EP12 - Inspiring Change with Kim Saunders CMA Connect

In this episode of CMA Connect, Alison Simpson, the CEO of the CMA, welcomes Kim Saunders, Vice President of ESG Strategy and Community Impact at Canadian Tire Corporation. Canadian Tire is dedicated to business growth and creating real change through philanthropy, ESG initiatives, fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion, championing gender equality in sports, and giving back to communities to shape a brighter future for Canada for generations to come.
00:00:00:07 - 00:00:22:12
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Welcome to CMA Connect, Canada’s marketing podcast, where industry experts discuss how marketers must manage the tectonic shifts that will change how brands and businesses are built for tomorrow, while also delivering on today’s business needs. With your host, CMA CEO Alison Simpson.
00:00:22:14 - 00:00:46:01
Alison
Welcome to a pivotal discussion on marketers and brands embracing ESG, environmental, social and governance. It’s a strategy that’s proving to be more than just an ethical choice, but absolutely a transformative business advantage and a really important way for marketers and businesses to get back to the communities that they’re part of. Amidst the cultural shift towards environmental consciousness, as well as social accountability,
00:00:46:03 - 00:01:10:18
Alison
ESG is often taking centre stage. And again, it’s not merely as a compliance checklist, but as a core pillar of visionary business leadership. Beyond being the right thing to do, it’s also smart business. Companies that are integrating ESG principles are witnessing very tangible benefits. They’re seeing improved investment returns, enhanced brand loyalty and business resilience in the face of global challenges.
00:01:10:19 - 00:01:45:14
Alison
In Canada, the positive ripples of ESG centred operations resonate with heightened consumer expectations that are driving companies to innovate for a better tomorrow. In today’s episode, we’re joined by an absolute leading light in corporate Canada’s journey towards sustainability and impactful community engagement. It’s a pleasure for me to have Kim Saunders with us today as the vice president of ESG Strategy, Community Impact and Sponsorships for Canadian Tire. Kim’s responsible for the strategic development and programmatic build out of the company’s ESG strategy and philanthropic spending.
00:01:45:16 - 00:02:06:14
Alison
She also leads the marketing and fundraising support for the company’s charity partner, Jumpstart, and has successfully developed some really exciting strategic community and sports partnerships. We’re really looking forward to chatting with her about those today. So Kim, I’m absolutely thrilled to have you on our podcast.  Kim  Amazing. Thank you for having me.    Alison
So, Kim, as you know, I had the pleasure of chatting with Canadian
00:02:06:15 - 00:02:30:21
Alison
Tire Chief Brand and Customer Officer Susan O’Brien on CMA Connect last year. It was very evident from that conversation and also from the one that you and I had earlier, that in addition to Canadian Tire being a renowned Canadian brand and delivering strong, consistently powerful business results and growth, you’re also very much focused on giving back to the country and communities that you’re part of.
00:02:30:23 - 00:02:50:18
Alison
I know philanthropy and ESG have been a longstanding part of the Canadian Tire business, and approach. I also understand that it evolved fairly dramatically throughout the pandemic. So can you share a little bit about how it evolved and how that impacted your brand values? I know our listeners will also really enjoy hearing how you’re now focusing your efforts from an ESG perspective.
00:02:50:23 - 00:03:08:04
Kim
Yeah, absolutely. I'm thrilled to be here and talk about this topic. It's very near and dear to my heart and to us as a brand. As you mentioned, we've been around for 100 years. You're hard pressed to find a Canadian who doesn't