Bridging the ESG Knowledge Gap: 5 Key Metrics Every Board Should Use to Assess and Improve ESG Performance

December 29, 2024 Melanie Hawken

As ESG factors become crucial to corporate success, boards all over the world are under stakeholder pressure to evolve. Investors, regulators, and the public are demanding greater transparency and accountability. Conversely, boards are yet to build the needed preparedness to address ESG risks, resulting in financial underperformance and reputational damage. This has created a significant gap, as revealed by the African Financial Investor Relations article, which found that fewer than half of global boards, particularly in Africa, fully understand ESG concepts.

The Case for Accountability, Transparency and Authenticity

September 8, 2024 Melanie Hawken

ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) principles with stakeholder management have become essential for present-day organisations looking to succeed and make a positive impact. This is because ESG is more than sustainability reports, it’s a compass through which an organisation can navigate its relationships with stakeholders.

5 Ways a Strong ESG Proposition Can Create Brand Value

August 19, 2024 Melanie Hawken

ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) is officially no longer a buzzword like most people thought that it was for a really long time. ESG is a necessary factor for companies and businesses striving to succeed and create lasting brand value. According to Forbes, companies with strong ESG ratings have outperformed the market by an average of 3.5% per year over the past decade. Additionally, BusinessWire reported that 85% of millennials say they are more likely to buy from companies that are committed to ESG.

ESG Integration: A Game-Changer in Corporate Governance

August 3, 2024 Melanie Hawken

The nature of business has evolved, and corporate considerations are not what they once were. Gone are the days of profitability and outsized returns at all costs. The world is currently facing many urgent challenges, from climate change to environmental degradation, and social inequality. These challenges are putting a significant strain on organisations, and governments alike. A study by the World Economic Forum found that 85% of CEOs believe that environmental risks will have a significant impact on their businesses in the next five years.

Advancing Diversity and Inclusion in Leadership: A Multifaceted Approach

August 20, 2023 Melanie Hawken

In May, I had the honour to speak at the 1st Annual Corporate Governance Triangle Annual Colloquium with the theme “Diversity and Inclusion; Adopting A Multi-Stake holder approach in the promotion of good governance”. I spoke on a panel with the focus on Breaking Barriers: Advancing Diversity and Inclusion in Leadership Roles, which is a topic that is close to my heart both as a woman and as an advocate for equity and overall good corporate governance.

Unleashing the Potential of Generative AI: Exploring the Path to AI-Driven Success

August 11, 2023 Melanie Hawken

In the age of digital transformation, the rapid advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) have revolutionised industries across the globe. For me there is one remarkable branch of AI that stands out — Generative AI — it holds tremendous potential for organisations seeking to optimise processes, unlock new opportunities, and create personalised experiences.

Building consumer confidence in the Digital Economy: Ensuring trust and security

July 23, 2023 Melanie Hawken

In today’s digital age, where human lives are intricately intertwined with technology, building consumer confidence in the digital economy is paramount. As individuals rely more on digital platforms for communication, financial transactions, and other essential services, it becomes crucial to establish a secure and trustworthy environment that safeguards user interests and protects their privacy.

2023 is almost here…how is your brand going to evolve?

December 18, 2022 Melanie Hawken

As 2023 approaches, Board Members, executives and founders like you are usually busy with strategizing and planning for the new year…and one area that needs close attention is your organisation’s brand. Bella Ikeme and I recently hosted a Masterclass titled How to Build Brands for High Performance and Sustainability — which focused on strategic brand building, common brand challenges and how to get your brand ready for 2023.

3 Ways To Enhance Your Customer Experience Using Augmented Reality

September 4, 2022 Melanie Hawken

We can all agree that tech has become an integral part of our lives, especially with the COVID-19 reality. Many brands have been forced to rethink their strategy and infuse tech in almost every step of the way. When we hear about new tech developments, it’s easy to get excited about what’s coming next; often, though, these inventions have little impact on our lives. Most turn out to be fun party tricks, while only a few are real game-changers.

3 Ways of Reaching and Engaging Transformational Consumers

August 20, 2022 Melanie Hawken

In order to continue to survive, businesses need to continuously reach new consumers and continuously engage these consumers to boost that bottom-line. If you are reading this then you probably own and run your own business or plan to own and run your own business in the near future and want to learn how to attract these consumers that will help you fatten up that bottom line. What you may not know is that you are most likely looking for transformational consumers.

How to Drive Traffic to your Website Successfully

August 14, 2022 Melanie Hawken

In this digital age, almost everyone needs to prove their worth online. From small home-based businesses to medium and large companies, you will find everyone vying for online visibility focused on building a successful online and offline business. Every day hundreds of websites are created and launched. So how do you ensure that your website is the one that your target audience clicks on in the list of search results?

How Digital Transformation is driving Disruption in Wealth Re-Distribution

May 13, 2022 Melanie Hawken

I spent yesterday evening talking to my friend and leading wealth coach in Nigeria, Abiola Adekoya, on her maiden edition of Disruptors with Abiola Adekoya, an IG LIVE series focused on Disruptors, Industry Trends, Wealth Creation and how to navigate the 21st century with all its quirks and kinks.

7 Reasons why outsourcing digital marketing will grow your business

April 23, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Digital marketing is entirely a world of its own and a digital marketing revolution is taking over the world! It is almost impossible to know every element as it comprises numerous features, limitless possibilities and ever changing features. It is a challenging task to have mastery of the subject when it is not a core business focus.

5 Reasons why your business should get better at Email Marketing

February 12, 2022 Melanie Hawken

One of my mantras is “go where your customers are”…. and inboxes are one of those places you will find them! Studies have shown that people working in corporate environments easily spend between 4–6 hours every day doing their emails. Whether you are focused on a B2C segment within a specific income bracket or offer B2B services, do you really think that you are doing your bottom-line any favours by not prioritising Email Marketing if your target audience is spending this much time on their emails?

How to Use Earned Media, Owned Media & Paid Media to Increase Revenue

January 16, 2022 Melanie Hawken

In order to design a robust multi-level digital marketing strategy and create a cohesive content plan, incorporating the 3 elements of earned, owned and paid media is crucial. Earned, owned and paid media efforts are important to your overall business objectives and should intersect in your content marketing strategy.

2021 in Review….5 Lessons from the Digital Marketing World

December 19, 2021 Melanie Hawken

2021 was an interesting year….especially in the world of Digital Marketing and Customer Experience. We saw platform algorithm changes, policy changes and fragmented audiences that required more and more personalization. We saw the rise of the use of data in a cookieless world and started to really see how meaningful context truly is.

Buyer Personas, Buyer Profiles & How to Get In Front Of Your Ideal Buyer

November 20, 2021 Melanie Hawken

There is plenty of evidence that shows the ineffectiveness of digital marketing, but at the core of this supposed evidence is businesses having a poor understanding of their ideal buyers. This poor understanding results in poorly crafted and presented messaging or content which literally makes your prospective ideal buyer switch off on you and all your marketing.

5 Steps to Create an Effective Digital Marketing Strategy

October 3, 2021 Melanie Hawken

There are over 3.5 billion people online and the current marketing reality is that digital is impossible to rule out. No growing business can afford to walk around in the dark without a clear plan to follow and expect to generate successful results. A digital strategy provides the framework your company needs to make the best decisions for strategy development and implementation.

Digital Marketing Tips for Professional Services

September 11, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Most companies that provide professional services typically do one of two things. They think that social media or any form of digital marketing offers no results and therefore do not embrace it; or attempt to, but are extremely inconsistent and in turn see less than optimal results.

5 Ways Content Marketing Can help Your Brand

July 24, 2021 Melanie Hawken

A lot of brands are winking in the dark without crafting and sharing the organization’s brand story in a way that connects with customers. Content Marketing is that form of marketing that provides your customers with useful & relevant information, in an engaging, and not “sales-ish” way.

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