Can you really make money out of doing good?
Is it possible to make systems-level change on your own, or more effective to be part of a collective?
And is all the role of business, government or nonprofits anyway?
Questions like these take a big brain to work out and that big brain has a name: Mark Kramer.
He’s an impact investor, philanthropist, company founder, Harvard lecturer and co-creator of the world-changing concepts of Shared Value and Collective Impact, two frameworks that have been deployed the world over to make social and environmental impact a driver of business for some of the world’s biggest — and smallest — companies.
In this episode, Mark gives a Harvard-level masterclass on:
⚡️ The power of business to create at-scale solutions to social and environmental problems in a way that nonprofits simply cannot.
👴 Why most business models are built on outdated information and why those that update them for the current context will be the ones that win the future.
💡 Practical examples of real-world impact that is making companies real-world money.
⏳ The importance of thinking long-term and why that can be hard in a world where leaders are rewarded on a quarterly or annual basis.
🙌 The fundamental determinant of success when implementing a Collective Impact project
🇺🇸 What on earth is going on in the USA and why, in a business sense, it makes no sense.
🌪️ What it’s going to take to give humanity the jolt it needs to treat poverty, climate, deforestation and other big issues with the urgency they deserve.
Mark also gives a simple explanation of what business strategy is, explains the concept of impact investing and provides career advice for anyone wanting to do business and change the world while they’re at it. Yes, he is truly is an oracle of the space.
We gave AI a listen and here's what it had to say:
What if the smartest business strategy starts with solving real problems? We sit down with Mark Kramer—co‑author of shared value and a key voice behind collective impact—to explore how companies can win by treating social and environmental challenges as core to competitive advantage.
We trace Mark’s path from philanthropy to strategy, then break down shared value in plain terms: new products and markets that lift outcomes and margins, operational shifts that pay for themselves, and industry‑wide moves that strengthen the ecosystem every firm relies on. You’ll hear how Enel fused innovation and sustainability to lead in renewables, why Nestlé’s health science bet outpaced legacy “sugar water” models, and how Walmart’s wage lift cut turnover and boosted productivity. We also confront the hard part: boards clinging to cash cows, quarterly pressure, and the courage it takes to rebuild a business model for a hotter, more fragile world.
From there we zoom out to collective impact—the structured way to coordinate government, business, and community around shared goals and measures. Mark shares a citywide “kindergarten readiness” win and the tough truth about supply chains like cocoa, where collaboration is the only path to a future market. We then tackle investing: why simple ESG screens fall short, how impact investing is growing, and what active ownership in public markets can do when investors co‑create sustainability plans with management. The throughline is clear: align incentives with reality, and profit follows purpose.
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