Trust and the Role of Communications

Interview with Marike Westra, Chief Communications Officer at COFRA, a privately held 6th generation family business on the central role of trust in communications. She believes communication is fundamental in creating trust in both business and brands. The interview touches upon the role of social media who have “democratized” society, even if bad actors try to misinform, on the importance of transparency in doing responsible business. She reminds us that things that are closer to you, you tend to trust more. Marike further talks about how employers can influence the direction of their company and the challenges in keeping trust in brands and the importance of data: “we should be data-informed, not data-driven”. Transparency in communications is key to trust.