Meet Lindsey Smith: The New Voice Behind Progress’ CSR Vision

Lindsey Smith has joined Progress as Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), bringing extensive experience in aligning social impact with business goals. She aims to elevate Progress's CSR program from a standalone function to a strategic driver integrated with the company's core business operations.

At Progress, we believe that businesses can, and should, be a force for good. That’s why we’re thrilled to welcome Lindsey Smith as our new Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility. With a proven track record of driving impactful change in business, community and sustainability, Lindsey brings a fresh energy and vision to our CSR efforts. In this conversation, she shares insights into her journey, the future of CSR at Progress and what it means to lead with purpose in today’s world.

Congratulations on your new role! Can you share a bit about your background and what led you to pursue a career, and eventually, a leadership role in CSR at Progress?

Thank you! I’m thrilled to be here. I found my way into CSR after spending a few years in Finance and in Business school. Not exactly a “traditional” path, but I’ve always been drawn to community involvement and the belief that businesses can be successful and positively impact our world. I’ve spent the last several years building and scaling CSR strategies at large and mid-size organizations like Pegasystems and Santander, where I focused on aligning social impact and inclusion with business objectives, employee engagement and brand reputation.

What drew me to Progress was the deep passion and commitment to CSR here at all levels of the company. That was clear to me right away. There’s a robust history of meaningful programs and activities across all our global locations that have been led by folks willing to roll up their sleeves and make things happen. I see an opportunity to continue to elevate that work and evolve CSR from a standalone function into more of a strategic driver.

What does it mean to lead with integrity in corporate social responsibility today? Furthermore, what does a purpose-driven organization look like to you in daily practice?

To me, leading with integrity in CSR means consistently making decisions that reflect our company’s values, even when it is increasingly complex. It's also approaching our CSR efforts in an authentic way for our business that builds trust with employees, communities and other stakeholders.

An organization that is truly purpose-driven lives its values through everyday actions and communications, not just annual CSR reports or campaigns.

As expectations around corporate responsibility continue to evolve, how do you ensure that our CSR initiatives remain aligned with our values while also being adaptable in a dynamic social and regulatory landscape?

There’s been a lot of change in this field over the past few years, so it’s been essential to adapt (on a personal level and from the perspective of a company).

One way to ensure our CSR initiatives remain aligned with our values is by strategically linking CSR to our business. Progress for Tomorrow—our CSR program—is organized around three pillars: Our People, Our Communities, Our Planet. I’m introducing “Our Business” as the foundation of our CSR program and the engine that drives success across all three pillars. When we talk about our CSR program and as we design new initiatives, their connection with the business will be clear. This alignment ensures that CSR is not peripheral but central to how we operate and grow.

Finally, it's important that our program is open to continuous feedback and adaptation. Our efforts will not be “set it and forget it.” Instead, we'll consistently seek feedback through mechanisms like engagement surveys, focus groups and direct conversations to ensure that our programs continue to be impactful and meet the needs of all our stakeholders.

Are there particular causes or community issues that you believe Progress is uniquely positioned to support?

It’s critically important that our CSR focus areas are strategically aligned with our business and core competencies. This helps ensure we’re directing our community investments to where Progress is best positioned to make an impact, that our efforts are authentic and that CSR is a business growth driver, not just a “nice to have” function that’s bolted on as an afterthought.

One area I see as essential to our business and future talent pool is STEM education. We have a rich history of supporting STEM initiatives here, including our STEM Scholarship programs. In the same vein, AI education and accessibility is an area we’ll explore more. How can we leverage our own skills around AI to better prepare the next generation for the future of work?

How do you plan to empower and engage employees, customers and partners with CSR in a way that feels personal and meaningful to them?

CSR efforts aren’t successful without support and participation from employees. To support global engagement, we’ll be launching CSR Committees in many of our offices to empower employees to help shape what CSR looks like in each region. CSR Committees will own and lead volunteer activities and partnerships with NGOs and support local Employee Resource Group (ERG) programming and sustainability-related events with guidance from our team With this approach, we can foster grassroots efforts—which are so important for meeting local needs—while ensuring that we’re all rowing in the same direction with a global strategy.

Supporting our ERGs also remains a top priority. Our team is focused on equipping them with new tools and resources to grow, connect and continue building the vibrant communities that are essential to our culture at Progress.

We’re also planning some enhancements to our giving and volunteering programs. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive menu of opportunities that can meet Progressers where they want to engage.

We’re also exploring ways to deepen relationships with customers and partners by collaborating on joint CSR initiatives that reflect our shared values, such as events co-hosted by our ERGs or volunteer projects.

Where do you see the biggest opportunity for innovation in CSR right now?

Like every other business function, CSR is also embracing the exciting possibilities that AI brings. There are so many opportunities to make our work even more impactful. Some examples are using AI and automation to streamline our impact reporting and to personalize engagement and communications around our programming. We’re just starting to explore and look forward to the possibilities!

Progress’ commitment to CSR is more than a statement—it’s a strategic driver that shapes our business, our culture and our impact on the world. Under Lindsey’s leadership, we’re excited to continue evolving our CSR program, integrating it deeply into our operations and empowering every Progress employee, and stakeholder to make a meaningful difference.

If you’re inspired to learn more about our initiatives, explore opportunities to get involved, or discover how Progress is making a positive impact, we invite you to visit our CSR page—Progress for Tomorrow. There, you’ll find details about our STEM Scholarship programs, sustainability efforts and ways to engage with our community.