Culture is one of Europe’s greatest assets. With centuries of heritage and tradition built up by great powers and empires, the potential is enormous to leverage the riches of its art and museums and the uniqueness of its communities, food and wine. There is a lot that the cultural sector and business can learn from each other about constructing a distinctive narrative, creating a compelling brand and engaging with the community to address societal needs. At an international level, countries, institutions and companies could do more to unleash the potential of culture through better communications.
Culture can be an important asset for companies too. A company’s heritage as well as the internal culture of its people are important building blocks to assert and communicate a credible purpose and identity. Culture hence helps to make a real-world connection between the past we share and the future we’re building.
Culture at work
In this issue, we at look culture from different perspectives. In an exclusive interview, we discover how museum director James Bradburne has transformed the role of Milan’s Pinacoteca di Brera to serve its diverse community.
As we at Lundquist celebrate 20 years of collaboration with Webranking, we acknowledge the impact the research has had in promoting a culture of openness and transparency.
As always, we bring you unique insights into the world corporate communications. You will find a selection of international articles about reporting, sustainability and social media as well as a peek behind the scenes of the Lundquist annual gala dinner.
Enjoy the reading…
ISSUE 1 – 2022 Lundquist Quarterly (International Edition)
1. Paintings with purpose: culture and community as fuel for Italy’s future – by James Bradburne, Director, Pinacoteca di Brera
How can a centuries-old art museum play an active role in a connected, diverse society? This is a question that British-Canadian Director, James Bradburne, asked himself as he took the helm of one of Italy’s most prestigious art museums. In this exclusive interview, Bradburne explains how the pandemic has helped transform the museum’s relationship with its community, the role of digital content in its business model and his mission to put purpose back into the Pinacoteca.
2. Why leaders ought to be more interested in history – Scott Monty, Communication & Leadership Coach
Learning from history has never been so relevant as it is today. Historical understanding can help us avoid poor decisions made in the past. Quite simply, there is more certainty in history, because we already know what happened and what the outcomes are. We must understand this complex picture of the past in order to better meet the needs of the future.
3. Museums and companies: comparing communications – by Sara Rusconi, Content Strategist and Lundquist Partner
Communicating culture, museums and companies have more in common than you might think. This article offers some ideas to corporate communicators who want to highlight the role and history of a company and to museum or culture professionals who want to gain insights from companies.
4. How Webranking created a culture of transparency – by Simona Ortelli, Director and Content Strategist, Lundquist
Launched in Stockholm in 1997 as a way to monitor the corporate and financial communication of major European companies, the Webranking research has played a much greater role in Italy and in Switzerland. It has promoted a culture of transparency, helped companies prioritize information, measured the effectiveness of their communication, fostered a richer internal culture and opened up companies to international stakeholders.
5. Why culture is key for sustainability excellence – by James Osborne, Head of Sustainability, Lundquist
The sustainability manager is dead! Long live the sustainability manager! Why is culture so often overlooked as critical to sustainability leadership?
6. Being accessible now: a rewarding commitment – Marco Battistell, IR & Corporate Web Manager, Mediobanca
Accessibility is no longer a purely technical issue, but a necessary feature of effective and valuable communication: Lundquist’s Andrea Borlengo speaks with Marco Battistello, Investor Relations & Corporate Web Manager at Mediobanca
7. Lundquist annual seminar: time for decluttering
More than 120 professionals from 50 of Italy’s largest listed and unlisted companies took part in our annual event, which began with a seminar on communication challenges and culminated with a gala dinner. The event was held in the spectacular setting of the Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia Leonardo Da Vinci in Milan.
8. The future of corporate reporting – by Barbara Zäch, Co-CEO of the Center for Corporate Reporting (CCR)
Sustainability, new regulations and digitalisation are changing the way in which companies address reporting. The methods chosen and subsequent communication must be targeted, transparent and speak to all stakeholders if they are to be effective and generate trust.
9. Environment vs. Economy – by Sasja Beslik, Senior Executive in Sustainable Finance and Author
We still operate in the growth-based consumption economic model, but can we transform the economic tools that we have to benefit sustainable development? Can shifting business models help tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges? Or is the fundamental purpose of our economic model destined to fail when it comes to meeting climate targets?
10. Is corporate purpose “next level bullshit?” – by Kai Rolker, Head Group Communications, Clariant
Purpose polarizes. “Is this next-level bullshit?”– this was the reaction of a friend when I told her about the fact that we at Clariant are in the process of developing a Purpose. I was a bit surprised because earlier a colleague had enthusiastically expressed his delight that we were “finally” developing a Purpose. This would allow us to be proud of our company again and look towards the future with optimism.
11. ESG Emergency Room – by Paolo Cominetti, Sustainability Consultant, Lundquist
The rise and rise of ESG is transforming corporate sustainability. Yet, because ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) can mean different things to different people, it often causes more confusion than clarity. Another spoonful of letters in an alphabet soup of sustainability acronyms! Drawing from our long experience of interpreting the needs of corporate stakeholders, we’re helping companies make their ESG communication more effective for the markets.
12. CEOs on Wikipedia: should they be included or not? – by Daniele Righi, Senior Consultant, Lundquist
Or perhaps we should ask ourselves: is there really a choice? Also, how much does all this have to do with reputation? Below are the answers to these questions and the results of our most recent study on the presence of Swiss CEOs on the free encyclopaedia.
13. How are the European pharma and biotech sectors addressing strategic communications? – by Rosanna Campbell-Gray, Consultant, Lundquist
Stakeholder expectations are high and, with all eyes on healthcare at the moment, it is essential for companies to go beyond generic commitments.
