A Letter from Richard Edelman

Last November, we celebrated our 70th anniversary by opening the Edelman Museum in our Chicago office. The museum celebrates our agency’s proud history, including its global citizenship initiatives, since my dad, Daniel Edelman, started our agency with just three employees when public relations was still a rudimentary practice.

That beginning in Chicago captures so well the theme of this report – Local Action, Global Transformation – because from that beginning, Edelman has grown to be a billion-dollar agency with offices in over 60 countries that continues to enhance our industry.

In today’s Age of Trust, action earns trust and trust drives growth. Trust is increasingly local, led by business. Our 2023 Trust Barometer found that business is the only institution considered competent and ethical, with a trust level 12 percentage points above the government’s level. And our recent Trust at Work report finds that respondents rank their own employer as 26 points more ethical than Business and 10 points more competent. The gap between My Employer and Government is even more pronounced 56 points more ethical and 62 points more competent.

These differences also underscore that employees expect their employer to demonstrate a commitment to societal issues. Unanimity exists in the desire for employers to act on issues in a tangible way. Seventy-one percent say societal impact is a deal breaker when considering a job. What does that mean? That an employee is 14.5 times more likely to work for a company that publicly supports human
rights, eight times more likely if it supports racial justice, and eight times if committed to climate change. Three-of-four employees want to do work that shapes society’s future in a meaningful way.

“Edelman has been a participant in the United Nations Global Compact since March 2001. I am proud to pledge Edelman’s continued support for the Global Compact and its goals.”

Of course, we must be authentic ourselves. As the House of Trust, we are committed to living up to our core values to earn and maintain the trust of our clients and employees. In responding to our global climate emergency – the biggest crisis we face as a society – we set six climate principles and implemented mandatory employee training on climate. In fiscal year 2023, Edelman submitted a long-term emissions reduction target with the SBTI in line with reaching net-zero by 2050. This target is in the process of being validated. We also established a procurement director who focuses on ensuring responsible and sustainable procurement.

On the societal front, we are striving to build a culture of belonging that transcends geographical boundaries and cultural contexts. That means integrating diversity, equity and inclusion throughout our business. Over the next three years, we will evolve our global talent acquisition approach to create a world-class diverse and inclusive hiring process.

We commemorated our 70th anniversary with a “70 Days of Giving” campaign in which hundreds of our employees in more than 30 offices participated in causes vital to their communities. We are proud of our pro bono work in support of communities we live and work in. Among other projects this year, our Chicago and D.C. offices helped transition civil rights leader Jesse Jackson to chairman emeritus of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition he founded over 50 years ago. And in Australia, employees helped that country’s LGBTQIA+ education charity pair gay youth with mentors in their field of study.  

Much more remains to do, of course. Still, to us, responsible citizenship that enriches the lives and well-being of us all recognizes that environmental and social issues are important trust challenges we must continue to address.

Richard Edelman is CEO.