Episode Summary
In this episode of Sunny Side Up, host Michael Malone interviews Catherine Blades, an award-winning corporate leader with over 30 years of professional experience, including C-suite roles at three Fortune 500 companies. Catherine serves as the SVP of Marketing and Communications at SAIC, a company delivering innovative solutions to the U.S. government. They discuss the intersection of purpose and profit in corporations, highlighting how companies that prioritize communities and humanity often yield better fiscal results. Catherine shares her journey in realizing the connection between purpose and financial success, drawing from her experiences in different roles and companies. She elaborates on three key strategies: leveraging platform-based thought leadership to humanize the brand, pivoting brand icons for purpose-driven solutions, and utilizing unconventional methods for effective CSR initiatives. Catherine emphasizes the importance of authentic values, risk mitigation, and stakeholder engagement when engaging with social causes. She also provides insights into measuring the impact of CSR efforts using modeling, outcome-based data, and effectiveness metrics.
About the Guest
Catherine Hernandez-Blades is an award-winning corporate leader in Marketing, Communications, Government Relations, CommTech, Digital Transformation, Change Management, and Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) with more than 30 years of professional experience, including C-suite roles at three Fortune 500 companies. Currently, Catherine is the SVP of Marketing and Communications at SAIC, a company that delivers innovative and transformational solutions to the U.S. government in the civilian and defense markets.
⁠Connect with Catherine Blades⁠
Key Takeaways
- Purpose-driven companies achieve better fiscal outcomes by focusing on communities and humanity.
- Purpose is a crucial factor in revitalizing brands, connecting people, and driving results.
- Humanizing brands through CSR and ESG efforts fosters authentic connections and engagement.
- Engage with social issues aligned with values, stakeholders' expectations, and actual impact.
- Risk mitigation, stakeholder engagement, and curating genuine efforts are vital in avoiding pitfalls.
- Outcomes matter more than activities; measure progress through modeling, outcome-based data, and effectiveness metrics.
- RepTrack model reveals 7 reputation dimensions, with governance, citizenship, and workplace being crucial.
- Outcome-based data indicates success or failure based on ROI metrics and key performance indicators.
- Effectiveness metrics, such as engagement and click-through rates, provide real-time insights for adjustments.
- Purpose-driven strategies can be quantifiably correlated to stock price, employee engagement, and more.
- Purpose and profit are interconnected, demonstrated through data, authentic engagement, and measurable outcomes.
Quote
"When you humanize the brand, you make that human connection and you go from share of wallet to share of heart." - Catherine Blades
Recommended Resources
Book:
⁠Find Your Why by Simon Sinek⁠
Shout-outs
⁠Jane Randel⁠ – Co-President at Karp Randel
⁠Rochelle L. Ford⁠ – President at Dillard University

⁠Connect with Catherine Blades⁠⁠ | ⁠Follow us on LinkedIn ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠