A Journey from Philanthropy to Strategic Business CSR

(Editors note) Since this article was published, Ann-Katrine has transitioned to a new role as Head of Sustainability & ESG at Danish Agro.

“My journey into CSR began 10 years ago, when I was working in the NGO sector – initially focusing on philanthropic projects, and later on corporate partnerships between NGOs and businesses,” says Ann-Katrine S. Friis, who subsequently became a partner in the CSR communications and branding agency Brand New Day in 2014.

After nearly two years of exciting projects as an independent consultant, Ann-Katrine felt a growing desire to work more strategically with CSR from within a company.

Thus, in October 2016, she joined Nilfisk A/S as Principal Specialist – CSR. Her primary responsibilities include ensuring compliance and reporting, as well as developing and implementing a new CSR strategy that closely aligns corporate responsibility with business operations.

Language as a Key Asset

Ann-Katrine’s diverse background has equipped her with particular strengths in communication, branding, and cross-sector understanding.

“I believe it is a great advantage that I can ‘speak NGO’ and ‘speak corporate’, because in practice, this makes it much easier to bridge the gap between business and social responsibility,” Ann-Katrine explains, elaborating:

“It is about understanding your stakeholders and being able to communicate with them in a way that resonates. Not everyone shares the same understanding of what CSR is, or what it can actually do for a company’s bottom line(s). In my view, the biggest challenge – but also the key to success – is primarily a communicative one.”

How Do You Learn to ‘Speak CSR’ Within a Company?

During her career transition, the Sustainable Business Change Manager programme played a crucial role in helping Ann-Katrine take her next career steps:

“During my job interview, it helped immensely that I had already acquired a ‘business language’ for working with corporate responsibility. It made it much easier for me to clearly articulate and demonstrate the value of CSR,” Ann-Katrine says. She has been actively using the new methods and tools from the programme to develop, among other things, a business case and project plan for the creation of Nilfisk’s comprehensive CSR strategy.

Ann-Katrine’s Three Top Tips

1. Get to know your organisation – attend meetings, have lunch with colleagues, engage during coffee breaks.
2. Learn the business language of your company – talk to different departments.
3. Translate CSR into the daily business language to gain organisational buy-in.

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Sustainable Business Change Manager is a practical training programme for leaders and advisors who seek the knowledge and tools to connect business operations with corporate responsibility and change management. Learn more here.