How the Catlin Group Turned Climate Change Research Corporate

Expanding the Boundaries of Sponsorship

A few years ago its CEO, Stephen Catlin, was considering how best to boost his company’s visibility. Apparently, he considered sponsoring a sports team (a fairly standard practice among large companies) and then decided instead to sponsor an Arctic research trip.
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However, Catlin has not committed to the UN Global Compact, has not joined Carbon Disclosure Project, and has not adopted the reporting guidelines suggested by the Global Reporting Institute. In other words, it is a good citizen, but could do more.

Still, the smart decision to sponsor a high profile project has probably added more to Catlin’s brand than putting its name on a soccer stadium or putting its logo on the sides of a racing sailboat. The cost was modest—less than £3 million. The logic was good—an insurance company should be interested in a project that could help us all better predict climate change. And the opportunity to participate as a partner with multiple advocacy and activist groups (otherwise prickly and suspicious) should keep Catlin on the “good list” for a lot of people.
...on balance, Catlin has probably done well on its investment—as Queen Isabella did by supporting Christopher Columbus