E19 - Alison Taylor, Clinical Associate Professor at NYU Stern (USA)

Can companies save the world? In this episode, Alison Taylor, author of Higher Ground and Clinical Associate Professor at NYU Stern School of Business, shares thought-provoking views. She brings two decades of experience consulting with multinational companies on sustainability, culture, stakeholder engagement, and political risk. Together, we explore how corporate responsibility has evolved, why reputational risk is not the same as trust, and what needs to change in how we hold businesses accountable. Alison challenges the myth that companies can solve every global issue. Instead, she urges us to go back to basics and ensure that "do no harm" principles actually translate into reality. Clean up your own house. Be honest and transparent about trade-offs. We also talk about the global disconnect between ESG promises and everyday realities, especially in emerging markets, and the importance of centering voices from those markets in decision-making. This is a conversation for anyone who has ever felt disillusioned by corporate sustainability and still wants to believe change is possible. Please review the episode, share your feedback, and subscribe to the podcast! You can also: Visit our website: womenchangingfinance.org Read Alison's full bio Follow Alison on LinkedIn To go further, here are some of the references mentioned during the episode: Higher Ground (book by Alison Taylor): https://www.alisontaylor.co/higher-ground NYU Stern School of Business: https://www.stern.nyu.edu Ethical Systems: https://www.ethicalsystems.org Transparency International: https://www.transparency.org CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project): https://www.cdp.net Edelman Trust Barometer: https://www.edelman.com/trust-barometer Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment: https://ccsi.columbia.edu Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL): https://www.cisl.cam.ac.uk We Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite, by Musa al-Gharbi: https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691232607/we-have-never-been-woke?srsltid=AfmBOopG6upUXUne1RaD75_oh9ESQ1rasEqDWDR_0xLQswWTzFF9GkAF