Power Players in Corporate Social Responsibility

Katie Foley Ioanilli is chief global impact and communications officer at Ralph Lauren and is a member of the executive leadership team and executive operating committee. Foley Ioanilli currently serves on the LAGRANT Foundation’s board of directors. Before joining Ralph Lauren, Foley Ioanilli was a partner at Brunswick Group LLP. Foley Ioanilli is a graduate of the SI Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.

Paulette Frank is the chief sustainability officer at Johnson & Johnson. In this position, Ms.Frank is responsible for leading Johnson & Johnson’s global environmental sustainability and human rights strategies. Prior to her role as chief sustainability officer, Ms. Frank served as Johnson & Johnson’s vice president of global environmental health, safety, and sustainability. Ms. Frank earned her Bachelor of Science in biology from Duke University and her Master of Environmental Studies degree from Yale University’s School of the Environment.

In July 2022, Amy Freitag became the fourth president in The New York Community Trust’s 98-year history. Prior to that, Freitag was executive director of the J.M. Kaplan Fund, a New York-based family foundation, for eight years. She was the NYC Parks Department deputy commissioner for capital projects and executive director with the New York Restoration Project. She received a bachelor’s degree from Smith College and two master’s degrees from the University of Pennsylvania.

Why is corporate social responsibility important to you and your organization?
As a community foundation, our job is to inspire, organize, and lead philanthropic efforts to better our region for all. Corporations are powerful partners, and play invaluable roles for many local nonprofits, bringing needed dollars, expertise, and volunteers to projects that make the area stronger, vibrant, and more equitable.

How does your organization ensure that CSR flows through all of its areas?
We bring a lens that focuses on equity to all aspects of our work. We pro-actively work to be inclusive in all that we do, and listen to the thoughts and concerns of all of the region’s stakeholders. We engage in diverse partnerships of people and organizations to aid those in need and bring about systemic change.

What are some of your organization’s specific CSR goals and what social impact do you hope to accomplish?
The New York Community Trust connects generous people, corporations, and institutions with high-impact nonprofits with the goal of improving the quality of life in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester for all, particularly for those who need the most support. Through creating this geographically focused network of assistance, The Trust builds stronger neighborhoods, influences public policy, fosters understanding, and protects our environment for current and future generations of New Yorkers.

Steven Garibell is a TD Bank vice president who heads up the business development efforts for the Diverse Business and LGBTQ+ community, with responsibilities not only for bringing the bank’s services to enterprises owned by members of the community but also working to ensure that TD is the top employer of LGBTQ+ professionals in the industry. In addition to this role he is also helping develop our Community Business Development Officer Team with a goal of helping the be a trusted advisor for diverse business communities.

Why is corporate social responsibility important to you and your organization?
CSR is important to me because it will help create a greater world for years to come.

How does your organization ensure that CSR flows through all of its areas?
Through the TD Ready Commitment we are able to positively impact the lives of our customers, colleagues and communities through volunteerism, financial empowerment seminars, developing our diverse group of colleagues and ensuring we take a community approach to all the decisions we make.

What are some of your organization’s specific CSR goals and what social impact do you hope to accomplish?
Our goal is to ensure that we are positively impacting the lives of our customers, colleagues and communities through responsible business practices and being a staple in the communities we serve.

How would you describe CSR in three words?
Making positive impact

C.D. Glin leads PepsiCo’s social-and community-driven impact efforts, global grantmaking and employee engagement programs. Glin oversees the Foundation’s strategic direction, leading internal and external engagement to address food insecurity, access to safe water and economic inequality by creating equitable access to nutritious food, safe water, and economic opportunity.  Glin previously worked for the Rockefeller Foundation, served in the Obama Administration, led the U.S. African Development Foundation and was a Peace Corps volunteer in South Africa.

Why is corporate social responsibility important to you and your organization?
At PepsiCo, we’re leveraging our performance, scale and most importantly, our people, to address global challenges. The PepsiCo Foundation is a driver of PepsiCo Positive – our strategic transformation with sustainability at the center of how PepsiCo will create growth and value by inspiring change for the planet and people.

How does your organization ensure that CSR flows through all of its areas?
Through strategic partnerships and programs, the PepsiCo Foundation seeks to tackle global challenges and do the most good for the most people in our communities. We strive for tangible impact in the places where we live and work – including right here in New York – by collaborating with industry peers, local and international organizations and our employees to affect large-scale change. 

What are some of your organization’s specific CSR goals and what social impact do you hope to accomplish?
The Foundation’s goals include:

• Increase nutritious food access for 50 million people by 2030
• Support 5 million female farmers and their families by 2030
• Reach 100 million people with safe water access by 2030
• Provide 4,000+ scholarships by 2025
• Support 1,000+ Black and Hispanic-owned small businesses with funding and coaching by 2025 
• Support 50 nonprofit leaders by 2027

We activate many of these in the New York area, home to our global PepsiCo HQ. Local partners include: Robin Hood Foundation, Westchester Community College, Volunteer New York & National Urban League.

How would you describe CSR in three words?
Our aspiration: Local. Leading. Lasting.

Dr. Celine Herweijer currently serves as group chief sustainability officer for HSBC and is co-chair of the HSBC Holdings ESG Committee. In this role, Dr. Herweijer is responsible for the ongoing development and implementation of HSBC’s sustainability strategy. Prior to her position at HSBC, Dr. Herweijer worked as a partner at PwC. Dr. Herweijer holds a  PhD, MPhil and masters in climate modeling and policy from Columbia University.

Michael Jones-Bey currently serves as the director of corporate social responsibility for Con Edison. In his role, Jones-Bey manages Con Edison’s Supplier Diversity and Sustainability program. He is responsible for leading Con Edison’s efforts to incorporate sustainable supply chain business practices while increasing contract opportunities for minority and women-owned business enterprises and supporting the company’s commitment to environmental stewardship and promoting economic growth within served communities. Jones-Bey received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Northeastern University.

Adam Katz is the associate director of government programs for Teach Coalition. He grew up in suburban Massachusetts, and he earned a masters degree in policy from Northeastern University. Personally and professionally, he is dedicated to the mission of Teach Coalition.

Why is corporate social responsibility important to you and your organization?
CSR is the requirement to recognize that the world – and the segment you connect with – needs you. Everyone in this world has something special to contribute, and once you find the crossroads between your passions, skillset, and where you’re needed, it’s time to really make things happen.

How does your organization ensure that CSR flows through all of its areas?
By always reminding staff how important they are as well as the mission, and that we are here to help people and solve a system problem.

What are some of your organization’s specific CSR goals and what social impact do you hope to accomplish
To solve a systemic problem facing the entire nonpublic school community – an issue that every family faces and that impacts every student. We fight for quality, affordable, nonpublic education, and equitable government funding.

How would you describe CSR in three words?
Helping, providing, learning

Born in Guyana and migrating to The Bronx, Bharati Sukul Kemraj is a graduate from Fordham University with over 15 years of experience working in media, non-profit, public and government settings. She combines a knack for communications with a true passion for community engagement. Currently, Ms. Kemraj is a senior associate with Patrick B. Jenkins and Associates and founder of The Bharati Foundation, a charity organization dedicated to connecting resources to those in need.

Why is corporate social responsibility important to you and your organization?
As humans, we have a responsibility to do all we can to leave our imprints in this world and make it a better place for the future generations. Charity, community and simply sharing spaces with important causes is valuable to the entire team at Patrick B. Jenkins & Associate.

How does your organization ensure that CSR flows through all of its areas?
At Patrick B. Jenkins and Associates, management and the entire team has a conscious understanding that it is our daily mission to always show up and work with stakeholders to complete the task at hand while operating in a way that is respectful, giving, and beneficial.

What are some of your organization’s specific CSR goals and what social impact do you hope to accomplish?
We all know that having a bad reputation socially and environmentally can have negative effects on the overall success of a company. As a consulting firm specializing in strategic solutions for businesses and campaigns, government relations and community relations, our goal at PBJ&A is to follow ethical practices and keep an open door policy when it comes to being transparent while always engaging with community, businesses and organizations.

How would you describe CSR in three words?
Communication, resources and values

Peter Lacy is Accenture’s global sustainability services lead and chief responsibility officer, overseeing the integration of sustainability in all client work and ensuring the responsible business agenda across the organization’s services and internal operations. Peter is the author of Waste to Wealth, an international best seller on the circular economy, and its follow-up, The Circular Economy Handbook. Peter is a member of Accenture’s Global Management Committee and helped launch Accenture’s sustainability practice in 2008.