The brand integrity and ethics practice will help brands and senior teams ensure their business decisions and conduct align with the organisation’s purpose, commitments and stakeholder expectations.

The practice will work by identifying key areas for improvement as well as potential risks, opportunities and challenges, and will seek to support companies navigating societal changes.

Services offered by the new practice include ‘Ethical Futures’, which identifies incoming technological, social, political and economic changes that could shape the future of an organisation, and ‘Ethical Leadership’, which helps build the skills needed to address complex ethical decisions and dilemmas.

Other services are focused on culture and capabilities, and aligning operational services and culture with brand purpose, and societal impact strategy, to help develop environmental, social and governance (ESG) work.

Both Interbrand and Principia will work with brands and senior leaders on a consultancy basis.

Interbrand is also working with the United Nations Development Programme to help organisations build brand strategies that take action on social and environmental challenges.

Chris Nurko, group executive, brand integrity and ethics at Interbrand, said: “Neutrality across societal, political and economic crises is now seen as a failure of leadership.

“Brand leaders are being asked to make decisions on subjects that sit far outside of their core areas of expertise; 10 years ago CEOs were fired for business performance issues, today they are more likely to be fired for ethical issues.

“The brand integrity and ethics practice will see Interbrand and Principia Advisory work closely with brand leaders to ensure organisations ‘walk the talk’ and lead effective change.”

Sarah Miller, chief executive at Principia Advisory, said: “Brands and c-suite leaders now hold significant power, and with this power comes a responsibility to lead with integrity.

“There is an urgent need for leaders to equip themselves to make informed, meaningful decisions, and ensure that their purpose, values and ethical commitments are embedded into their culture.”