In today’s Finance Pulse, gain insight into how:

• Building trust with customers and employees can become a powerful strategy for scaling smarter and driving long-term business growth.

• Reform-minded activist investors are reshaping boardroom dynamics, offering ideas that catalyze shareholder value and operational improvements.

• Robust trust and safety programs are transforming risk management into a core growth strategy, boosting user retention, compliance, and profitability.

Each of these articles is penned by members of Forbes Finance Council, key luminaries shaping the future of finance.

Why Trust Is Still the Ultimate Business Accelerator

In an era of misinformation and skepticism, trust is an increasingly scarce yet vital resource. It’s not just a virtue; it’s a strategic advantage that drives customer loyalty, employee performance, and long-term growth.

Here’s what you need to know about embedding trust into your business:

🌱 Build Trust with Customers

• Listen deeply: Understand customers’ goals and challenges to position yourself as a partner, not just a supplier.

• Include them: Invite customers into processes like product development to strengthen relationships.

• Own mistakes: Transparency and accountability during missteps transform customer trust into long-term loyalty.

🤝 Foster Trust Within Teams

• Create a learning culture: Allow room for failure and creativity to spark innovation.

• Share decision-making rationale: Transparency builds respect and inclusion.

• Empower experts: Align new hires with clear roles and trust them to excel.

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From Raiders to Reformers: The New Face of Activist Investors

Activist investing has evolved far beyond hostile takeovers and flashy headlines. Today’s reform-minded activists are often strategic partners, driving long-term value rather than short-term gains. With examples spanning Salesforce, Samsung, and Hyundai, this new breed of activists is reshaping the boardroom dynamic.

Here’s how activism is becoming an agent for positive change:

🌐 Strategic Collaborations: Starboard Value helped Salesforce streamline operations, boosting margins without a proxy battle. Globally, Elliott Management has driven governance reforms at firms like Samsung and Hyundai, fostering transparency and better shareholder returns.

💡 Why Leaders Should Listen: External pressure can spark necessary conversations, breaking through organizational inertia. Activist proposals can offer fresh perspectives, helping boards reevaluate strategies and uncover overlooked opportunities.

✅ A Framework for Engagement: Evaluate the company’s real challenges: Are governance and performance structures aligned with shareholder interests? Progress comes from constructive dialogue, not defensiveness.

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Risk Meets Revenue: How Digital Trust Drives Growth

Trust and safety programs have evolved from behind-the-scenes tasks to board-level growth strategies. As user and regulatory expectations rise, companies across industries like gaming, fintech, healthcare, and e-commerce are leveraging proactive safety measures to protect users, and boost their bottom line.

Here’s how trust and safety fuel business success:

🔒 Proactive Prevention Pays Off: AI-powered tools in gaming cut toxic behavior by 50%, improving player retention and revenue. Fraud detection in e-commerce saves millions, with even a 1% improvement reducing losses from a $206B fraud epidemic.

🛡️ Compliance as a Competitive Edge: Strong safety systems reduce regulatory fines, turning risks into advantages in gaining faster service approvals. European and U.S. penalties for privacy and content violations now exceed billions.

📊 Key Business Benefits

• Increased user retention: Satisfied players and shoppers stay loyal and spend more.

• Brand-friendly platforms: Cleaner ecosystems attract premium advertisers.

• Operational efficiencies: AI lets human moderators focus on high-impact cases, cutting costs.

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Wrapping Up

If these articles sparked your interest, we have a network that you will absolutely love: Forbes Finance Council.

This exclusive, vetted community brings together the brightest minds in finance—founders, CEOs, CFOs, and other finance team leaders.

Put yourself at the forefront of innovation with access to publishing opportunities on Forbes.com, a personalized, SEO-friendly Executive Profile, and the chance to network with other respected leaders in the field.

Join Forbes Finance Council today, and become part of a group driving transformation in finance.