The issue at Campbell’s is neither one of compliance nor enterprise risk management, but rather one of reputation risk governance. The question is therefore how did reputation resilience become so impaired that that one-year old stupid comment by an allegedly impaired senior executive, then into his 5th month of employment, exposed weak governance, reputation risk management, and reputation crisis management?
As of December 26, 2025, the reputation premium-seeking RepuSPX is out-performing the S&P500 Index by 401.1%
To recruit and retain robust diverse boards, companies need the protection of Steel City Re’s Side R® D&O parametric reputation insurance.
The reputation premium-seeking RepuSPX is out-performing the S&P500 Index by 408.6%. The metrics also enable parametric reputation insurance.
Risk governance disclosures boosted equity value relative to peers at 1, 28, 56, and 84 days by averages of 0.3%, 5.6%, 3.7% and 4.1%.
The shifting landscape of social and cultural norms have made reputation risk—which threatens liquidity—more prevalent, costly to firms, and personal to corporate leadership. Risk professionals are now describing reputation risk as a threat to resilience rather than a PR problem. Communications executives are using new reputation risk governance and management intelligence tools, and both the American Law Institute and the DCRO Risk Governance Institute are recommending reputation insurance for companies and their boards.
The trailing twelve month spreads over the S&P500 of the three reputation-linked indices comprising RepuStars Variety Corporate Reputation Composite Equity Index family range from 2.43% to 20.67%. The spread between the two reputation-based price-only indices, REPUVAR and REPUSPX, is 15.68%. All three indices are outperforming the S&P500. Over its lifetime, the reputation premium-seeking RepuSPX is out-performing the S&P500 Index by 380.09%
We. Communications launches reputation forecast: A board-level framework for managing reputation value and risk for governance and ERM. The new offering combines financial-grade data from Steel City Re, the pioneering advisory firm behind reputation risk insurance, with We.’s full-stack communications intelligence including media monitoring, audience polling, social analytics and AI insights.
Good governance does not shield directors from liability risk nor reputation risk. The former is the hard lesson learned by everyone in the mid 1980’s; the latter is being learned now. The reputations of board members have increasingly become targets in a time of heightened activism and social media activity. Read the article in Directors & Boards to learn what experts say directors should do.
Personal attacks on directors are now a governance weapon – amplified by activists, media, and social platforms. Traditional protections (proxy advisors, board slates, collegiality) are eroding. Reputational harm can drive board turnover, litigation, and long-term career damage. Emerging responses: (1) Hazard pay for directors; (2) Reputation insurance alongside D&O coverage. Oversight of reputational risk is mission-critical. Boards must exercise foresight: how is reputational risk being integrated into risk management, who is responsible, and how is the company mitigating it?