Reputation and crisis management for independent businesses, charities and people

All businesses, charities and individuals face risks that could damage their reputations. Apart from risks that are common to all – fraud, disgruntled employees, health and safety failures – each will face risks specific to their industry, cause or profession. In business it might be serious or fatal accidents, infiltration by illegal workers, food poisoning. For charities it could be abuse of people in their care, criticism from service users, celebrities behaving contradictorily. With individuals it is often extremely personal.

All these risks start as issues. They are issues that pose risks that might damage reputations. They become crises if they have not been properly identified, measured, mitigated and prepared for. If you haven’t taken steps to reduce the impact of risks, and planned what you will do if the issue blows, your reputation could be damaged forever.

With over 30 years’ reputation and crisis management experience, I will help you prepare for the worst and, if it does happen, guide you through the crisis and back to business including by:

conducting an audit and preparing a risk register identifying issues, assessing risk levels and proposing mitigation actions; producing a crisis management plan so you know what to do and say, when and how, to manage the worst if it arises; organising workshops to inform and train people who are responsible for managing issues and responding to crises; running rehearsals that put your crisis management plan to the test; providing media training so you know how to manage traditional and social media; guiding you through the crisis if it happens; advising you on how to recover from the crisis and return to business success.

For tips and comments on crises in the news do read mycrisis management blog:

Corporate writer and freelance journalist

Writing has been an urge since the days of saying thank you in ink on Basildon Bond.

As a journalist writing about life, taking a sideways look and with a light touch is my way. I live to eat and I travel to eat – so food and travel feature most. I’m a passionate supporter of independent businesses, restaurants and shops and exposing the issues they battle with is a mission. Waste and recycling are recurring themes.

I’ve written for The Independent, Air Canada’s CheckIn, Square Meal and my local community website. For three and a half years, I wrote the local issue column of The Green, distributed in west London. I also wrote its Kids’ Corner column for a year, using a pseudonym, plus other features – food, books, people, places, events – for The Green and many of its sister magazines (published by Archant Life).  For six heady weeks I had my own column in PR Business, taking a sideways look at freelance life. That was deliciously intoxicating. The magazine folded – not because of my column. 

I write for businesses and charities – websites, newsletters, blogs, articles, handbooks, guides, annual reports. I was born blogging – long before blogging was born. There are always two angles: what you want to tell your clients and what your clients want to know. There is always a gap between the two; I fill that gap. 

If you want fast-paced, easy-to-read, embracing, expansive content that works for your business or charity … please ask.

About me

Honest, straightforward approach Determined about delivering a high quality service (and expecting it when on the receiving end) Passionate supporter of independent businesses and fighter for justice Likes to eat, especially seasonal, local foods (except for indulging in Indian Alphonso mangoes every spring)

I started working life in … I was going to put party politics but that ignores my earlier unexpected stint in kitchens: 14 months cooking, waiting and handling difficult customers and situations in the fantastically popular La Piñata, Harvard Square. After three months at the Cordon Bleu in London, I got lost in the vast, underground kitchens of The Berkeley Hotel slicing tomatoes (unskinned!) for ladies lunching in Le Perroquet. Cooking 70s wine bar food followed, at the much-loved Brahms & Liszt in Covent Garden.

Then the cauldron of party politics (nothing beats working through a general election for the winning side), a flash in the pan year as a student then a year in a disability charity before my former boss, a newly elected MP, enticed me to the House of Commons. From there I moved into the steam of political pressure group campaigning before falling into the fire of lobbying. Working for Westminster Strategy, then the largest lobbying consultancy, meant doing government and media relations plus crisis management. Transferring to the pressure-cooker that is reputation crisis management was logical.

After a short spell at the NFU (recovering from the first BSE crisis and lamb wars) I became head of press at the Corporation of London a year before the Bishopsgate bomb went off. Helping the City recover its leading international reputation was our focus. My last PAYE job was at the UK Steel Association where I was responsible for all its communications, including recommending and overseeing a change in its name (from the widely unheard of Bispa).

And so, in 1998, to self-employment specifically to promote independent businesses and charities including by helping them prepare for and manage reputation crises. I’ve worked with airlines in the immediate aftermath of fatal crashes; charities disrupted by disgruntled former employees, nimbyism and celebrities; restaurants and cafés facing damaging competition; and individuals under personal attack.

Building business
and professional reputations

It’s all about service. What you do for your clients or customers – going the extra mile to provide what they need – that’s what I promote. Often, businesses and professionals don’t know just how good a service they provide or what impresses their clients; I unearth it in a sensitive but detailed exploration, looking at it from the customers’ point of view, asking the questions they would ask if they could. If any aspect is not up to scratch, we’ll work together to make improvements. I then recommend what you should do to get better known for your unique approach including by:

	devising a communications strategy: recommending and developing a communications strategy to attract the attention you deserve from the people you want to impress including through:
		corporate communications: so outsiders understand what you do
		internal communications: so your staff can be your best ambassadors
		reputation management: preparing you for the worst, guiding you through it if it happens
		corporate social responsibility: highlighting your ethics and values
		community relations: building important alliances
	corporate writing: developing your communications to keep your audiences informed
		conveying your unique image, style and tone
		developing websites, blogs, newsletters
		writing newsletters, blogs, brochures, reports
		editing articles, blogs
		compiling questionnaires, fact sheets, surveys
		devising displays and exhibition materials
		honing presentations
If you’d like to talk about how I could help your business do contact me on: 020 8993 6764 or email me.

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What’s in a name?

People do ask so here goes. I wanted a word beginning with A, to come high in alphabetical lists. I didn’t want to use my name (I promote others, not me). So I wafted through a dictionary and learned that amethyst is mined in India (where I was born), opens intuition (essential for client-consultant and business-customer relationships), brings stability (useful in a crisis) and prevents intoxication (helpful during food reviews). It seemed a bit new-agey (I’m very down to earth) but would do. As for the colours, I love purple and red so was delighted when a friend reminded me that purple represents authority and red demonstrates power (relevant to my clients’ businesses). Would I make the same decision if I were starting out today? Now that’s an even longer answer …