Insights

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Media and presentation coaching

We help leaders develop their communication skills so they have the techniques and confidence to deliver their key messages, whether in high-profile media interviews or at conferences and internal events. 

In a multiplatform world where comments are scrutinised and shared like never before, we provide coaching to navigate the toughest questioning, enabling speakers to showcase their expertise to investors, customers, policymakers and employees.

Meticulous preparation and practice are required to become an effective communicator. Our coaching programmes are tailored to individual needs, circumstances and scenarios and are run by media experts from the highest levels of print, television and radio journalism, including the BBC, Sky, The Telegraph and City AM.  

  • Media training
  • Executive coaching
  • Select committee preparation
  • Boardroom presentation support
  • Mock panel event scenarios
  • Internal communications programme

Employee communication and engagement

Our team helps clients navigate the changing world of work and its impact on their business and employees so they can drive engagement, empower their people and build trust. 

In a world where corporates may have as many as five generations working for them and many teams working remotely, it has never been more important and complex to find ways to build trust and engagement. For clients navigating a business transformation, we help ensure the buy-in, mindset and behavioural change needed.  

  • Research, audits and diagnostic tools
  • Narrative and value proposition development
  • Capturing employee voice
  • Driving employee advocacy
  • Delivering employee campaigns
  • Ensuring effective channel architecture and adoption
  • Support with social, conduct and issues communications to prevent employee activism

Corporate communications, reputation management and leadership

We specialise in crafting strong, resilient narratives designed to showcase our clients’ credentials, enhance their brands and solidify their position as industry leaders.

We ensure complex stories are told clearly and concisely so that they are fully understood by their intended audiences, using a creative, multi-channel approach. Leveraging deep industry expertise, we bring our clients new perspectives, ideas and stronger relationships across media, politics and the private sector. Our London and New York offices work seamlessly together, bridging client mandates globally.

  • Narrative development
  • Corporate positioning
  • Media relations
  • Media training
  • Event support
  • Board and leadership communications
  • Campaigning and stakeholder engagement
  • Transition communication
  • Scenario planning

Financial PR and investor relations

We collaborate with executives and investor relations teams at fast growing private businesses and listed companies to effectively communicate their business strategies and financial narratives with investors, analysts and potential partners.

Our strategic counsel involves advising companies across the financial calendar, covering critical junctures such as M&A, fundraisings, hostile takeovers, leadership transitions and crisis management. Our approach is underpinned by in-depth analysis of market intelligence and investor sentiment and is enhanced with proactive engagement with core financial stakeholder groups.

  • Investor relations advisory
  • Investment case and corporate narrative development
  • Financial reporting and calendar management
  • Event support (AGM and Capital Market Days)
  • Analyst and investor engagement
  • Special situation scenario planning
  • Crisis planning and management
  • Consensus reports
  • Stakeholder perception studies

Political advisory

We have a new Government and a new Parliament, and Hawthorn’s political advisory team is ready to help you engage with this new world.

We have years of combined experience in Westminster, Whitehall, devolved administrations, local government and across the spectrum of political parties, as well as experts from print media, international institutions, think tanks, trade associations and regulatory bodies.

We work with clients to develop compelling political messaging and engagement strategies and drive forward impactful campaigns that achieve political, policy and regulatory goals. We have strong networks across all political parties and the policy-making community. We work across clients in the tech, media, financial services, energy and infrastructure sectors supporting some of the globe’s largest brands in their political engagement.

Subscribe now to our fortnightly public affairs bulletin, ‘The Hawthorn Headliner,’ where our experts provide insights and analysis on politics and policy.

  • Engagement strategy with new MPs
  • Hawthorn political check-in
  • Hawthorn’s new Parliament guide
  • Parliamentary and Government messaging
  • Party conference concierge package
  • Political risk, audit and opportunity report – the Hawthorn ‘sense check’
  • Sector-specific policy development
  • Select committee training

Digital strategy, SEO and content creation

Our team of digital specialists help individuals and businesses take ownership of their online presence through a combination of smart content creation and optimisation strategies.

We use data insights to shape digital strategies, which empower clients to effectively tell their story and reach target audience groups. Our approach is to ensure that clients’ channels are fit-for-purpose and achieve organisational and business objectives.

  • Digital and content strategy
  • Creative content creation
  • Multi-channel campaigns
  • Organic and paid social media
  • Website build and management
  • Digital reputation management
  • Benchmarking and impact measurement

Issues and litigation support

We prepare clients to identify and manage issues that could threaten their reputations. Using extensive research techniques, we develop risk profiles and mitigation plans that build resilience.

Over the past decade we have worked on extensive corporate restructurings, activist investor and shareholder issues and cyber-attacks as well as high profile strikes on individuals and organisations.  

In many instances we work alongside leading law firms across Europe, the Middle East, US, Asia, and Africa supporting clients in individual and commercial disputes, extradition, libel and family matters. 

  • Risk audits and stress tests
  • Offensive and defensive strategy planning and narrative development
  • Media engagement
  • Litigation support
  • Media training
  • Digital resilience
  • Crisis simulations
  • Preparedness for public inquiries and select committee appearances

Data and insights

Our team uses the latest software and market-leading search tools to underpin communication strategies and to understand the reputational risk facing our clients.

Our investigations identify problematic pieces of publicly available information. Our analysis interprets the opinions, conversations and thinking of audiences allowing us to build holistic communications strategies. Our analytics evaluate the reputational impact of actions taken in risk management and communications strategies.

  • Advanced research
  • Reputational risk analyses
  • Due diligence investigations
  • Perception audits
  • Real-time monitoring
  • Strategic risk management

International

Our international clients engage Hawthorn to build and deliver strategies out of London and New York, whilst also deploying strategies across local markets, using tried and tested partners in the region as required. 

We work with governments, corporates, NGOs and high-profile individuals in Europe, Africa, North America, and the Middle East. 

  • International media strategies and outreach
  • Narrative development
  • Risk profiling
  • Cross border disputes
  • M&A

Sustainability

We help leaders and organisations navigate complex environmental and social issues to drive meaningful action.

We help them to understand specific challenges, identify and manifest purpose, pre-empt concerns, build better relationships with stakeholders and develop credible positions from which they can make the most impact. Our work is informed by our deep understanding of the environment, politics, supply chains and financial systems.

  • Identifying the risks that organisations face
  • Building campaigns and coalitions
  • Developing sustainability thought leadership
  • Stress testing the reputation of organisations in the face of rapidly changing expectations