2023 The World Ahead: Top Reputational Risks CEOs are Talking About

“It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it.” — Benjamin Franklin

As the saying goes, forearmed is forewarned. And when it comes to reputational risk, this couldn’t be more relevant. After all, the better a company’s reputation, the better the market believes it will perform and as a result, the lower its costs of capital and higher its price-earnings multiples. Not only this, 70-80% of market value is attributed to intangible assets, meaning anything that could damage a  business’ reputation is a particular point of vulnerability. 

A 2021 global reputational risk management survey revealed that 79.5% of respondents believe that focus on reputational risk in business will increase in the coming years, whilst 86% think that reputational risks could result in loss of income. Although it is impossible to say exactly how universally, one group estimates that in the US alone, it was more than $537 billion. These big figures go some way to highlight the importance of reputation – but how can you protect your reputation as a company? 

This piece dives into the top reputational issues that CEOs are talking about and how companies can stay one step ahead.