People With Purpose

16/06/2026

On 23 June, our CEO Danielle Duell is facilitating a free Good Governance Academy webinar - "Purpose as the Foundation of Good Governance."

Most boards treat as one of the many things governance attends to. The international standard, ISO 37000, puts it the other way around: purpose is the reason governance exists.

Governance is the practice that holds every other practice together. Without it, purpose drifts. Strategy decouples from intent. Measurement becomes ritual. Communications become marketing. Culture becomes performance. With it, purpose stays anchored - through financial pressure, leadership transition and commercial temptation alike.

This session is about the how, not the why: the governance disciplines that make purpose stick:
- The Purpose Connection statement that opens every board paper.
- The one-page dashboard that frames every meeting.
- The redlines and guardrails that let a board be ambitious about its ends because it's disciplined about its means.
- The stakeholder voices; including those of future generations, heard in the room where decisions are made.

The board's first job is to steward the purpose. This hour is about how to do it.

Tuesday 23 June 2026, 4:00–5:00pm AEST.
That window lands in working hours right across , and . We'd love to see you there.

⭐ Free to register ⭐ https://goodgovernance.academy/purpose-as-the-foundation-of-good-governance/

15/05/2024

Today, our CEO - Danielle Duell spoke on a panel about making opportunities to buy from social enterprises more visible and compelling to buyers, especially procurement teams in large corporations and government enterprises, while also making the process less cumbersome for sellers.

Social enterprises are businesses that put people and planet first. They trade like any other business but exist specifically to make the world a better place. If your business is going to spend money, wouldn't you rather spend it with suppliers who are dedicated to positive social and environmental impact?

Opportunities exist for the social enterprise sector to enhance its capacity to measure and report on its impact. Simultaneously, procurement teams must ensure their processes are attractive and inclusive to these businesses. Policies alone aren't enough; active participation is essential. There's no point in having a supplier diversity policy if the targeted suppliers aren't participating.

The appetite for a more purposeful economy is growing stronger, but there is still much to do to build capability on all fronts. By connecting more buyers with social enterprise sellers, we can drive meaningful change and create a more sustainable and equitable economy and society. Our team at People With Purpose is committed to turning this vision into reality.

We thank Social Traders Australia for hosting today's event and making space for these meaningful conversations and connections. Thanks also to the other panelists from Give Industries, Queensland Government, Suncorp and Fruit2Work Aus for their insightful contributions.

03/05/2024

Are you concerned about your team's mental wellbeing? Many of the Executives and Boards we work with are becoming more aware of the importance and responsibility of eliminating psychosocial risks in the workplace.

Psychosocial hazards are anything in the design or management of work that increases the risk of psychological or physical harm, such as lack of role clarity, poor organisational change management, low job control, workplace relationship conflicts and poor support.

Not only is this having a devastating impact on employee mental health, but mental health injuries now cost the Australian economy an estimated A$12.2 billion annually.

On 6 June Gallup are hosting a free webinar on how to create thriving workplaces by assessing your organisation's culture to identify psychosocial safety risks and take action to eliminate these hazards.

We encourage leaders to learn more about their duties and opportunities to purposefully create a workplace culture that fosters psychosocial safety. Register now to secure your spot: https://hubs.la/Q02v-Vpv0

Australian workplaces are suffering from declining psychosocial health and safety, exposing employees to ...

22/12/2023

We wish everyone a peaceful holiday season and a purposeful start to 2024.
Our office will reopen on 22 January.
We look forward to continuing our work to fulfil our purpose to equip business to improve the world.

01/11/2023

✨ Empowering Employees Worldwide: Cultivating a Culture of Purpose and Belonging at Tesco ✨

Earlier this month, we had the privilege of hosting a webinar for Tesco PLC Group employees spanning across 7 different countries. The agenda was packed with discussions and reflections on the significance of purpose in creating a culture where everyone truly belongs.

Based on the engagement and participation from this diverse group of employees it was evident that fostering a culture of belonging is not just a workplace ideal—it's a reality that's within grasp of all purpose-led organizations.

Feel free to share your thoughts and insights on purpose and belonging at work in the comments.

Complete this free survey to explore your sense of belonging and potential opportunities for improvement in your connection to purpose, colleagues and leaders: https://hubs.la/Q027lw710

Learn more about Tesco's purpose and values here: https://hubs.la/Q027ltDD0

01/11/2023

Research shared by Harvard Business Review suggests that employees want their jobs to be meaningful, but most struggle to live their purpose at work - and disengage as a result. To engage employees, leaders must embed purpose in their business decisions and everyday interactions with their team. What are your organisations' leaders doing to put your purpose into practice?

23/10/2023

Research has found that 52% of jobseekers won't accept a job if they don't align with the company's or purpose. And a staggering 90% believe work should bring to their lives.

But many organizations are grappling with the 'purpose gap.' While leaders and executives often have a clear understanding of their company's purpose, many employees feel disconnected.

So, what's the secret to bridging this gap? The answer lies in understanding what 'purpose' truly means. It goes beyond just a marketing slogan, a charitable donation, or a diversity initiative. Purpose-led organizations put it at the core of their business and consider its impact on their entire ecosystem of .

If you find yourself leading in a purpose gap, feel free to reach out to our team for help to:

- Review and refine your organisation's
- Align your organisation's strategy with your purpose
- Enable your employees to understand how their role contributes to your organisation's purpose and values, and how they can live their own purpose and values at work
- Design metrics that reflect and enhance both purpose and profit goals
- Coach your leaders to lead with purpose.

You can also read more about why purpose matters in this article by Stephanie Santos which contains a link to a Harvard Business Review paper titled 'The Purpose Factor: Why Your Talent Strategy (and So Much More) Depends On It.' 🌟

To make purpose real for employees, the leader's role is paramount—especially as people expect work to have meaning, but struggle to find it.

16/10/2023

Want to prove your business is good for the world?
Then consider becoming a Certified B Corporation. B Corps are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified and performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance and . In order to certify, B Corps need to meet specific standards set by B Lab. The requirements are universally applicable and relevant towards achieving an , , and economy and focus on:

1. Purpose & Stakeholder Governance
2. Worker Engagement
3. Fair Wages
4. Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
5. Human Rights
6. Climate Action
7. Circularity & Environmental Stewardship
8. Collective Action
9. Impact Management
10. Risk Standards

People With Purpose is proud to have been a Certified B Corp since 2019, having most recently recertified in 2022.

https://hubs.la/Q024L2JS0 B Corporation: Australia & New Zealand

Information about how to become a B Corp and the process of B Corp Certification.

09/10/2023

🌍 Is the world better off because your company is in it? This is the premise shared by our founding purpose - "to equip business to improve the world," and a recent book (which our team highly recommends!) authored by former CEO of Unilever Paul Polman and Andrew Winston, titled Net Positive.

Both practically and morally, corporate leaders can no longer sit on the sidelines of major societal shifts or treat human and planetary issues as “someone else’s problem.” For their own good, businesses must play an active role in addressing our biggest shared challenges. The economy won’t thrive unless people and the planet are thriving.

The good news is that addressing those challenges presents the greatest economic opportunity of our time. Multitrillion-dollar markets are in play across all major sectors of the economy. A two-year study by the Business and Sustainable Development Commission found that meeting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals could unlock trillions in and create hundreds of millions of this decade.

Businesses that thrive in this new environment will look different from those of the past. Traditional corporate social responsibility and philanthropy are inadequate for our times. Leaders must rethink what a business is, how it grows and , what its is, and how it drives in the world.

If you're looking for compelling evidence and actionable examples of how to use your business to improve the world, then grab a copy of this book for yourself and everyone on your Board and Leadership team. And feel free to reach out to our team for assistance.



Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take

, written by legendary CEO and , explains how to build and work with businesses which profit by fixing the world’s problems, not creating them. Read the book, join the movement.

01/10/2023

Expectations around how organizations report their impact on the economies and communities around them, have changed. Traditional metrics for measuring an organization’s economic impact - GDP growth, profitability, shareholder returns - are increasingly seen as inadequate. The Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB) - the independent body responsible for setting the GRI Standards - has prioritised a review of the current standards and is calling for applicants to join the Economic Impact Working Group.
"The revised GRI Economic Impact Topic Standards will go far beyond the definition of GDP growth as the only indicator of economic health," explained Harold Pauwels, GRI’s Director of Standards. "Instead, they will focus on economic inequalities and unemployment, decent work conditions and policies that foster entrepreneurship. These are indicators of an organization’s impact and contribution to the economy and society at large."

Are you keeping pace with society's expectations of your business to contribute to socio-economic and environmental cohesion? Does your organization have a purpose beyond profit? How do you measure, report and respond to your impact?

In time, it will be normal for companies to communicate to society and investors on these matters using comparable data. Reach out to our team to learn more about how to begin or progress your purpose-led business journey.

https://hubs.la/Q023cWm_0

Beyond financials: shaping the future of economic impact reporting