FleishmanHillard Expands Guardforce AI Account Remit
November 18, 2021
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Agency Selected to Support International Communications and Media Relations for the Leading Security Solutions Provider in Asia
HONG KONG, November, 18 2021 — FleishmanHillard has been chosen to provide international communications and media relations support for Guardforce AI Co. Limited (“Guardforce AI” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ:GFAI)(NASDAQ:GFAIW), an integrated security solutions provider in Asia.
FleishmanHillard will work closely with the Guardforce AI management team to develop and implement a comprehensive communications program to grow brand awareness internationally as Guardforce AI continues to expand its cybersecurity and robotics solutions, providing top-notch security services for public and private sector organizations in Asia. Leveraging its nearly 40 years of experience in the security industry, Guardforce AI has built a leading Robot as a Service solution powered by artificial intelligence and managed by an intelligent online robotics platform. The platform can remotely manage and monitor robots deployed with clients to protect their high-value assets.
FleishmanHillard has provided communications support to Guardforce AI since 2020 and recently managed its Nasdaq listing communications activities in the United States. The expansion of the remit will see FleishmanHillard capitalize on its extensive network of offices and affiliate offices around the network to support Guardforce AI’s growth internationally.
Terence Yap, chairman of Guardforce AI, said, “We are very pleased to continue and expand our relationship with FleishmanHillard, which has expertise, scale and reach in all the markets we are targeting. We’ve established ourselves as the leader in security solutions in Asia and will continue to elevate our services and capabilities in robotics and cybersecurity areas. There’s clearly plenty of growth opportunity for Guardforce AI, and we need a strong communications consultancy like FleishmanHillard to advise us in this journey.”
Patrick Yu, general manager, senior vice president and senior partner at FleishmanHillard in Hong Kong, said, “It’s highly gratifying that we continue to work with Guardforce AI to support their international communications. We look forward to building the relationship further and to supporting Guardforce AI as they grow their business internationally, particularly following its recent Nasdaq listing.”
About FleishmanHillard FleishmanHillard specializes in public relations, reputation management, public affairs, brand marketing, digital strategy, social engagement and content strategy. FleishmanHillard was named 2021 PRovoke Global Agency of the Year, 2020 Campaign Global PR Agency of the Year, 2019 PRWeek U.S. Outstanding Large Agency; ICCO Network of the Year – Americas 2017-2020; PRovoke Media Greater China Consultancy of the Year 2020; PRWeek UK Large Consultancy of the Year 2021; Human Rights Campaign Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality 2018-2020; and NAFE’s “Top Companies for Executive Women” 2010-2020. The firm’s award-winning work is widely heralded, including at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity. FleishmanHillard is part of Omnicom Public Relations Group, and has 80 offices in more than 30 countries, plus affiliates in 50 countries.
About Omnicom Public Relations Group Omnicom Public Relations Group is a global collective of three of the top global public relations agencies worldwide and specialist agencies in areas including public affairs, marketing to women, global health strategy and corporate social responsibility. It encompasses more than 6,300 public relations professionals in more than 370 offices worldwide who provide their expertise to companies, government agencies, NGOs and nonprofits across a wide range of industries. Omnicom Public Relations Group delivers for clients through a relentless focus on talent, continuous pursuit of innovation and a culture steeped in collaboration. Omnicom Public Relations Group is part of the DAS Group of Companies, a division of Omnicom Group Inc.(NYSE: OMC) that includes more than 200 companies in a wide range of marketing disciplines including advertising, public relations, healthcare, customer relationship management, events, promotional marketing, branding and research.
About Omnicom Group Omnicom Group Inc. (www.omnicomgroup.com) is a leading global marketing and corporate communications company. Omnicom’s branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, digital and interactive marketing, direct and promotional marketing, public relations and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 70 countries. Follow us on Twitter for the latest news.
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FleishmanHillard Named a Top 10 Best Company for Women by Seramount for 2021
November 16, 2021
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Agency Celebrates Sixth Consecutive Year in the Top 10 and 12th Year on the List
ST. LOUIS, November 16, 2021 — FleishmanHillard was named to Seramount’s 2021 Top 75 Companies for Executive Women list today for the 12th consecutive year, also being recognized in the Top 10 for the sixth year. Seramount continues to explore ways organizations can move more women executives into top positions, while highlighting the successes at these trailblazing companies.
Previously compiled by the National Association for Female Executives, this is the most definitive list of top workplaces for women who want to advance through the corporate ranks. It celebrates companies that champion women’s advancement, with a focus on succession planning, profit-and-loss role, gender pay parity, support programs and work-life balance programs.
“Championing women and the development and growth of their careers has long been a cornerstone of FleishmanHillard,” said John Saunders, president and CEO of FleishmanHillard. “Being recognized yet again as a Top 10 Company for Executive Women is a testament to all of our amazing female colleagues, their brilliant work and the impact they have on our firm, our clients and the communities we serve.”
FleishmanHillard has an unwavering focus on inclusion — appointing, supporting and recognizing its female colleagues. Examples of these efforts include:
72% of U.S. offices are women-led
68% of the leadership Cabinet is female
50% of C-suite positions are held by women
Half of FleishmanHillard’s global practice and sector groups are led by women
“Our 2021 Top 75 Companies for Executive Women initiative reveals encouraging increases in the number of women who are in senior leadership roles and running major divisions,” says Dr. Betty Spence, Head of Women’s Advancement at Seramount. “We have noted a correlation between these increases and new emphasis placed on formal sponsorship programs at 68 percent of the Top Companies, and we applaud their efforts in ensuring that women have advocates for their advancement.”
The 2021 Top 75 Companies application includes more than 200 questions on topics including female representation at all levels, but especially the corporate officer and profit-and-loss leadership ranks. The application, based on 2020 data, tracks and examines how many employees have access to programs and policies that promote advancement of women and how many employees take advantage of them, plus how companies train managers to help women advance. To be considered, companies must have a minimum of two women on their boards of directors, a US-based CEO, and at least 500 US employees.
About Seramount
Seramount, now part of EAB, is a strategic professional services firm dedicated to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. Over four decades, partnering with some of the most iconic companies in the world, we’ve built a deep, data-driven understanding of the employee experience, which lays the groundwork for everything we do. Our comprehensive DE&I toolkit includes actionable research and insights, membership, strategic guidance and consulting, and inspiring events, meeting each client’s needs no matter where they are on their journey and guiding them along an ever-changing landscape. Seramount has empowered over 450 organizations to realize the business benefits of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Learn more at seramount.com.
About FleishmanHillard
FleishmanHillard specializes in public relations, reputation management, public affairs, brand marketing, digital strategy, social engagement and content strategy. FleishmanHillard was named 2021 PRovoke Global Agency of the Year, 2020 Campaign Global PR Agency of the Year, 2019 PRWeek U.S. Outstanding Large Agency; ICCO Network of the Year – Americas 2017-2020; PRovoke Media Greater China Consultancy of the Year 2020; PRWeek UK Large Consultancy of the Year 2021; Human Rights Campaign Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality 2018-2020; and NAFE’s “Top Companies for Executive Women” 2010-2020. The firm’s award-winning work is widely heralded, including at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity. FleishmanHillard is part of Omnicom Public Relations Group, and has 80 offices in more than 30 countries, plus affiliates in 50 countries.
About Omnicom Public Relations Group
Omnicom Public Relations Group is a global collective of three of the top global public relations agencies worldwide and specialist agencies in areas including public affairs, marketing to women, global health strategy and corporate social responsibility. It encompasses more than 6,300 public relations professionals in more than 370 offices worldwide who provide their expertise to companies, government agencies, NGOs and nonprofits across a wide range of industries. Omnicom Public Relations Group delivers for clients through a relentless focus on talent, continuous pursuit of innovation and a culture steeped in collaboration. Omnicom Public Relations Group is part of the DAS Group of Companies, a division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) that includes more than 200 companies in a wide range of marketing disciplines including advertising, public relations, healthcare, customer relationship management, events, promotional marketing, branding and research.
About Omnicom Group
Omnicom Group Inc. (www.omnicomgroup.com) is a leading global marketing and corporate communications company. Omnicom’s branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, digital and interactive marketing, direct and promotional marketing, public relations and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 70 countries. Follow us on Twitter for the latest news.
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Reputation Today is India’s only print magazine for public relations and corporate communications professionals. Each year, Reputation Today selects dynamic young professionals to be recognized for the mark they’ve made in communications early in their careers.
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Overcoming the Authenticity Challenge Facing Financial Services
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The past 18 months has been an intense period of disruption, scrutiny and change for corporations and business leaders – and some have emerged with their reputations enhanced, while others have been lambasted and hauled over the coals. As we hopefully emerge from the throes of the pandemic and see economies around the globe return to growth, it is vital financial services examine their strategic priorities, re-assess their key reputational drivers and understand what their audiences truly care about. Both now and in the future.
What are the drivers of reputation in financial services?
FleishmanHillard’s Authenticity Gap research has found that in the financial services sector overall, only half (52%) of consumer perceptions and beliefs about a company are shaped by attributes related to a company’s customer benefits, while the other half is shaped by a company’s impact on society (23%) and how a company’s management behaves (25%).
In recent years, we’ve observed a swing in relative importance to ‘society outcomes’ – how a firm takes care of its staff, its contribution to its communities and taking better care of the environment.
Looking at the Nine Drivers of Authenticity, the biggest reputational drivers for financial services firms are focused around delivering better value, doing right, showing consistent performance and having good customer and employee care. Interestingly, the relative importance of innovation differs by market, with it being a slightly more important reputational driver in China than it is in either the UK or U.S.
There are also some significant nuances between subcategories of financial services – for example, people expect banks to take better care of their customers, while in the investing space, companies are expected to deliver better value – which along with customer care, make up half of consumer expectations in the category.
How is the financial services industry faring against the nine drivers of reputation?
The financial crisis caused an enormous trust barrier, especially with younger demographics, and ever since, the entire industry has consistently fallen short of expectations. On the whole, this remains true in 2021.
Our Authenticity Gap trend tool presents a mixed picture when it comes to how financial services brands are performing against consumer expectations. In the UK, banks are struggling to meet expectations on value and the customer experience. Similarly, in the U.S., the majority of banks and investing firms studied also fall short of expectations on value.
Conversely, the pandemic may have aided and improved some banks and investment companies’ reputations on innovation, after adapting to a new, digital norm. In the UK, six of eight tracked brands are now outpacing expectations and overall in the U.S., brands are exceeding expectations on innovation.
Innovation and digital technology are most powerful when used to enhance, improve or repair the customer experience through intuitive new solutions, whilst also being used to shrink cost bases and increase profitability. If financial services firms can effectively marry the two, then they may come out favorably in the digital arms race that lies ahead. But it is also vital firms don’t simply rely or place too much emphasis on innovation to remain competitive. Without a positive customer experience and a stellar reputation, the glossy sheen of technology could wear off and firms could see themselves once again caught in the crosshairs.
Financial services brands stepping up on the environment and the ESG agenda
With all eyes on the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, there is intense focus on the environment, the ESG agenda and the role of the financial services industry in driving change. Interestingly, in every market studied, banks are exceeding expectations on caring for the environment – which has no doubt been influenced by the influx of ESG-focused products and various green commitments.
However, there are inconsistent perceptions on the extent to which financial services firms are inherently ‘doing the right thing’, with four of eight brands exceeding informed consumers’ expectations and four falling behind.
With the ESG agenda firmly here to stay, it’s vital financial brands recognize their role in society and the extent to which consumers scrutinize their credentials – especially when nearly two-thirds (64%) of them believe a company must talk about its behavior and impact on society to be more credible than its competitors. But talk must indeed be backed by action, and people expect firms to commit to regular and transparent ESG reporting and demonstrate tangible progress against goals or targets.
What’s next for financial services?
For financial services communications leaders looking to make hard choices about where to focus their attention or shape brand campaigns, understanding authenticity has become a vital tool – and just as it always has been, solid communications are one crucial part of the complex reputational jigsaw.
It’s important to remember that consumers don’t necessarily expect financial services companies to fix everything. But they will continue to intensely scrutinize them to make a positive difference and take responsibility for issues under their control. More than ever, it’s not enough to talk a good game. Corporates must be able to back it up with behavior, show tangible impact and effectively communicate progress. To that end, the role of intelligence and research in communication strategies has never been more critical.
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