Mind the Purpose Gap: Launch Event

What a wonderful evening – we were thrilled with the energy and engagement at the Purpose Gap launch event. From the moment guests arrived, the atmosphere was one of curiosity, connection, and shared commitment to driving purposeful change in business.

A particular highlight was the Q&A session, which evolved into a spontaneous and wide-ranging conversation among attendees. It was inspiring to see so many voices contributing to a thoughtful and honest dialogue about the challenges and opportunities surrounding corporate purpose today.

Some of the key themes that emerged included:

• Legal frameworks and accountability: There is currently no legal obligation for companies to embed purpose in their articles of association, raising questions about how to formalise and protect purpose-driven strategies.
• Measuring purpose: Attendees agreed that showing purpose as something measurable is powerful. While hard metrics may be elusive, identifying clear indicators can help organisations track progress and impact.
• Board education and leadership: Educating boards on the strategic value of purpose is crucial. Many felt that purpose has taken a back seat in recent years, and reframing it as a core business driver – not a trade-off – is essential. Attendees felt they need the tools to help with this repositioning.
• Operational integration: Purpose should run through operational strategy, not sit apart from it. Framing it as a binary choice or a cost is unhelpful; instead, it should be seen as a lens through which all decisions are made.
• Financial impact and storytelling: Although executive teams often struggle to settle on the financial implications of purpose, the group discussed the importance of better data, evidence, and storytelling to make the case internally.
• Sector-specific challenges: purpose can be seen as a new topic for C-suites and boards to have to take into consideration and it’s easy for them to fall back into the muscle memory of financial targets and P&Ls.  With many of the fastest growing sectors facing increasing regulatory compliance and material risk, purpose initiatives can require fresh thinking in order to stay relevant and front of mind, when there can be other, seemingly more urgent , fires to fight.

We’re so grateful to everyone who joined us and contributed to such a rich and meaningful evening.