The Little Questions Apella Advisors

"The brand is our promise, our reputation is how well we live up to it. Or not."
Is that really the case? Is it that binary? Isn’t branding all about design and badges – the colours and shapes we can and cannot use as defined by the infamous brand police? Oh, and the odd expensive ad campaign or three?  
Isn’t influencing and curating the firm’s reputation what we comms and corporate affairs people do?  
Let’s accept that every organisation does need a brand and that brand needs to be managed. The little question is then; how can we comms people best work with and help our always snappily dressed brand colleagues down the corridor with their coloured pencils and fancy computers?  
To discuss this little question are two Apella Advisors partners, Andrew Brown and Matt Young. 
Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailingpodcast@apellaadvisors.com and if you enjoy this episode, please consider leaving us a review.
Matt Young is an Apella Advisors partner with 25 years of experience in corporate affairs. He was Corporate Affairs Director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA. Experienced in corporate communications; public affairs and policy; regulatory affairs and risk; industrial relations; crisis and complex issues management; reputation turnarounds; campaigns, competition; and ESG. Former Head of Public Affairs and Public Policy at TSB Bank. Previously a Partner at a global communications agency and has worked in the media and politics.
Andrew Brown is an Apella Advisors partner, a former Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Ageas Insurance. He has more than ten years’ experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors, developing considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. 
This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.

At the Little Questions, we’re always at the forefront of current events – whether that’s the Great Fire of London or the Battle of Hastings, we’re ready to chew the topical cud on all manner of things but, as ever, wearing our PR and comms hats.
Today we're going to talk about:  
Whether corporations should dictate what words should and shouldn’t be used?  1 in 3 would have ‘complete confidence’ in AI handling crisis comms; 47% would be ‘somewhat confident’. Really? What does this mean for the comms and PR world? The corporate back-track. How to do it successfully. Marketing and comms joining forces, is it a trend? Anne Boden’s comments on men in gilets holding too much influence in business.  Proactive versus reactive; are we seeing less proactive PR campaigns? Have media teams become just reactive functions that issue statements on issues? Are we losing the creative edge? Is that a result of businesses becoming too risk averse? As ever, for you as a listener in the world of comms and beyond, we’ll extract the lessons learnt from all these stories and deliver them in this episode of The Little Questions.
Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailingpodcast@apellaadvisors.com and if you enjoy this episode, please consider leaving us a review.
Matt Young is an Apella Advisors partner with 25 years of experience in corporate affairs. He was Corporate Affairs Director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA. Experienced in corporate communications; public affairs and policy; regulatory affairs and risk; industrial relations; crisis and complex issues management; reputation turnarounds; campaigns, competition; and ESG. Former Head of Public Affairs and Public Policy at TSB Bank. Previously a Partner at a global communications agency and has worked in the media and politics.
Andrew Brown is an Apella Advisors partner, a former Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Ageas Insurance. He has more than ten years’ experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors, developing considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. 

Five years ago, a number of us came together to launch a new strategic communications firm, Apella Advisors. We'd either led large consultancies or held senior roles as corporate affairs directors at some large organisations. But we saw an opportunity to do something a little bit different. So as we reach this five year mark, we thought we'd use this edition of the Little Questions podcast to lift the lid a little on the running of our business.

The ups and downs, the do's and don'ts. As always, we'll ponder the little things. 
 
This episode is hosted by Apella Partners, James Acheson-Gray and Anthony Silverman.
 
Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com and if you enjoy this episode, please consider leaving us a review.
 
James Acheson-Gray has been a long-term advisor to senior decision makers on the value of harnessing reputation to enhance commercial objectives. Over 20 years’ experience running successful PR/PA firms and major client programmes in Europe and Asia. Managing director of APCO Worldwide from 2012-2019. Consultancy of the Year 2018. Former Board Director of the Queen’s Club.

 
Anthony Silverman spent over 20 years advising global boards and executive teams with complex reputational needs. Recent clients include Aquiline Capital, Atlas Merchant Capital, Deutsche Bank, Selfridges Group, and Pension Insurance Corporation. A significant client base in Europe and the US. Previously Senior Managing Director at Teneo.
This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.

In the world of communications, it pays to be current. Whether you are working in-house or at an agency, being the first to say “But have you read that piece in the FT today?” makes you appear as though you have a finger on the media pulse.
This week on the Little Questions Podcast, we attempt to sound like we’re at the cutting edge of public discourse.
Today we’re going to chew the topical cud on:  
Why have a Budget Statement when everything in it has already been publicised in the press? Getting cut through on a story – some contrasting examples from Tesco and Drax. The slugging match that is Huffy Henry Staunton vs Bruiser Badenoch. Mary Poppins and the use of inappropriate words. An amazing BP insider trading story. The nature of the worthless public apology. The legal firm Schillings going into PR ‘big time’. And a sad story of Flaco the eagle-owl. As ever, for you as a listener in the world of comms and beyond, we’ll extract the lessons learnt from all these stories and deliver them in this episode of The Little Questions.
Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com and if you enjoy this episode, please consider leaving us a review.
Matt Young is an Apella Advisors partner with 25 years of experience in corporate affairs. He was Corporate Affairs Director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA. Experienced in corporate communications; public affairs and policy; regulatory affairs and risk; industrial relations; crisis and complex issues management; reputation turnarounds; campaigns, competition; and ESG. Former Head of Public Affairs and Public Policy at TSB Bank. Previously a Partner at a global communications agency and has worked in the media and politics.
Andrew Brown is an Apella Advisors partner, a former Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Ageas Insurance. He has more than ten years’ experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors, developing considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. 
This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.

Having a coach in business is a relatively new phenomenon and in Corporate Affairs, arguably even rarer. 
But could having a great coach be what takes you and your corporate affairs team from pretty darn good to stand out brilliant? 
How do you know when you need a coach and what are the signs? How do you go about finding the right one? Could having a coach be seen as an admission that you’re struggling and potentially not up to the job? And, what is the difference between coaching and mentoring?
This podcast episode is here to answer these questions and to do so host Andrew Brown is joined by two special guests well placed to share their experience and insights.
First, Maxine Taylor, a former Corporate Affairs Director at Eli Lilly, Nationwide and King's College London. Maxine is now a full time coach focusing on Corporate Affairs. Secondly, Jake Rigg who is the Director of Corporate Affairs at National Grid ESO.
Host Andrew Brown is an Apella Advisors partner, a former Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Ageas Insurance. He has more than ten years’ experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors, developing considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc.
Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com
This podcast was produced by The Podcast Coach.

The world is changing. There appears to be an increasing reluctance amongst CEOs and senior leaders to engage with mainstream business and financial media.

From the corporate world’s perspective, you can see why this makes sense. Why have your carefully crafted messages interrogated by a grumpy intermediary from the press when you can go direct via your owned channels?
From the journalist’s view, this is disintermediation laid bare. If we believe the role of the fourth estate is to give an independent and critical view, then companies and individuals must engage with the press. It is all part of a democracy in action.

So, what’s driving this shift? Is it the growth in owned channels? Has the pressure on
journalists to cover more and write more, led to a denuding of expertise? Has that made CEO’s more reluctant to engage with a journalist who has limited understanding of their sector? Is it a trend or just a passing phase?
Matt Young is an Apella Advisors partner with 25 years of experience in corporate affairs. He was Corporate Affairs Director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA.

Experienced in corporate communications; public affairs and policy; regulatory affairs and risk; industrial relations; crisis and complex issues management; reputation turnarounds; campaigns, competition; and ESG. Former Head of Public Affairs and Public Policy at TSB Bank. Previously a Partner at a global communications agency and has worked in the media and politics.
Andrew Brown is an Apella Advisors partner, a former Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Ageas Insurance. He has more than ten years’ experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors, developing considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc.
Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com
This episode has been produced by The Podcast Coach.