The pandemic paralyzed the world and uncertainty was the only certainty. In the face of this it’s only natural to reevaluate what’s important in life and in business. This period of self reflection led Wieden+Kennedy to adapt our purpose to use our voice and influence to change the world, shifting our mindset from being defined by what we make to being defined by our impact. As the largest independent advertising agency in the world we are made up of around 1,400 people globally, about the same size as a typical American High School, yet we make communications for some of the largest multinational companies on the planet. Our reach and therefore our potential for impact is huge, which is why it is so important that we turn up to work each day trying to do good while creating responsible and entertaining messaging. Put another way, it matters what we say and how we say it. It’s clear that if we want to be a responsible advertising agency in the world today we need a strong moral compass, so in 2021 Amsterdam became the first office in the network to achieve B Corp certification. Through the process we learned a lot about ourselves, both areas where we use our business for good as well as the areas we could be doing better. Following the experience we knew we needed to take our operational impact and improvement seriously, which led to the creation of a first of its kind position at W+K, the Director of Social Impact. Raised by the outdoors and two teachers in the foothills of The Rocky Mountains, I grew up to value the importance of maintaining both a healthy environment and society. Through over eleven years of experience at Wieden+Kennedy working with some of the largest companies in the world, I have found that through collective effort and outsized resources, brands are well positioned to make a positive impact for people and for the planet, if they choose to do so. In the role of Director of Social Impact, my primary focus is to define what sustainability means to the company and how it can help to grow our business and our clients business in a responsible way. This encompasses all facets of the business including operational policies, production protocols, as well as business and communication strategies. While our purpose, mission, and the role of social impact may be new, Wieden+Kennedy’s ambition to make impactful work has always been in the DNA of the company. It’s this spirit that has led us to continually strive to evolve, even after forty years in business.