Santa Clara, CA – In an era when brands are scrutinized not only for their products but for their values, leadership and societal impact, marketing alone can no longer carry the burden of brand reputation. Thought leader and marketing strategist Faranak Firozan argues that it is time for companies to appoint a Chief Conscience Officer (CCO) and restructure from within, moving ethics and purpose out of marketing silos and into the heart of the business. Firozan’s bold blueprint calls for embedding ethical decision making at the highest level in order to build brands consumers trust and talent want to join.
With more than a decade of experience shaping marketing strategies for startups and global brands, Firozan brings a unique blend of creative storytelling, multicultural insight and strategic discipline. Born in Tehran, raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, she earned a B.A. in Psychology from University of California, Berkeley and an M.S. in Integrated Marketing Communications from Northwestern University. Her work spans high impact digital campaigns, brand identities, global go to market launches and transformation initiatives.
“Marketing has long been the voice of the brand,” Firozan says, “but it is no longer sufficient for ethics, purpose and trust to live solely in the marcomm team. These are enterprise issues, crossing finance, operations, HR, product and leadership. That’s why I propose a Chief Conscience Officer, someone with a seat in the C suite, whose remit is to ensure values match actions across the entire organisation.”
Why the Shift from Marketing to Ethics Must Happen
Firozan explains that many organisations treat brand values as slogans, managed by the marketing department, rather than lived through every division and function. The consequences are clear: brand reputation crises, talent attrition, and consumer skepticism. By contrast, an authentic, enterprise wide approach to ethics creates trust, strengthens culture and differentiates the brand in today’s crowded market.
She identifies three key drivers for this shift:
- Consumer and talent expectations – Today’s consumers and employees want more than a good product or an engaging ad. They want purpose, transparency and integrity. Organisations that fail to align will lose both customers and top talent.
- Complexity of business decisions – Many ethical dilemmas emerge outside marketing: in supply chains, vendor relationships, data usage, employee policy, community impact. Keeping ethics in the marketing silo ignores the real sources of brand risk.
- Competitive advantage – Brands that build an ethical architecture have a long term moat: trust, loyalty, authenticity. This gives them resilience in times of disruption and creates a magnet for the best employees who want more than a job, they want meaning.
The Chief Conscience Officer: Role and Responsibilities
Firozan’s concept of the Chief Conscience Officer is deliberate. This executive reports to the CEO or Board, participates in strategic decision making and owns the ethical integrity of the entire brand and business. Key responsibilities include:
- Defining, interpreting and operationalising brand values across every business function.
- Embedding ethical frameworks into product development, supply chains, data governance, HR practices and more.
- Assessing and mitigating brand reputation risk by foreseeing where business decisions may conflict with stated values.
- Championing internal culture, employee voice and stakeholder alignment, ensuring the organisation “lives its values,” not just markets them.
- Reporting metrics of transparency, impact and trust to the Board and stakeholders.
Firozan notes, “When values are delegated to the marketing department, they become a campaign. When they are owned at the C suite level, they become the company’s compass.”
Practical Steps for Embedding Ethics at the Core
Firozan outlines a five step roadmap for organisations ready to shift:
- Audit brand values and their alignment – Map values currently used in marketing and evaluate if they are reflected in operations, hiring, vendor relations and culture.
- Appoint the Chief Conscience Officer – Secure senior leadership buy in, define the role, empower integration across functions and include the role in strategic governance.
- Build cross functional ethics boards or councils – Create forums where product, tech, HR, marketing, finance and operations collaborate on ethical decisions, led by the CCO.
- Embed ethics in processes and metrics – Ensure ethical impact becomes part of KPIs: supplier audits, data privacy scores, employee survey results, community impact metrics.
- Communicate authenticity and accountability – Share not just what you stand for, but how you are measured, what you have done, where you have fallen short and how you are improving.
Transformation in Action: Firozan’s Approach
During her career, Firozan has been brought in at moments of brand transformation: rebrands, new market launches, global scaling. In each case she emphasises not only market identity, but internal alignment: “Brand identity is only as strong as the culture that lives it,” she says. She underscores the importance of leadership modelling behaviour, rewarding integrity and breaking down departmental siloes.
The Business Case: Why Ethics Drive Growth
Investing in ethics isn’t a cost center, it’s a growth lever, according to Firozan. She outlines three major business benefits:
- Attracting and retaining talent – Purpose driven organisations appeal to millennials, Gen Z and diverse talent groups looking to work where values align with personal convictions.
- Reducing reputational risk – When ethics are reactive, you end up in crisis mode. A proactive ethics architecture prevents missteps and builds resilience to external shocks.
- Strengthening customer loyalty and brand equity – Brands perceived as values driven command higher trust. In an age of infinite choice, trust becomes a differentiator.
Why Now Is the Moment
Firozan points to a convergence of pressures that make this shift urgent: data privacy demands, supply chain transparency expectations, workforce activism, ESG disclosures and shifting consumer loyalty. Organisations that wait risk being outpaced by competitors who are already lining up ethics with strategy, culture and growth.
She warns, “If you treat ethics as an afterthought, you’re inviting brand erosion. If you operationalise it at the heart of your business, you create a legacy.”
About Faranak Firozan
Based in Santa Clara, CA, Faranak Firozan has built a reputation as a marketing strategist with depth across high growth and established brands. Her multicultural background, combined with Silicon Valley experience, gives her a rare perspective on how to infuse purpose into brand and business. She is a passionate advocate for women in business and mentor to immigrant entrepreneurs. Outside her professional life she engages in abstract painting, community work and elevating diverse voices in marketing.
Contact:
Faranak Firozan
Firozan & Co.
Santa Clara, CA
Email: firozan@faranakfirozan.com
Website: https://faranakfirozan.com/
Conclusion
In a world where brand authenticity matters as much as product performance, organisations must evolve. The move from “marketing values” to “business values” will separate the brands that survive from those that thrive. As Faranak Firozan makes clear, bringing ethics into the C suite via a Chief Conscience Officer isn’t optional, it is essential. Brands willing to align internal culture, structure and decision making around values are not only more trusted, they are destined to lead.
About Firozan & Co.
Firozan & Co. is a strategic brand and marketing consultancy that empowers companies to build purpose led brand identities, embed ethics into business culture and drive sustainable growth. Based in Silicon Valley, the firm partners with startups and global enterprises to deliver transformative change.
