Mutual Value in Practice: how Mutual Value Labs is redefining systems from within

What happens when businesses stop putting themselves at the centre of the story and start seeing themselves as part of a wider system?

In this interview, we speak with Cyril Hetzel, CFO at Mutual Value Labs (MVL), about advancing an economy built on mutual value - one that balances financial, human, social and natural capital. From rethinking performance, to mapping organisational systems - “ecosystem mapping” - Cyril shares how the work of MVL’s helps surface hidden challenges and reshape decision-making.

We also speak with Emma Kemp, Mutual Value Labs People & Organisation Manager. She reflects on her placement with them on the On Purpose Associate and what that experience taught her about systems change, culture and hopeful problem solving.

Cyril, how would you describe Mutual Value Labs’ purpose?

I can’t really speak about Mutual Value Labs without speaking about the wider Economics of Mutuality Alliance. Our shared purpose is to advance an economy built on mutual value - one that recognises not just financial capital, but also natural, human and social capital.

At the heart of our approach is balancing those four forms of capital. Through our work with clients and partners, we have seen that solutions which create mutual value across them all are more resilient and enduring than decisions driven purely by financial performance.

Mutual Value Labs is the consulting, training and management practice entity within the Alliance. Our role is to equip businesses and their leaders to make decisions that create mutual value for people, communities, society and the planet.

We’re not here to “do it for” organisations. We focus on building capabilities - within organisations and at systems level - so that leaders can consistently make decisions that positively impact all stakeholders.

Cyril, tell us about a moment when you thought 'this is why we do what we do!'

One practice that really captures why we do this work is ecosystem mapping.

We help organisations stop seeing themselves at the centre of the ecosystem and instead see themselves as one stakeholder within it. That shift in perspective is powerful. When you decentre the organisation, blind spots become visible.

Through that mapping process, we work alongside companies to surface those meaningful challenges and understand how they are connected across the system. It’s not a one-off insight - it’s an ongoing exploration of how the organisation relates to the wider ecosystem and where it can contribute most effectively.

For example, we worked with a UK bank that wanted to bring households excluded from the financial system into banking - not necessarily to sell products, but to offer access as a service. By placing the ecosystem at the centre rather than the bank, it became clear that the households they were trying to reach weren’t actually looking for the type of financial services the bank was offering.

Together, we were able to reframe the challenge. That process of uncovering and reframing the challenge - and supporting the organisation to respond differently - is what makes the work feel impactful.

Emma, what was your role during your On Purpose placement with Mutual Value Labs?

My placement was quite unusual because, rather than working on external client projects, I was working with the team itself.

I was given four “characters” that Mutual Value Labs wanted to embody: purpose-centred, mutuality-minded, deep listeners and hopeful problem solvers. My role was to take those characters and embed them into the day-to-day life of the team so they would become real. That meant really understanding the team - the dynamics, how people work together and how they related to those character concepts. I did one-to-one conversations, facilitated workshops and ran an employee survey.

Together, we created a character framework - a document setting out our shared understanding of what those characters mean to us and how we live them out in practice. It was a real process of discovery. It helped us see the team more clearly and surfaced opportunities to do things differently that we might not have recognised otherwise.

Cyril, tell us about some of the organisations and people you work with

At Mutual Value Labs we work with commercial companies across sectors and geographies to help them bring mutual value into how they look at things, including their own purpose.

We also work at system level with ecosystem convenors and coordinators who want better visibility of relationships, challenges and pain points across their ecosystem.

Internally, we also try to “eat our own cooking”. That’s why Emma’s work on the four characters was so important. We realised that having values and principles wasn’t enough - we needed to focus on the “how”. How do people behave? How do we collaborate?

The four characters help us embed mutual value creation inside the organisation, not just externally. Her work left a lasting legacy.

Emma, what's something you're proud of achieving during your time with Mutual Value Labs?

I’m proud of the character framework I helped shape because it captures a shared vision of who we want to be at Mutual Value Labs - and we arrived at it collectively.

It was a process of discovery. The conversations we had along the way were just as important as the final document, and the framework holds that journey. It lives with us as something we can return to - a reference point for how we want to show up as a team.

But I’m also proud of where it’s taken us. Some of the things we introduced and tested - like the employee survey - are now becoming embedded practices. We plan to run it annually, and it’s already helped us better understand our strengths, what people value about working here, and where we want to grow. It’s given us more tangible ways to continue developing together. I’m proud that some of those foundations will carry on contributing to our ongoing growth as a team.

Emma, how has working with Mutual Value Labs shaped your understanding of what it takes to create change?

It’s shaped my understanding of organisations as living systems.

I came in thinking it was a small team and a fairly straightforward task. I quickly realised how complex it is to bring change even in a small group, because everything is interrelated. You can’t just set a direction and assume everything will go according to plan. You have to test and learn constantly.

Approaching the organisation as a living ecosystem has helped me remain a hopeful problem solver. It keeps me positive, even when things feel stuck. It’s also shaped how we approach things like feedback culture - recognising that giving and receiving feedback is part of how systems adapt and grow.

Cyril, what's something you're proud of achieving since joining Mutual Value Labs?

It’s been four and a half years since I joined Mutual Value Labs, and I genuinely think the four characters - and the framework around them - are something I’m most proud of as an organisation.

We’ve spent a long time defining who we are. We began as an internal think tank within Mars, focused on research. Then we became independent, operating as a foundation with a focus on advocacy and academic partnerships. Later, we explored becoming more like a traditional consulting firm - adopting the structures and practices of large consultancies, strengthening project management, aiming for efficiency. But it didn’t quite feel aligned - not just with what we wanted to achieve, but with how we wanted to achieve it.

With the four characters, and some of the other changes we’re making, we’re beginning to articulate something that feels more authentic to us. Perhaps we’re not fully “there” yet, but we’re identifying elements that define who we are and who we want to become. The four characters are a key part of that identity. They’re not about rejecting good practices - many organisations are doing excellent things. It’s about integrating those practices in a way that reflects our purpose and our commitment to living by mutuality and value creation.

For me, that feels distinctive - and something genuinely close to our heart.