CSR Awards: Executive of the Year — Public Relations – Frank Mantero, Director of Corporate Citizenship Programs, GE

Frank Mantero is responsible for communicating GE’s citizenship initiatives, practices and programs, internally and externally, and because of the importance GE places on corporate citizenship, he is always sure to integrate it into GE’s messaging, showing how CSR is integral to the company’s business strategy.

Grappling With Consumer Distrust

The recession has presented challenges of late, chief among them the growing dissatisfaction among media and consumers toward the business community. “A lot of trust and goodwill has been lost among key stakeholders as to how CSR practices can benefit society,” explains Mantero. “I see it as an opportunity to remind stakeholders that corporate responsibility is not about telling—it’s about doing, and we have the programs and results demonstrating the difference we are making in communities and lives around the world.”

Mining Opportunities From Strengths

In this vein, a recent campaign that Mantero is most proud of revolves around understanding GE’s perception world. For this effort, “we needed to map our priorities against stakeholder needs and audiences,” he notes. “This mapping allowed us to better understand where we had strengths and areas of opportunity.” The results demonstrated that we were duplicating efforts in some areas while not fully leveraging our work in other areas.” The mapping strategy underscores Mantero’s commitment to identifying key issues to be addressed in the future, and developing focused and effective CSR initiatives. ■

Honorable Mentions:

Lucienne Gigante, Doral Bank —

When Doral Bank was on the brink of collapse, Gigante, VP of public relations, helped bring the company back in the eyes of the Puerto Rican people through the development and implementation of community outreach programs. Included in the initiatives are the popular Sundays at the Museum, which has provided more than 20,000 visitors free access to programs at the Museum of Art of Puerto Rico.

Stuart Kirby, Diageo —

As head of brand and corporate public relations at Diageo, Kirby has been instrumental in delivering best-in-class CSR initiatives. Kirby leads the award-winning responsible drinking campaign featuring Formula 1 driver Mika Hakkinen. From literally handing out relief in Haiti to forging a partnership with Elton John, Kirby is committed to real change.

March 1, 2010