Close
By Lottie Newell Inquests create a form of scrutiny that is both public and highly personal. By the time proceedings begin, organisations are often already under pressure, whether from bereaved families, staff, regulators, or the media. Crucially, an inquest does not need to assign blame to cause reputational damage. What matters is the narrative that forms as […]
By Joe MacIntyre What matters most during a CQC inspection? A CQC inspection is not just a test of operational performance. It’s also a test of how your organisation manages reputational risk under scrutiny. While inspections focus on safety, quality, and leadership, the outcome also shapes how your organisation is perceived by regulators, commissioners, staff, and the public. […]
The Mandelson vetting affair has become one of the most instructive, and damaging, examples of crisis communications mismanagement in recent political memory. Not because the underlying facts are necessarily fatal to the government, but because of how catastrophically the communications have been handled. The story, in brief: Peter Mandelson was appointed UK Ambassador to Washington in early 2025, […]
By Lottie Newell When things go wrong, organisations rarely stumble in private. Issues that begin as operational, regulatory or cultural failures quickly become reputational crises, played out in public and judged at speed. That is why boards need to think about risk through a reputation lens, not just an operational one. The UK Corporate Governance […]
By Lottie Newell When I arrived at Alder on the first day of my nine-week internship, I had very little idea of what to expect. I had, of course, researched the company and had thoroughly enjoyed tackling a crisis scenario during my second-round interview, but the world of crisis communications nonetheless remained something of a mystery. I was not left in the dark for very long, however, since my first […]
The UK charity sector has long been a symbol of strength, compassion and resilience. But, as domestic pressures rise and public hostility becomes more visible, its strength and stability are beginning to falter. Recent reports from the Charity Commission highlight concerning trends: charity workers have been verbally and physically abused on the streets, offices have […]
While delivering change is never easy, Reeves’ recent communication strategy, or lack thereof, offers a useful example of precisely how not to deliver a change process.
At the recent AGBIS/HMC/ISBA Heads, Governors and Bursars Conference, Tim Toulmin and Jack Myers shared insights with the audience on the evolving landscape of media, crisis management, and school strategy. While the world of journalism and public scrutiny continues to shift, the fundamentals of integrity, transparency, and strategic clarity remain constant anchors for school leaders. […]
Artificial intelligence is revolutionising the world of communications and crisis communications, but as we embrace this technological leap, we’re also seeing a somewhat disturbing paradox: the smarter our tools become, the less we seem to use our own grey matter. A recent article in The Guardian asked: Are we living in a golden age of […]