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Susan McPherson
Serial Connector, Cause-Marketer & Corporate Responsibility Expert
Susan McPherson
Serial Connector, Cause-Marketer & Corporate Responsibility Expert
Biography
Susan McPherson is a serial connector, angel investor, and corporate responsibility expert. She is the founder and CEO of McPherson Strategies, a communications consultancy focused on the intersection of brands and social impact, providing storytelling, partnership creation and visibility to corporations, NGOs and social enterprises. She is the author of The Lost Art of Connecting: The Gather, Ask, Do Method for Building Meaningful Relationships. Susan has 25+ years of experience in marketing, public relations, and sustainability communications, speaking regularly at industry events including Inspirefest/Dublin, BSR, Center for Corporate Citizenship's Annual Summit, DLD and Techonomy., and contributing to the Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and Forbes. She has appeared on NPR, CNN, USA Today, The New Yorker, New York Magazine and the Los Angeles Times.
Currently, Susan invests in, and advises women-led technology start-ups, including: iFundWomen, Inc., Messy.fm, Our Place, The Riveter, Park Place Payments, Hint Water, Apolitical, Arlo Skye, Giapenta and The Muse. She serves on the boards of USA for UNHCR, The 19th News, and the Lower Eastside Girls Club, and serves on the advisory board of both The List and Alltruists. Additionally, she is a member of the MIT Solve Women and Technology Leadership Group and serves as an adviser to several nonprofits, including Girls Who Code, She’s The First, and The OpEd Project. Susan is a Vital Voices global corporate ambassador and has received numerous accolades for her voice on social media platforms from Fortune Magazine, Fast Company and Elle Magazine. She resides in Brooklyn.
Speaker Videos
Meet Susan McPherson
My Founder Story at Tom Tom Founder Festival
Welcome to the New CSR
The Lost Art of Connecting: A Fireside Chat with Susan McPherson
Speech Topics
The Lost Art of Connecting: The Gather, Ask, Do Method for Building Meaningful Business Relationships
Today, people have hundreds of "friends" on Facebook and countless "contacts" on LinkedIn, so why do so many of us feel disconnected? In Susan McPherson’s best-selling book, The Lost Art of Connecting, she presents a paradigm shift for the way we make meaningful connections in business and in life providing a specific methodology that can help connect disparate employees in the post-pandemic world. Learn how to apply her Gather, Ask, Do Method for both virtual and in-person relationship-building.
Making Connecting Your Life's Work
Susan McPherson owes her success to one thing: the deep, authentic community of contacts she's built over the years (she literally wrote the book on it!). In today's world, it's connections built on values and compassion, not impersonal networking, that drives sustainable success. As we begin to emerge from the pandemic, what lessons can we take with us from over a year of connecting virtually? How can we approach connecting and reconnecting in a way that centers mission alignment and genuine relationships? Susan will share stories and practical tips about making deep and meaningful connections that power our businesses and our lives.
Welcome To The New Era of Corporate Social Impact
In the last two decades, we've seen corporate responsibility shift from a nice-to-have to a critical strategic priority. Along the way, big businesses — once seen as the enemies of social activists — have become activists themselves. In a world where nearly 8 in 10 employees expect their companies to act on social issues, what does authentic corporate social impact look like? Susan will give you the tools you need to navigate the risks and rewards of designing your approach to social impact.
How To Bake Impact Into Your Brand/Company From The Start
Every company, no matter the size or revenue, has the opportunity to engage stakeholders on a mission-driven level, driving customer and employee loyalty while helping to build a more just world. A holistic approach to impact goes beyond corporate philanthropy to consider DEI, ESG., advocacy work, and community. Learn how you can build social impact into your company — wherever you are on your journey.
Let's Talk Environmental, Social & Corporate Governance (ESG)
Whether you call it ESG, sustainability or corporate social responsibility, it's no secret that businesses today do well by doing good. Susan can establish what we mean by ESG and key trends in the space. She'll also address how your company can effectively communicate ESG efforts to customers, board members, employees, investors and more — and thought starters for engaging these audiences in the process.
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