Nishant Roy on Social Impact Through Business

"Chief Impact Officer" wasn't a job twenty years ago. But a decade ago, it became one of the fastest-growing roles in business. Today, it's complicated because the idea that companies should “do good” has been dragged into the culture wars. So what does it look like when a company actually takes that responsibility seriously and builds purpose into its operations? On this episode of BETTER GOOD, Scott M. Curran (https://www.scottmcurran.com/) is joined by Nishant Roy, Chief Impact Officer of Chobani, for a candid conversation about purpose-driven business, corporate responsibility, and what it really means when a company says profit and purpose can coexist. Nishant traces his path from his immigrant family's roots and service in the U.S. Air Force—including deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq—through Goldman Sachs, USAID, and a fateful LinkedIn message that led him to Chobani's founder, Hamdi Ulukaya. He explains how Chobani went from an SBA loan and a shuttered factory in upstate New York to the number one yogurt brand in America, and why how a company makes its products matters as much as what's on the shelf. From cutting sugar across an entire food category, to hiring refugees in rural New York, to building a sustainable supply chain that pays farmers for imperfect fruit, Nishant makes the case that corporate impact isn't marketing—it's operations. This episode explores themes of purpose-driven leadership, career reinvention, food systems, refugee inclusion, and why the work of doing good doesn't stop just because the acronyms change. - Guest: Nishant Roy Host: Scott M. Curran Executive Producers: Aaron Shulman & Kieron Banerji Production by Echo Studios -  Check out our Podcast: ➡️ https://www.linktr.ee/scottmcurran -  Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction 00:04:46 Early Memories of Doing Good 00:08:41 From the Air Force to Wall Street 00:11:57 Government Service and Global Development 00:13:52 The LinkedIn Message That Changed Everything 00:17:50 Making Career Pivots with Purpose 00:28:54 The Chobani Story and Food Revolution 00:34:10 Supply Chain Innovation for Impact 00:40:55 Building a Melting Pot Workforce 00:47:47 Proof That Profit and Purpose Go Together -  Better Good is a podcast series where you’ll meet the visionaries and doers tackling the toughest challenges of our time. With moving stories and practical takeaways, Scott M. Curran brings listeners into the art and science of doing good—through conversations with the social-impact leaders reshaping how we change the world. Whether you lead a global workforce, run a fast-growing nonprofit, or are simply driven to make a difference, this show offers the ideas, inspiration, and tools to leave the world better than you found it. The world's biggest problems won’t wait. Neither should you.