About Us
As a proudly independent, purpose-led, employee-owned company, we’re invested in the long-term success of our partners and society.
As a proudly independent, purpose-led, employee-owned company, we’re invested in the long-term success of our partners and society.
GlobeScan is a global insights and advisory firm specializing in trust, sustainability, and engagement. We equip companies, NGOs, and governmental organizations with the insights they need to make sense of a rapidly changing world and respond to shifting societal and stakeholder expectations.
Established in 1987, we have offices in Cape Town, Hong Kong, Hyderabad, London, Paris, San Francisco, São Paulo, Singapore, and Toronto.
We’re a Certified B Corp and a participant of the United Nations Global Compact.
GlobeScan’s purpose is to co-create a sustainable and equitable future.
In 2017, GlobeScan certified as a B Corporation and joined the global movement of people using business as a force for good. B Corporations meet the highest standards of overall social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability and aspire to use the power of business to solve social and environmental challenges facing the world.
In 2021, GlobeScan recertified as a B Corp achieving an overall impact score of 101.2 – a 20.8-point increase on our original certification score of 80.4 back in 2017. In 2019, GlobeScan was recognized as one of the ’Best for the World’ B Corps for ‘Workers’, and again in 2022, this time for ‘Governance’.
Since 2004, GlobeScan has been committed to the United Nations Global Compact corporate responsibility initiative and its principles in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption.
GlobeScan is a Corporate Member of ESOMAR. ESOMAR is a not-for-profit organization that promotes the value of market, opinion, and social research and data analytics, providing ethical and professional guidance and advocating on behalf of their global membership community. GlobeScan adheres to the rigorous standard of ICC/ESOMAR code of conduct.
GlobeScan partners with One Tree Planted, an environmental charity with a focus on global reforestation. As an insights and strategy consultancy, we conduct tens of thousands of interviews with stakeholders around the world each year for our clients and we have chosen to incentivize stakeholders to participate in our research by planting trees in return for their valuable time.
We’re committed to taking responsibility for our carbon footprint. Through our partnership with Climate Impact Partners, we have compensated for over 1,000 tonnes of CO2 through their offsetting program, which works to cut global emissions by supporting carbon emission reduction projects worldwide.
Decarbonizing our energy systems is essential to combating climate change. By partnering with Bullfrog Power, we help bring renewable energy projects to the grid. We are reducing our carbon footprint and helping fund community-based green energy projects like solar panels for schools, non-profits, and Indigenous communities.
OUR Historical TIMELINE
1987: GlobeScan is launched
Doug Miller launched GlobeScan to help companies, NGOs and governmental organizations better navigate the challenges and opportunities of the emerging sustainable development agenda.
1994: Survey of Sustainability Experts
Now produced in partnership with SustainAbility, we started this survey of business, government, NGO and institutional leaders to examine the evolving sustainable development agenda and leadership in the field. 
1997: GlobeScan Radar
We launched the GlobeScan Radar survey, an ongoing public opinion survey exploring the views of the global public on a range of critical issues facing the world from sustainable development to the relationship between business and society. 
2003: London office
The GlobeScan London office is opened to better serve our growing list of European clients and partners. 
2004: UN Global Compact
We officially became participants of this important United Nations initiative to put a framework around our sustainable and socially responsible policies, and to report on implementation. 
2005: Reputation management system
We partnered with the global brewing and beverage company SABMiller to create what would become a staple service of ours: a customized reputation management system to integrate stakeholder perceptions and corporate performance. 
2005: BBC World Service poll
We launched our first BBC World Service Poll of ~20,000 people in 20+ countries to gain insights on broad trends as well as regional and demographic-specific perspectives of important social and political issues. 
2008: Greendex
In collaboration with National Geographic, we launched Greendex, a study to measure, compare and track sustainable consumer behaviour across 17 countries. 
2009: San Francisco office
We opened our first permanent US office in San Francisco to cater to our expanding list of American clients – many of which are headquartered in the Bay area. 
2012: Regeneration Roadmap
We partnered with SustainAbility on the Regeneration Roadmap – a collaborative initiative aimed at providing a path for achieving sustainable development for future generation. 
2012: Collaboration Forum
We partnered with Unilever to help them engage their stakeholders at scale through the Unilever Sustainable Living Lab via our Collaboration Forum tool, an online moderated dialogue platform to co-create solutions to global sustainability challenges. 
2014: Cape Town office
The opening of our Cape Town office marked an important commitment to the work we conduct with African clients. 
2014: São Paulo office
We opened our São Paulo office to expand our global reach into another important region of the world. 
2015: Hong Kong office
We expanded our presence in the Asia-Pacific region and appointed our Hong Kong director. 
2015: Aspirationals Consumer Index
In partnership with BBMG, we launched the Aspirationals Consumer Index, a report that revealed a profound marketplace shift toward authenticity, wellbeing, sustainability and social purpose. 
2016: Corporate Affairs Survey
We launched the Corporate Affairs Survey, our global survey of corporate affairs professionals, to gain insight on their experience and approach, as well as on the challenges they face in managing trust. 
2017: GlobeScan Radar anniversary
After 20 years, GlobeScan Radar continues to look at long-term trends related to the role of business in society, as well as citizen perceptions of environmental, economic and other global issues. 
2017: 10,000th webinar attendee
We regularly convene free online webinars to share our latest research, commentary and perspectives on global trends, reputation management, branding, sustainability and stakeholder engagement. 
2017: Survey of the Poor
In partnership with Oxfam, the GlobeScan Foundation released results from its initiative to conduct the Survey of the Poor, a seminal study to explore the realities, hopes, concerns and expectations of low income people in India. 
2017: 20th Anniversary of GSS Leaders
The Sustainability Leaders Survey has tracked expert opinions globally on the evolution of the sustainability agenda for two decades, along with views on the leading organizations most responsible for driving it forward. 
2017: Certification as a B Corp
In 2017, GlobeScan certified as a B Corporation and joined the global movement of people using business as a force for good. 
2018: Launch of SDG Leadership Series
In March, we launched our SDG Leadership Series of open, interactive, online collaboration forums on each of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. 
2018: Launch of New Book – All In: The Future of Business Leadership
The book, co-authored by GlobeScan CEO Chris Coulter, Mark Lee (SustainAbility) and David Grayson (Cranfield School of Management), identifies the essential attributes of high-impact corporate sustainability leadership and describes how companies can combine and apply those characteristics for future success. 
2019: Paris office
The GlobeScan Paris office is opened to better support our growing client network in France, and Western Europe. 
2019: Healthy and Sustainable Living
We launched our Healthy & Sustainable Living global consumer insights research program to provide brands with global and comparative research on the trends shaping consumer attitudes and behaviors related to sustainability. 
2020: Oxford-GlobeScan partnership
Our partnership with the Säid Business School at Oxford University leverages our combined expertise in Corporate Affairs. We conduct an annual survey of Corporate Affairs professionals on how to build enduring trust and strong reputations. 
2021: GlobeScan launches new branding
We launched a new look for the GlobeScan brand and introduced a new tagline – Know your world, Lead the future. We are committed to redoubling our efforts to serve our clients and community for a new era of leadership and fulfilling our purpose: to co-create a sustainable and equitable future. 
2022: Launch of New Book – The Sustainable Business Handbook
The second book co-authored by GlobeScan CEO Chris Coulter, Mark Lee (SustainAbility) and David Grayson (Cranfield School of Management), provides guidance on how to become more innovative, resilient and successful. 
2022: GlobeScan turns 35
Celebrating 35 years of impact. 
2023: Singapore office
The GlobeScan Singapore office is opened to expand our global footprint to nine offices across all regions of the world and strengthening our presence in Asia.