the most important one, I think, which is purpose must be owned by the senior leaders. And it starts with the CEO, not comms, not HR, this cannot be seen as a functional responsibility or a passion project. Then. I think the second-best practice is really critical to integrate and embed the purpose before you communicate. If your company policies, how you hire, how you onboard, how you promote and develop your people, how you manage conflict, how you market your products, how you work with your suppliers. If all of these do not reflect your purpose, you're just not going to get traction and you actually risk the reputation backlash of being seen as just virtue signalling. 

👉🏾 At Mars, we're a firm believer of acts, not ads. So the other best practice and this links back to the first point, is making sure that you bring your purpose to life through tangible actions. Another point I want to share is leadership buy-in is paramount when it comes to communicating purpose internally. So make sure that your leaders are equipped and empowered to be your purpose ambassadors.

👉🏾 I would also challenge companies to even link this to our leaders KPIs. So this is something that gets measured, this is something that gets really looked at from a performance perspective. Finally, think about purpose as a multi-year strategy rather than a one-off campaign. From experience, a lot of energy and resources tend to be invested right at the beginning, at the launch phase where it's new and shiny, and then everything tends to fizzle out. Now purpose takes time to grow roots and gain credibility. So factor that into the planning and execution and ensure that purpose gets top billing so to speak in your annual priorities. So in summary integrate before you communicate, then activate and reiterate.

👉🏾 The question of social justice is a really topical one and I don't have all of the answers but what I'm really clear about is you have to lead from your purpose when it comes to the positioning that you wish to take whether it's good or bad, be very clear and be very consistent in their positioning.

👉🏾 The other point here is engaging issues, you feel you have the right to have a voice in. So you have the credibility and resources to shape positive change. So for instance, we are in the business of making chocolate and therefore cocoa sustainability. Making sure that we protect human rights within the cocoa supply chain, that's something that we feel very passionate about and we feel we have a right to actually speak up about. So that's what I mean by engaging in issues, you feel you have the right to actually try and shape change. 

👉🏾 A more tactical point here is to integrate social justice responses into your risk management and crisis communications practices. So you get the right protocols and processes in place. Pre-align the response of known hot topic issues facing your industry. Don't wait for a crisis to happen before you start thinking about a narrative. Final point, it's equally important to know when to walk away from what issue, don't get drawn into the fray with the noise.

👉🏾 Another great question Sudha and I'm really glad we're focusing more on inclusion rather than diversity because inclusion is really the how of diversity. I have to say this is quite a difficult question because Asia isn't one market and you know the DEI issues differ from country to country. I do think gender equality, especially accessing equal economic opportunities would probably be one common theme across the whole region, so that's probably a solid jump-off point for most countries. 

👉🏾 The other thing that I like to see more is conversations around the historical expectations on gender norms and gender roles. I would like to also take this chance to highlight a great opportunity, what we sometimes don't think about is 85% of all registered companies in the Asia Pacific region are owned by a family group. And more than 20% of the world's top family businesses ranked by income are based in Asia with revenues of almost 2 trillion. So family businesses here are not only economic propellers, but they have increasing influence over ESG and DEI topics with next-generation family leaders taking over the leadership positions.

👉🏾 So as we see that leadership change, there's a huge opportunity to also see shifts in DEI, ESG and other purpose related themes. So I think this is very exciting and probably deserves to have far more air time.

👉🏾 Well, from what I'm observing, there is huge appetite for change and for creating a more equitable environment. Due to societal expectations grounded in cultural values, some of these change conversations may be more challenging to have at home, which is why I think workplaces can become really powerful platforms to ignite new thinking and create a safe space for these conversations.

👉🏾 You know, MNCs like Mars have and we'll continue to invest across all dimensions in terms of skills, technology, and cultivating the right environment to drive more inclusive change. But I think in this part of the world, one of the issue is how to have difficult conversations around gender roles, as well as a broad range of topics, considered to be sensitive, or even taboo because of the cultural norms and expectations. So while I have no immediate solutions, I personally believe in the power of storytelling and representation. If we have more shared stories of lived experiences that are diverse and celebrate all of our differences, I think we have a better shot at creating an environment that people feel like they can belong.

👉🏾 Wow, another huge question. So, biggest barriers to progress for women in the industry? I see it in three lenses. So the first lens would be systemic barriers and these are much more embedded and based on pretty hard to challenge cultural norms and expectations, like for example, a woman should prioritise marriage and childbirth over her career.

The second barrier is more structural. So these are barriers that are linked to organisational setups. As an example, most communication and corporate affairs teams are quite lean. So the opportunity to get a top job is narrower. Then there are also self-driven barriers, one thing I often hear is, "oh, I'm in communications, so I don't need to be that good with numbers" or "Communications is a transferable skillset, so I don't really need to get under the skin of any business or industry to do my job well".

👉🏾 I'm glad to say that I believe we're seeing systemic barriers breaking now a lot more, representation plays a huge role in normalising female leaders who are balancing and integrating professional and personal aspirations. And you Sudha your perfect example of that. I think structural barriers can be overcome, if you don't see your career as one linear progression, I would advise younger practitioners whether you're male or female to broaden your CV at an earlier point in your career, so your progression isn't limited by how one company chooses to structure its communications or corporate affairs function. And also where possible gain cross-functional experience so you have the option and the expertise to work across multiple functions, makes you more valuable. 

👉🏾 Self-driven barriers is pretty hard, I think it requires the drive and discipline to become more than just a functional expert, and by the way, if that's what you're aiming for, that's perfectly fine as well. What I'm saying is, if you are aiming for the top job, then you need to get out of your functional comfort zone and really make sure that you bring business and financial savvy to the table.

👉🏾 Yeah, nobody likes change unless changes is positive. So it's difficult to lead in times of flux and uncertainty. I will say that even though it's challenging as a leader, provide the certainty of transparency. You may not have the answer, but give your people the certainty that you are there to communicate often even if you don't have the answer and you will come back to them with the answer when you have it. You know, this is very natural, people look to leaders for guidance, when it comes to uncertainty, when it comes to times of crisis. And so I believe as a leader, one of the best thing that you can do is to cultivate this environment of trust and assurance, and that really comes through your leadership style and your ability to communicate.

👉🏾 One thing I'll add as well as that people look for information when they don't have a trusted source; they start rumours, they get you know into little echo chambers. So I would say that even though I understand there's a very fine line for listed companies, one of the leadership obligations and responsibilities especially in times of flux and uncertainty, is to communicate and really lead with the trust and credibility.

👉🏾 In terms of the transformational trends, I would say that historically companies used to see our function in communications or even government relations as more of output function. But these days I think companies realise that we are uniquely placed to shift mindset and attitudes. And this is different from marketing because it's different from just getting people to buy a brand, to buy a product.

👉🏾 This is demanding something more fundamental and much more emotional. We're talking about loyalty, about changing mindsets. So I think the transformation here is that we will see a lot more behavioural scientists potentially joining this function, rather than just people trained in communications. And I think a lovely matchup is when you've got behavioural science along with, you know, the right use of data to really start nudging people towards the kind of mindset shifts in attitudes that you need as an organisation. 

👉🏾 Another transformational trend, and I think this is more of an opportunity. Companies are incredible in marketing, in selling products or brands externally. We're very good at identifying different demographics. We're very good at understanding them deriving consumer insights so we can get them at the right time, at the right place with the right messages. We're not so good at that internally, so the opportunity here is really bring the external best practice into internal communications and actually start seeing our people as diverse and as varied as our external consumers.

So I love to see how we can really start bringing more of the external communications and marketing best practice into internal engagement and start really changing internal communications again from a more kind of output channel-driven function into something that has strategic relevance and can really add value.

👉🏾 Thank you Sudha, it's been amazing, I really appreciate the opportunity. 

Follow Jean Tan on 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeantan17/

Important links

https://www.provokemedia.com/latest/article/mars-wrigley-asia-names-corporate-affairs-director

https://conferences.marketing-interactive.com/pr-asia/jean-tan/

https://www.dailyadvent.com/news/ab30b8567d6c160b51dc2e9739c6c0d6-Mars-Wrigley-Asia-Names-Corporate-Affairs-Director

https://globalwpr.com/events/international-panel-debate-the-future-of-work/