The CSR Manager: a new key figure for companies

There is no longer business without creating shared value. Corporate Social Responsibility is now becoming an essential choice for companies.
There is no longer business without creating shared value. Corporate Social Responsibility is now becoming an essential choice for companies, as well as a reputational element that, on the one hand, determines the success of a brand and its products, and on the other, promotes the active role of companies in improving the environment and society as a whole.
Reconciling economic objectives and the contribution that can be made to the community, to the territory and to all stakeholders who, physically or otherwise, gravitate around the company, is the task of new professionals who are making their way into the world of work and, in particular, Corporate Social Responsibility Managers.
But who is the CSR Manager and what is their role? According to a survey conducted by the National Institute for Public Policy Analysis, it is a complex and multifaceted role that must balance ordinary business management and a strong innovative drive capable of accompanying the company towards change, anticipating trends and capturing the signs of sector evolution.
Their skills are both vertical, of an organisational and leadership type, and horizontal, above all of a social, relational and communication nature. The CSR Manager must, therefore, have a thorough knowledge of the business, know how to manage conflicts, maintain relationships with the community and institutions, and motivate and enhance the work team.
According to a study by CSR Manager Network, to date 79% of Italian CSR Managers come from a growth path within the company – from the communication department (20.8%), from Investor Relations (12.5%), from Internal Audit (12.5%) or from health-safety-quality departments (12.5%).
The training of figures of this type will be increasingly central in the future: a new employment opportunity that will personally accompany the change of private companies and public bodies in the surrounding economic, social and environmental system.