As managing director of Global Engagement and Corporate Responsibility, John Edelman spearheaded and continues to lead Edelman’s global citizenship function, including corporate social responsibility (CSR), pro bono and volunteerism, partnership engagement, sustainability and reporting.

John also serves as president of the Daniel J. Edelman Family Foundation and co-chair of the Global Diversity Council with Soni Basi, Edelman’s Chief People Officer.

Under John’s leadership since 2010, Edelman has made significant progress in its CSR agenda, including being the first public relations firm to become Carbon Trust-certified and, most recently, achieve an EcoVadis Silver rating for high quality of CSR management.

John was named to Crain’s Chicago Business’ 2022 Notable Leaders in Sustainability. The Veterans Leadership Council awarded John the 2017 Veteran Supporter of the Year. In 2015, he received the Commitment to Service award by Give an Hour for his dedication to mental health awareness. The Holmes Group awarded the Silver Sabre for PR Agency Citizenship to him in 2012. John won a PRSA Silver Anvil in 2000 for excellence in internal communication, in recognition of the firm’s global launch of the company’s mission, vision and values program.

John holds a master’s degree in marketing and public management from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Brown University.

He chairs the Professional Services Sustainability Advisory Board, Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship, and he is a member of the Executive Advisory Board for Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship; Loyola University’s Baumhart Center Leadership Council, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Veteran Employment Advisory Council (VEAC) and the Military Spouse Employment Advisory Council (MSEAC). He serves on the Board of Trustees of the Chicago Academy of Sciences’ Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum and on the Student Veterans of America’s Board of Directors.

Published Work:

GreenBiz: Meet the new LEED-like standard for professional services

GreenBiz: Small business is a big deal for climate action

Ethical Corporation: INTRODUCING NSF 391.1: Sustainability Standard for Professional Services

Recent Blog Posts:

• George H.W. Bush’s Impact on CSR
• Celebrate #GivingTuesday by Helping Disaster Victims
• Hiring Veterans: We Must Melt the “Frozen Middle”
• Our Citizenship Journey