SPOTLIGHT ON A TEAM MEMBER - PHILIPPA CORNISH
WHAT OR WHO INSPIRES YOU TO GET OUT OF BED EVERY MORNING?
Sunshine definitely helps, and the potential of breakfast that isn’t Weetabix.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE THING ABOUT YOUR ROLE AT CAF?
The variety. I look after our third party relationships so this can range from streamlining internal processes, to mapping out a new market and developing a strategy for tackling opportunities. I love that mixture as the former allowed me to understand how CAF works from the moment I joined, and the latter allows me to keep an eye externally and try and bring that in to CAF. I am also part of a great 15-strong team who are hard-working, inspiring and supportive.
WHERE'S THE MOST INTERESTING PLACE YOU HAVE TRAVELLED TO?
It’s not the most far-flung or exotic place but I’d have to say Nashville, which is my idea of heaven; fried chicken for every meal and incredible live music on every corner, all mixed with slow southern manners nestled in some lovely Tennessee countryside.
WHO WOULD YOU INVITE TO A DINNER PARTY?
I was about to say the Obamas, but I think they have had their fair share of corporate client team dinner parties, and they already have quite the schedule.
I’d love to invite the lyricist and playwright Lin-Manual Miranda, so I could talk to him endlessly about Hamilton. Maybe he could provide a little after dinner entertainment too.
I recently went to see a talk with Steven Pinker (author of Enlightenment Now amongst other things) which was fascinating and felt smarter just being in the room. He is also known for being quite confrontational which always makes for good dinner table conversation.
To keep the mood light, I’d invite Caitlin Moran, who would surely take him to task on some of his views on gender, with jokes thrown in.
Then, Safeena Hussain – she founded Educate Girls which tackles gender inequality in India’s schools. She’s warm and entertaining, and her methods are interesting and important, so a welcome table addition.
Finally Dave Eggers, one of my favourite writers. His books are so varied – Sudanese refugees / dark goings-on at a Google-esque tech company (so prescient!) – that surely he’d be a charming conversationalist whoever he sat next to.
WHAT CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY TRENDS DO YOU SEE EMERGING?
Its really one that’s already emerged – increasingly clients are looking for that single solution to manage their philanthropic activity, something that engages their employees and also provides them with platforms like dashboards to track performance and socialise it within the business to underline its importance.
Having previously worked in a large corporate’s strategy team I witnessed the focus on the alignment of business strategy with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy, with the latter getting more C-Suite attention as it becomes an essential on the agenda for investors, shareholders and customers. We're constantly addressing this with our research, corporate advisory work and product developments so that we can stay at the forefront of employee engagement through philanthropy.