Too often in the face of a crisis, the focus is on the media and communications strategy. But the audience with the real power to inflict lasting damage on an organisation’s reputation and its day-to-day operations are often ignored. It is politicians and Government that put a long term spotlight on an organisation, introduce new laws or regulations, and maintain the pressure long after the media has lost interest.
Stuart Thomson, Head of Public Affairs at BDB Pitmans, discusses:
- The benefits of engagement with political audiences.
- How to manage a political audience to strengthen reputations.
- The steps to take if a crisis does occur.
About our Guest Speaker
Stuart is a public affairs and communications specialist at BDB Pitmans advising clients on all elements of their public affairs strategies including political and corporate communications, and reputation management. He is a CIPR Chartered PR Practitioner (Chart. PR).
Stuart is an honorary research fellow at the University of Aberdeen and is the author of several books including New Activism and the Corporate Response (heralded as a book that “every aspiring business leader should read” by MIS Asia), Public Affairs in Practice and The Dictionary of Labour Quotations. His most recently published book, Public Affairs: A Global Perspective has been called ‘an absolute treasure-trove’ and is a recommended read by the Government Communication Service (GCS).
Stuart regularly writes and lectures on a range of business and political issues and as well as blogging, he contributes to the Huffington Post and has written for Total Politics, City AM, and LabourList. He is also an adviser to The Entrepreneurs Network (TEN) and a regular speaker and chair at conferences.
