Brand
Guardianship
Index
2023
The annual report on the world’s top 100 Executive Leaders
January 2023Contents.
What Do We Mean by Brand Guardianship? 3
Insights 5
Business leaders concerned about climate change
can work to accelerate the green transition 6
Punit Renjen, CEO, Deloitte
Insights from our research on Executive Leaders 9
Annie Brown, General Manager, UK Consulting,
Brand Finance
Brand Guardianship Index Methodology11
Top 25 Leaders 15
Top 100 Brand Guardians 2023 22
Brand Spotlights 25
e&26
Hatem Dowidar, GCEO, e&
Our Services29
Brand Finance Brand Guardianship Index 100 2023(c) 2023 All rights reserved. Brand Finance Plc. brandirectory/brand-guardianship 2What Do We Mean by
Brand Guardianship?
Despite global geopolitical conflict, the modern world is digitally
interconnected in a manner that would be incomprehensible to our
forebears. Both brands and leaders must harness the tool of digital
information such as social media, but be wary of the double-edged sword.
This openness and democracy of online media makes the reputation of
businesses and their leaders inextricably linked. One of the biggest sources
of online media in the West has itself seen turbulence in leadership and
perception on the brand’s future this year. Leaders traditionally are
David Haighappraised based on their stock price performance and annual profitability,
Chairman & CEO, both of which can lead to short termism and misguided strategy. A value-
Brand Finance based metric which promotes longer-term sustainable value is the strength
and value of the brand or brands of a business. The Brand Guardianship
Index presents the top leaders who successfully foster growth for their
brand(s) and thus deliver sustainable value to their organisations.
A strong brand can lead to improved business returns in several ways. First,
a strong brand can help a company differentiate itself from its competitors
and establish a unique identity in the market, which can lead to increased
customer loyalty and retention. This, in turn, can lead to higher sales and
revenue. A strong brand can also help a company command a higher price
for its products or services, as consumers are willing to pay more for a
brand they perceive as high-quality and trustworthy. In addition, a strong
brand can help a company attract top talent, as employees may be more
attracted to work for a well-known and reputable brand. Finally, a strong
brand can provide a company with a competitive advantage and help it
weather economic downturns or industry disruptions.
This year, Brand Finance has invested more in researching and
understanding customer perception of brands across the world than ever
before, with original research taking place in dozens of jurisdictions globally.
The report you are reading is based on this extensive original research, with
the findings representing a catalyst for further conversations.
If you want to help build a stronger brand, or if you want to better
understand the value of your brand, please contact the Brand Finance team
and I anytime. I look forward to the conversation and helping to build a more
profitable future for your brand.
Brand Finance Brand Guardianship Index 100 2023 brandirectory/brand-guardianship 3What Do We Mean by Brand Guardianship?
The theme of the WEF this year is ‘Cooperation in a Fragmented World’.
With the continued war in Ukraine and the resulting disruption of global
trade, economies and corporations must remain agile and adaptable to
prosper. At the same time, emissions targets and the ever-growing
narrative around sustainability pose an existential crisis to existing
operational models.
We are in an era of major transformation, but at least one thing remains
the same; strong, influential leaders are an essential aspect of human
Annie Brownsuccess. This year’s top Brand Guardian is hailed as one of technology’s
General Manager
great visionaries, Jensen Huang. Huang is renowned for his belief in the
UK Consulting,
Brand Finance future of AI, and its potential to solve global challenges in areas such as
climate science, oceanography, sustainability and water resources. More
than ever, it is imperative that good corporate leaders have the
multidisciplinary expertise to lead innovation which makes the world
work better and more sustainably. In practice, this looks different for
different business models.
Consistently, the leaders featured in our Brand Guardianship ranking do
one key thing well: diplomacy and stakeholder management. In our view,
a strong leader is akin to a strong brand and therefore has positive
influence on all stakeholders of importance to the business. CEOs who
pander to investors and disregard employee needs carve an
unsustainable path. The leaders who balance the needs of investors,
employees, customers, partners, governments, regulators and media are
the leaders who build the most sustainable legacy for their business. The
need for these human relationships with stakeholders takes time to
develop, which is why over 70% of the top global Brand Guardians were
appointed from within the organisation.
These views on leadership are founded in original research conducted
annually, as well as experience advising clients on brand building. If you
want help to build a brand which meets the needs of all key
stakeholders, or if you want to better understand your results, please
contact the Brand Finance team and I anytime.
Brand Finance Brand Guardianship Index 100 2023 brandirectory/brand-guardianship 4Insights.