What Purpose Union Limited does

Purpose Union Limited is a London-based social purpose strategy firm founded in 2019 that advises enterprises, charities, and public sector bodies on aligning business strategy with social and environmental purpose. The firm operates at the intersection of strategy, communications, and systems change, with a client roster that includes Sanofi, Google, Unilever, Pfizer, Novo Nordisk, Allen & Overy, Compass Group, Rosewood Hotel Group, Bauer Media, The Law Society, UCL, BT, National Grid, Malala Fund, WaterAid, and Citizens UK. It is led by CEO and Founding Partner Lewis Iwu, COO and Founding Partner Barry Johnston, and Director Patrick Steen, and self-describes as a minority-owned business that achieved B Corp certification in June 2023.

The firm has built a portfolio of proprietary advisory frameworks and services rather than software products. Core service lines include SpeechMark (executive advocacy and public-speaking coaching), Purposeful AI (an ethical AI strategy advisory launched in 2025), and Climate Counsel (a global partner network for climate strategy, also launched in 2025). Supporting IP includes the Purpose Navigator framework, the STAND (Sociopolitical Tool for Analysis, Negotiation and Decision-making) framework, the Five Tests of Narrative Resilience, and the When Green Gets Harder framework. Purpose Union also delivers Purpose Masterclasses training, Dialogues facilitation, and the annual Purpose Pulse research report tracking Gen Z and Millennial attitudes toward business purpose. Underlying technology consists of structured consulting methodologies and content assets (white papers, gated frameworks) rather than a software platform or proprietary AI models.

The business model is professional services with project-based engagements; pricing is not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales combined with a thought-leadership content engine — including annual research, blog content, white papers, email newsletters (Climate Counsel Newsletter, Diversity Digest), forecast events with More in Common, TEDx talks, and media placements in The Economist, Guardian, and Times — to generate inbound enterprise demand. Distribution is exclusively direct: engagements are delivered by founding partners and senior staff without channel partners or productized self-serve offerings. The firm is privately held with no disclosed external investment, and revenue and headcount time-series are not publicly available beyond the 11–50 employee range.

Name

Purpose Union Limited

Legal name

Purpose Union

Website

https://purposeunion.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Purpose Union Limited is a London-based social purpose strategy firm founded in 2019 that advises enterprises, charities, and public sector bodies on strategy, communications, climate, DEI, and training, with clients including Sanofi, Google, Unilever, and Pfizer.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Purpose Strategy Consulting

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental Education, Capacity Building & Community Engagement (BPADALAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Climate Policy, Governance & NDC Support (BPADALAA), Infrastructure, Housing & Community Development (BPAGABAL)

Keywords

• Social purpose consulting
• Corporate communications strategy
• Climate strategy advisory
• Diversity equity inclusion
• Executive advocacy coaching

Headquarters

HQ city

City Of London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Social Purpose Strategy Consulting: End-to-end professional services for purpose-led strategy, communications, and delivery. engagements range from boardroom advisory to campaign execution and training programs. Revenue appears to be project-based consulting fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Purpose Union Limited is a London-based social purpose strategy firm that advises businesses, charities, and public sector organisations on aligning purpose with action. The firm delivers end-to-end support across strategy advisory, communications and campaigns, climate strategy, diversity/equity/inclusion (DEI), and executive training, leveraging proprietary frameworks such as Purpose Navigator, STAND, and Resilient Narrative Framework. Services span from boardroom advisory to grassroots campaign execution, with named offerings including SpeechMark (executive advocacy coaching), Purposeful AI (responsible AI advisory), and Climate Counsel (climate partner network).

Product overview

Purpose Union is an award-winning social purpose strategy firm offering a portfolio of advisory services, frameworks, and training programs. The core services include SpeechMark (executive advocacy coaching), Purposeful AI (responsible AI advisory), and Climate Counsel (climate strategy). These are supported by proprietary frameworks including Purpose Navigator (purpose navigation in contested environments), STAND Framework (sociopolitical decision-making), and Resilient Narrative Framework (climate communications). The company also delivers Purpose Masterclasses training and Dialogues facilitation services, and produces the annual Purpose Pulse research report on Gen Z and Millennial expectations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SpeechMark: Purpose Union's executive advocacy coaching service helping leaders communicate with authority in high-stakes settings through advanced public speaking, debate and persuasion coaching.

Products and services

• SpeechMark Executive advocacy offering that helps leaders and experts communicate with authority in high-stakes settings through advanced public speaking, debate, and persuasion coaching.
• Purposeful AI Strategic advisory service helping organisations co-create Ethical AI Frameworks and Charters that embed sustainability, inclusion, and workplace dignity into AI strategies. Combines stakeholder mapping, risk profiling, best-practice benchmarking, and culture-building tools.
• Climate Counsel Global network of partners providing technical knowledge, subject expertise, and lived experience on climate change, offering climate strategy advisory across the public, private, and social sectors.
• Purpose Masterclasses Expert-led training courses covering social and environmental advocacy, digital campaigning, embedding purpose, coaching for strategic change on DEI, public speaking, and AI ethics.
• Dialogues Bespoke service that designs and facilitates structured conversations on sensitive social and cultural topics, enabling organisations to build understanding and emerge more united.
• Purpose Pulse Annual research report tracking Gen Z and Millennials' social concerns, trust in institutions, and expectations from organisations on social and environmental issues.
• Purpose Navigator Proprietary framework for leaders navigating purpose in a politically contested environment, providing a structured approach to taking stock of how purpose is embedded in business.
• STAND Framework Sociopolitical Tool for Analysis, Negotiation and Decision-making designed to help organisations decide whether and how to take stances on social justice events and contentious issues. Includes a decision-making scorecard and team-composition criteria.

Quantifiable outcome

• Trained over 160 Labour Party candidates ahead of UK general election
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• More in CommoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership for annual forecast events analyzing public opinion, political trends, and organizational implications. More in Common provides polling data while Purpose Union contributes strategic narrative expertise. Joint 2026 Forecast event explored forces shaping public opinion and trust.
• Sherlock CommunicationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAward-winning PR agency partnership for Latin America delivery. Working together to provide specialized COP30 strategy and activation planning for clients seeking on-the-ground insights from Brazil. Sherlock Communications has offices in São Paulo, Mexico City, Bogotá, and Buenos Aires.
• The ConduitminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Purpose Debates events hosting discussions on contested topics including AI and inequality. The Conduit provides venue and audience for debate format events.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Salterbaxter: Salterbaxter is a specialist sustainability communications consultancy working with global brands on purpose, climate, and ESG positioning. It directly competes with Purpose Union's Climate Counsel and communications offerings for similar enterprise clients.
• Freuds Group: Freuds is a UK-headquartered strategic communications and public affairs agency working with brands on purpose, climate, and social impact campaigns. It is a direct peer to Purpose Union's communications and advocacy work for similar enterprise and NGO clients.
• Finsbury: Finsbury is a global strategic communications and public affairs consultancy advising corporates on reputation, ESG, and crisis management. Lewis Iwu is a former employee, and the firm's services closely overlap with Purpose Union's strategy and communications offerings for senior stakeholders.
• Brunswick Group: Brunswick is an advisory firm specializing in critical issues, corporate communications, and public affairs, including purpose and ESG advisory. Lewis Iwu previously worked at Brunswick, and the firm's integrated advisory model is structurally similar to Purpose Union's strategy-plus-comms approach.
• Corporate Citizenship: Corporate Citizenship is a specialist sustainability and purpose consultancy advising companies on ESG strategy, reporting, and stakeholder engagement. It is a closely comparable specialist firm competing for similar enterprise purpose mandates.

Broad incumbents

• Teneo: Teneo is a global advisory firm offering strategic communications, management consulting, and ESG advisory to senior executives. Its integrated advisory offering overlaps with Purpose Union's boardroom advisory and ESG/purpose positioning services, though Teneo operates at much larger scale.
• Edelman: Edelman is a global communications marketing firm with a dedicated purpose, climate, and DEI practice (Edelman Trust, Trust Barometer). It competes with Purpose Union on purpose strategy and stakeholder engagement but operates at vastly greater scale across global markets.

Emerging players

• Volans: Volans is a UK-based purpose and sustainability advisory firm working with businesses on climate, regenerative business models, and systems change. It is comparable to Purpose Union's strategy advisory practice, particularly on climate and systems change work.
• GlobeScan: GlobeScan is a research and insights firm focused on public attitudes toward sustainability, purpose, and corporate responsibility. It is comparable to Purpose Union's Purpose Pulse research and stakeholder insights capabilities, though GlobeScan leads in survey infrastructure.

Others

• Onward: Onward is a UK think tank focused on economic and social policy reform, working with business and policy stakeholders on progressive policy change. Barry Johnston's policy and advocacy background links Purpose Union to comparable policy-engagement work, though Onward is a nonprofit research entity rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/purpose_union
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/purpose-union

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Purpose Union Limited