Employee Login

Enter your login information to access the intranet

Enter your credentials to access your email

Reset employee password

Article

Executive Impact: Turning Transitions into an Enterprise Advantage

December 10, 2025
By Elizabeth Cook, Chris Thornton and Michelle Mahony

The spotlight on executives has never been brighter. In 2025, CEO turnover is hitting record highs and CFO departures at Fortune 500 companies are up 33% year over year. CEO tenure continues to shrink —to just 6.8 years.  

Against a backdrop of AI disruption, geopolitical and supply chain pressure, employee and stakeholder challenges and investor scrutiny, leaders are expected to deliver impact fast. Nearly half of executive transitions are judged as failures or disappointments within two years. Yet despite these pressures, most organizations still treat executive transitions as a sequence of announcements and introductions — and the shallowness of this approach is more evident than ever.  

Transitions aren’t PR moments. They’re enterprise moments. The difference shows up in results. Handled well, a transition can unlock energy, clarify priorities, and accelerate operating performance. Handled poorly, it drains trust, distracts teams, and invites scrutiny. The difference in outcomes isn’t driven by the number of interviews or town halls conducted or the addition of a few more executive LinkedIn posts. It’s dependent on a complete re-think of the support that executives receive in transition and a laser focus on how leadership skills, change management principles and communications can come together to drive success.   

As we head into 2026 expecting the pressure on new leaders to only grow, the Global Executive Advisory teams for FleishmanHillard and Daggerwing Group have formalized an integrated approach to transition that moves from executive visibility to Executive Impact. Executive Impact is a new way to manage leadership transitions as critical, ongoing business processes that shape reputation and future performance. Success isn’t measured by optics but by outcomes: how quickly a leader earns trust, sets strategic direction, and delivers results.  

Because real impact depends on more than narrative, Executive Impact includes the underlying mechanics that determine performance: clarifying how the leader will shape structure, decision rights, operating rhythms, and processes so the organization can deliver measurable business results at speed. 

Our Five As for Executive Impact transition framework offers a practical path for new executives to follow from the moment they know they’ll be taking the seat—but it also can be entered at any point by an executive who begins to feel that their organization isn’t fit for the challenges ahead. We help executives create and operationalize momentum—making it easier for their team to believe, act, and deliver together: 

  • Announce with intent: Focus executive appointment communications on establishing credibility and setting expectations, align communications across audiences and regulations, and prepare leadership teams and champions to carry consistent messages. 
  • Align through understanding: Balance listening with diagnosis and the setting of leadership expectations, and operationalize early shifts in roles, rhythms, and decision forums. 
  • Activate the agenda: Articulate a visible purpose and strategy, define early choices and symbolic moves, and connect communications to execution. 
  • Accelerate the system: Equip the leadership team to deliver at pace, close gaps, manage moves decisively, and embed cadences that create urgency and ownership. 
  • Amplify what works: Codify new norms, keep stakeholders updated, reconnect to purpose, and prepare for the next inflection point. 

This system targets real business outcomes: Faster trust and alignment across executive and employee teams and boards of directors, quicker strategy adoption and execution, and reduced risk of derailment in the first 180 days. 

Our experience includes Fortune 100 leadership transition consulting and coaching; turnaround, transformation, integration and culture programs; CEO and C-suite positioning and visibility programs; employee, investor and stakeholder engagement; and counseling companies across issues, crisis, and C-suites in duress. 

Leaders don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. Every transition carries risk; the right design turns that risk into resilience. Executive Impact helps leaders set a credible course, accelerate execution, and sustain momentum beyond the early window. If you’re anticipating a change — or need to course-correct — FleishmanHillard and Daggerwing Group can partner with you to make this transition your advantage. 

Executive Impact
From Left to Right: Elizabeth Cook, Chris Thornton and Michelle Mahony

Elizabeth Cook is part of the FleishmanHillard U.S. corporate affairs leadership team and directs regional executive positioning offerings.

Chris Thornton is Senior Principal at Daggerwing Group and works with leaders to build the mindsets, skills, and confidence needed to lead transformation and embed change across complex organizations.

Michelle Mahony is the President of Daggerwing Group and works to bring together the science and art of transformation to life for clients.

Article

The Supreme Court Case That Could Redefine U.S. Trade Policy

November 12, 2025
By Geoff Mordock

In the coming weeks, the Supreme Court is expected to decide a case that could shift the balance of power between the White House and Congress – and reshape how businesses navigate global trade risk.

The case, Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump, challenges the legality of tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). At its core, it asks whether the President can unilaterally impose, extend, or adjust tariffs under IEEPA after declaring a national emergency, without returning to Congress. The outcome could unlock billions in refunds for affected companies, tighten judicial review of trade actions, and force a broader reckoning with executive authority in economic policy.

The stakes are high. And the implications go far beyond trade.

What the Court Is Actually Weighing

The Trump administration used IEEPA to impose tariffs on a wide range of Chinese imports, citing national emergencies and foreign threats. But the challenge brought by Learning Resources and others focuses less on the why and more on the how.

The Court must decide:

  • Did the executive branch overstep the authority granted by Congress under IEEPA?
  • Can the President keep adjusting tariffs based on a standing national emergency declaration, without ongoing Congressional approval?
  • Are companies entitled to refunds if those tariffs are later ruled unlawful?

During oral arguments, Justices across the ideological spectrum voiced concerns about unchecked executive power. Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Barrett both questioned whether an initial finding should give the President indefinite authority. Justice Gorsuch warned of the dangers of unconstrained trade power, while Justice Sotomayor zeroed in on the lack of procedural fairness for businesses seeking relief.

That kind of bipartisan skepticism is rare. It suggests the Court may be ready to draw new boundaries.

Supreme Court Hearings

Why This Case Matters More Than It Seems

The headlines will likely focus on tariffs and China. But the deeper implications touch nearly every global business and every White House to come.

A Reset on Executive Power

If the Court limits the use of IEEPA, future administrations may be forced to return to Congress for approval of extended or revised trade actions. That would be a major shift – reintroducing legislative oversight into a domain that has become increasingly dominated by executive discretion.

A Path to Refunds

For companies, the most immediate impact may be financial. If the Court rules that these tariffs were imposed or extended unlawfully, businesses could pursue billions in refunds. That would also establish a precedent for challenging future trade actions and raise the stakes for getting them right.

Clarity, but Also Complexity

A ruling in favor of Learning Resources could bring greater predictability for importers and global supply chains. But it would also open the door to more litigation and place new burdens on companies to monitor the legality of policy changes, not just their bottom-line impact.

A Signal on Delegated Power

This case could continue a broader trend from the past several terms, where the Court has increasingly shown willingness to revisit how much power Congress delegates to the executive branch, especially in regulatory and economic matters. If the Justices continue to tighten these limits, the effects could continue to ripple into environmental law, labor regulation, and beyond.

Global Repercussions

Other governments are watching closely. If U.S. courts rein in presidential trade powers, it could change the tone of global negotiations and alter expectations in future disputes. It could also give international trading partners new leverage or new reasons to challenge U.S. moves at the World Trade Organization.

If the Trump Administration Prevails

Should the Court uphold the administration’s actions, the message will be clear. The President has broad authority to manage trade policy under IEEPA, including imposing and adjusting tariffs in response to declared national emergencies or foreign threats.

That would preserve the status quo on tariffs, but also the unpredictability that comes with it. Companies would face continued uncertainty about how and when tariffs might change, and how much say Congress or the courts might have.

For some industries, especially those protected by tariffs, this could be welcome news. For others, it could reinforce the need for strong internal planning and government affairs engagement.

What Business Leaders Should Be Doing Now

Whatever the outcome, this is a strategic inflection point. Companies need to think beyond legal exposure and assess what this case reveals about the regulatory and political environment.

Some practical questions:

  • How exposed is our business to shifts in tariff law or enforcement?
  • Could a refund, or the loss of one, impact earnings expectations?
  • Are we prepared to explain that outcome to stakeholders?
  • Do we have a plan for navigating increased scrutiny or a rush of litigation?
  • How are we preparing for the next administration’s approach to trade?

The smart move is not to wait. Whether the Court limits executive power or affirms it, the policy environment will remain fluid. The most resilient companies will have already mapped out multiple scenarios and coordinated across legal, finance, communications, and operations teams.

One Case, Many Signals

Learning Resources v. Trump is not just about one set of tariffs. It is a test of how trade power is used, how far it can go, and what legal remedies companies can expect in an era of aggressive policy moves. In other words, this is not just a case. It is a signal. And in times like these, signals are what smart leaders watch.

Geoff MordockGeoff Mordock leads Issues Management at FleishmanHillard. He is an SVP & Senior Partner based in Orange County and brings more than 25 years of experience helping organizations manage and shape corporate reputation, including navigating significant crises and issues through critical moments.

 
Article

In The Age of Rage, Fairness Is the Only Way Forward

November 5, 2025
By Rachel Catanach

People are angry. We see it in the headlines, feel it in our client conversations and hear it from employees, customers, even friends. But the rage we’re living through today isn’t just a passing mood or a social media flare-up. It’s something deeper, more personal and more dangerous – for leaders, for businesses, and for the social contract that underpins both.

Discussing Fairness in the Age of Rage at the PRovoke Global Summit (Left to Right, Rachel Catanach, Michael Maslansky, Kathryn Beiser, Doug McGraw and Chris Samuel).

This piece draws on new research from our partners at maslansky+partners, led by Michael Maslansky (CEO) and Lee Carter (President and Partner), whose work on fairness and trust provides critical insight into today’s volatile public mood. What their data makes clear is this: the old rules no longer apply. Good intentions are no longer enough. And if you think this is just another cycle of public discontent, you’re missing the point and the opportunity.

What’s Really Fueling the Rage?

The rage we see today is not ideological. It’s not just a backlash against politics, culture wars or pandemic-era disruption. It’s personal. People don’t just distrust institutions – they believe those institutions are actively working against them. Whether it’s government, media or business, the sentiment is the same: “The system is rigged, and I’m the one paying for it.”

In the maslansky+partners’ research, more than 70% of people said they rarely or never trust companies to treat customers fairly. Over 60% believe most big companies purposely look for ways to take advantage of them. And some 80%, many of whom once said they want companies to support causes, now say what bothers them most is something more basic: hidden fees and fine print.

The message couldn’t be clearer. People aren’t asking companies to take a stand on every issue. They just want to be treated fairly.

Fairness, Not Goodness

In recent years, the corporate playbook has centered on goodness: purpose, ESG, brand values, societal impact. And those things still matter. But in the current climate, they’re not the differentiators leaders think they are.

That’s because fairness hits differently. It’s not a strategy. It’s a standard. When people feel a company is unfair – when they see surprise fees, hear about executive bonuses during layoffs or feel excluded from loyalty benefits – it doesn’t just frustrate them. It enrages them. And that rage moves quickly, particularly in a connected, post-trust world.

More than 60% of consumers say they’ve boycotted companies for putting profits ahead of people. More than 40% either agree or don’t disagree that violence might be justified in response to unethical corporate behavior. These aren’t just reputation risks. They’re survival threats.

The Real Shift: From Purpose to Permission

For years, companies have leaned on purpose to build trust and earn permission to operate. But that permission is now contingent on fairness. If your customers believe they’re getting a raw deal, no amount of purpose-driven messaging will save you. In fact, it may backfire.

This is the dark side of “doing good”: when companies promote values that feel disconnected from customers’ real lives – especially those struggling to make ends meet – those efforts aren’t seen as admirable. They’re seen as hypocritical, or worse, insulting. It’s the $2 million Super Bowl ad telling customers you care, while their internet bill just went up with no explanation.

What Leaders Should Do Now

Fairness isn’t a communications challenge. It’s a business imperative. And it requires a different kind of leadership – one rooted in empathy, consistency and operational integrity. Here’s where to start:

  • Replace goodness language with fairness language. Don’t talk about changing the world. Talk about how you’re making things better for your customers. Be specific. Be transparent. Be human.
  • Prioritize customers over causes. That doesn’t mean abandoning purpose. It means making sure it doesn’t come at the expense of the people keeping your business alive.
  • Deliver universal benefits. Avoid programs that help some while leaving others behind. Fairness means everyone gets the best price, the clearest policy, the same level of service.
  • Fix the small injustices. The fee they didn’t see coming. The policy that changed without warning. These moments define your brand more than any campaign ever will.
  • Make it personal. Every message, every policy, every change should answer one question: how does this help the individual on the other side?

A Fairness-First Future

In this age of rage, fairness isn’t just the right thing to do. It’s the only thing that works right now.

Fairness earns trust when purpose can’t. It deescalates outrage. It keeps customers loyal. And most importantly, it signals to people that they matter – not just as buyers, but as human beings. That’s a powerful message in a world where far too many feel forgotten.

For business leaders, the challenge is clear. You can keep trying to win the last war, fighting to prove your purpose, defend your values or ride out the storm. Or you can lead the solution. You can rebuild the trust that’s been broken. You can show people that fairness still exists and that your company is committed to delivering it. Because in the end, the companies that thrive won’t be the ones shouting the loudest. They’ll be the ones that show up, play fair and prove day in and day out that they’re on their customers’ side.

Cody Want Rachel Catanach is FleishmanHillard’s Global Managing Director, Corporate Affairs; General Manager, New York and Boston; and leads the Global Executive Advisory, counseling CEOs on leadership transitions, Board engagement and high-stake issues. A global PR industry advocate, she has spoken at Davos, moderated at Cannes Lions and co-authored The Page Society’s Beyond Communication report. She was also a 2024 PRWeek Woman of Distinction.

 
Article

Full Speed Ahead: An Executive’s Guide to Change Management for Regulated Reporting 

October 7, 2025
By Bob Axelrod

As the deadline for complying with the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) approaches, company leaders will soon need to evolve their reporting process. The CSRD and its underlying disclosure standards, the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), usher in a new era of reporting, requiring companies operating in the EU to provide detailed, standardized responsible business and sustainability disclosures that are audit-grade.  

The temptation to pause and await further clarifications — such as outcomes from the “Omnibus Simplification Package” — may seem prudent, but that’s a risky calculation. The direction of travel is clear, and operational readiness is a multiyear endeavor that cannot wait. 

Change Management: The Deciding Factor 

CSRD compliance is far more than a reporting exercise. It requires a transformation in how your company operates, collaborates and delivers information — with audit-ready precision and cross-functional accountability.  

If your company has experience with voluntary responsible business reporting, you’re somewhat ahead of the curve. But regulated, externally assured reporting is a different game altogether, comparable to the shifts required when financial reporting became regulated. The scale of change necessitates active executive sponsorship, clear ownership and a culture that embraces transparency and due diligence. 

Acting Now Is Essential 

Waiting for absolute certainty from regulatory bodies creates a dangerous illusion. The core requirements of the CSRD are already defined.  

Delaying action can leave your organization scrambling to catch up, leading to higher implementation costs, operational disruptions and potentially subpar reporting that may expose your organization to fines and reputational risks. Early movers can pilot new processes, identify data gaps and course-correct before mandatory disclosures are enforced, therefore gaining an advantage in data quality, audit readiness and stakeholder credibility. 

Key Steps for Success 

1. Expand Cross-Functional Collaboration: Sustainability, finance, legal, risk, HR, IT, audit, procurement and other key functions must all be fluent in responsible business principles and actively engaged in reporting processes. 

2. Upskill and Train: Teams require targeted training in data governance, due diligence and audit-level documentation — going beyond simple awareness. 

3. Resource for Rigor: Subject matter experts need greater support, including additional staff, time and specialized expertise. Empowering them is critical for accurate, timely and complete disclosures. 

4. Embed Accountability: Define clear roles, set ownership and align performance incentives. Make CSRD compliance a shared objective, visibly sponsored by both the C-suite and the board of directors. 

5. Invest in Technology: Manual data collection is no longer viable. Integrated systems for data management and workflow are non-negotiable to meet the demands of CSRD. 

Executive Leadership: Setting the Pace 

Leaders must model the mindset shift that CSRD requires. Treat compliance as a transformation, not a checkbox exercise. Champion resource allocation and insist on regular progress updates.  

Building a Resilient, Future-Ready Organization 

CSRD compliance is ultimately a change management effort — one that will be won or lost at the executive level. By setting new expectations, providing the necessary resources and embedding accountability, you can transform compliance from a regulatory burden into a strategic advantage.  

The upcoming Omnibus Simplification Package may clarify technical nuances, but the urgency to act is now. Operational readiness takes time, and the cost of playing catch-up is high. Is your organization equipped to meet not just the letter of mandatory reporting, but to thrive in this new era of transparency and due diligence? 

FleishmanHillard is here to help your organization navigate this evolving landscape. Connect with us today to propel you forward, no matter where you are on the winding road to CSRD readiness.  

Bob Axelrod width= Bob Axelrod is a member of FleishmanHillard’s global Responsible Business and Impact leadership team. He has 30+ years’ experience advising corporations on Responsible Business strategy and reporting and is spearheading a multi-agency effort to help clients effectively comply with mandatory reporting requirements, including the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive

 
Article

From Transaction to Trust: Moving Beyond DTC in Health Communications

October 6, 2025
By Barry Sudbeck and Laura Musgrave

In the strategic evolution of health communications, patient advocacy and engagement are emerging as the essential successor to legacy promotional efforts, such as marketing, advertising and sales-focused communications. This shift is driven by new regulatory pressures on direct-to-consumer (DTC) promotion in the United States and a broader global movement toward patient-centered care.

As the FDA signals aggressive enforcement against imbalanced or misleading promotion, the limitations of one-way mass media campaigns have become apparent. The industry now faces a critical mandate: to develop communication strategies that are not only compliant and transparent but also define a powerful new paradigm for connecting with customers. Building genuine, authentic patient relationships is emerging as the most powerful way for the industry to realize this goal.

This new approach fundamentally reframes patient outreach as a driver of long-term corporate reputation and trust, not merely as an alternative marketing channel. And the solution lies within an asset most companies already possess: their patient engagement teams. With an approach that is rooted in listening, two-way exchange, and building credible relationships, these teams are uniquely positioned to lead this change. Their work moves beyond the conventional one-way flow of information; it is about establishing a sustained presence within patient communities, understanding their real-world needs and co-creating resources that provide tangible value. This is how enduring trust – the most valuable asset of all – is built.

Successfully navigating this path requires adherence to core principles that separate authentic engagement from promotion. To ensure credibility, full transparency in all communications, sponsorships, and partnerships is required to protect the integrity of both the company and its patient partners. Furthermore, all information must be rigorously evidence-based and balanced, presenting both benefits and risks with equal clarity. Finally, every interaction must honor patient autonomy by equipping them with knowledge for shared decision-making, rather than steering them toward a commercial objective.

Our current body of research is being augmented by fresh evidence and real-world examples. A white paper summarizing these findings will follow soon.

This evolution from transactional promotion to long-term engagement is not a passing trend. For companies willing to lead, it is a profound strategic opportunity to redefine their role from a vendor of products to a true partner in patient health. Patient engagement is becoming the defining standard for credible health communication, now and in the future.

Article

Elevating Cybersecurity Messaging After Black Hat 2025

August 27, 2025
By Miranda Sanders

Las Vegas was sweltering for Black Hat 2025, and so were the conversations on the show floor. AI led to much of the discussion as both a powerful tool for defense and a fresh attack vector. For example, there was news on major advances in cloud and endpoint security and rising concern among experts about rising supply chain and infrastructure-targeted threats.

But what stood out to us this year wasn’t just the tech. It was how the conversation around security itself is evolving, raising the bar for communicators everywhere.

The news isn’t gone. It’s just different.

If you felt this year’s coverage was somewhat muted, you’re not alone. Gone are the days when Black Hat was the moment, a guaranteed headline in every tier-one business publication. Instead, the coverage that mattered most came from a handful of reporters, probably with deep, longstanding relationships in the Cyber space. Those publications included The Verge, VentureBeat, Wired, ZDNet or Network World. These reporters already have a clear understanding of a brand’s enterprise security business strategy. They can dive deep to better understand the industry implications from product news, from Google’s move towards better supply chain security, to SentinelOne’s managed services expansion, Microsoft’s “Project Sentinel AI”, Cisco’s quantum-resilient encryption and more.

The threat intel has hit home.

Five years ago, a single research report could dominate the news cycle, with dozens of stories written by security media during Black Hat. Now it takes more. The bar is higher, and editors want hard evidence that connects to real-world risk.

Outlets like Reuters and Bloomberg focused on threats with tangible implications for infrastructure and public safety. For example, Reuters covered activity around APT41 and Iranian cyber espionage. At the same time, Politico discussed the news’ geopolitical implications and potential policy responses.

Bloomberg reported on credible threats to electrical grids and potential impacts on critical infrastructure. The common theme? If threat intelligence impacts – or has a real, credible threat to impact – people’s lives, then it’s worth covering.

Former NYT reporter Nicole Perlroth’s keynote put it bluntly: the human impact of cyber risk is no longer hypothetical. It is today’s reality, and it’s only going to get more devastating. For communicators, translating technical findings into stories about people and policy is now essential.

Reporters want to experience, not just observe.

Several reporters on site said that the things they enjoyed most this year were moments set up by brands where they could place themselves in the shoes of security professionals on the front line of today’s biggest threats – whether during panels, sessions or dedicated private events. Several tier-one media outlets attended a Cisco Talos tabletop exercise. In this hour-long immersive session, they played a Dungeons and Dragons-like game to understand how an incident may play out in real life.

As communicators, prioritizing these immersive opportunities can turn complex topics into compelling stories.

What does this mean for security communicators?

If Black Hat was any indication, media are looking for clear, authoritative voices who can cut through the technical noise and connect security stories to business, policy and human impact. Here’s how to best do that for the most relevant themes we saw come out of Black Hat this year:

  • AI Dominance: Position spokespeople to discuss both the promise and risks of AI in cybersecurity, using clear, non-technical language.
  • Supply Chain Risk: Share concrete examples or data on how your organization addresses third-party and supply chain vulnerabilities.
  • Quantum Security: Media are looking for thought leadership and educational content if your brand is working on quantum-resilient security solutions.
  • Cloud & Zero Trust: Highlight practical business benefits of zero trust and cloud-native security in your messaging.
  • Critical Infrastructure & IoT: Prepare proactive statements around your efforts to protect critical infrastructure and IoT.
  • Real-World Impact: Emphasize how your solutions or research address current, active threats with clear, actionable outcomes.
  • Geopolitical Context: Be ready with expert commentary connecting cybersecurity developments to broader policy and international issues.

The pace of change in security and security communications isn’t going to slow down. As the landscape evolves, so does our approach to telling the stories that matter.

Stay tuned for more insights into security communications from us in the coming months.

Article

The Answer Engine Era Is Here

August 20, 2025
By Ellie Tuck

We are living through another fundamental shift in how people discover brands. But we’ve seen this pattern before: the move from analog to web, from search to social. Each time, the brands that adapted early gained lasting advantages. Now we are seeing the rise of LLM-powered answer engines and the emergence of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), a strategy that leverages AI to optimize a brand’s visibility and reputation in answer engine results.

The numbers tell the story: over half of Google results now include a generative response. AI agents and chatbots are increasingly becoming the first stop for people seeking recommendations, advice or information. If your audience is already there and you are not auditing how your brand shows up, you are missing a critical piece of the discovery puzzle.

How we are navigating the shift

While the fundamentals of trust and quality content remain, GEO redefines how they are executed. Analysing tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity shows that these models lean heavily on what is already in the public domain, especially high-trust, earned media sources.

In response, we have had to build custom tools to get under the hood of how a brand is being interpreted. These tools allow us to see where a client is showing up, how they are being described, and how that compares to others in their space.

This new landscape also demands a new level of precision from our creative campaigns. We are asking more specific questions. Is our messaging backed by the right expert validation? Is our content tailored for the types of media AI models trust? Is our phrasing distinctive enough to be picked up by both machines and people?

This is where creativity and technical precision now overlap. Our teams are building synthetic AI audiences to test ideas earlier and using our FH Fusion platform to assemble virtual focus groups that inform smarter, faster decision-making.

A practical framework for influence

Our approach is led by audience behavior. That has always been our starting point in PR, and it is no different in the world of AI.

To influence how LLMs respond, we focus on a few key levers:

  • Earned coverage in high-trust sources
  • Structured storytelling to make key messages clear
  • Cross-channel reinforcement of the right signals
  • Consistency, because LLMs rely on pattern recognition

This work is complex, and the environment is not static. But an adaptable, audience-led strategy puts us in the best position to succeed.

What this means for our industry

The implications are broad. Business leaders need to get smart about how these models make decisions, guided by real data, not guesswork. Answer engine visibility should become a core KPI, not just for communications teams, but for growth.

But reputational risk is a major factor. We are already seeing AI tools surface outdated or outright false content about brands. Because what an LLM says feels factual to users, our role shifts from defending a single source of truth to shaping the entire ecosystem that AI learns from. This is nuanced work, but it is also where we can have the most significant impact.

No one has all the answers yet. The models are evolving, the sources they trust are shifting, and the tactics that work today may not work tomorrow. But the brands that start auditing their answer engine presence now will have a significant advantage over those who wait.

The communications industry has adapted to every major shift in how people consume information. This one is no different, except for the speed at which it is happening. The question is not whether your brand will need a GEO strategy; it is how quickly you can build one that works. We’ve adapted before, and we’ll do it again.

Ellie Tuck width= Ellie Tuck is the chief creative officer of the Americas based in New York.

 
Article

Announcing Our Global Corporate Affairs Leadership Team

August 7, 2025

New leadership strengthens integration across regions and capabilities, helping clients navigate uncertainty, reputation, risk and transformation at speed.

As companies face rising volatility, stakeholder scrutiny and operational complexity, the role of corporate affairs has become an increasingly critical issue for the C-suite. To meet this moment, FleishmanHillard today announced a new Corporate Affairs Practice leadership structure to deliver more connected, insight-driven counsel and stay ahead of the demands of today’s global business environment.

Rachel Catanach has been appointed global managing director, corporate affairs, unifying the firm’s advisory offerings across seven core pillars: corporate reputation; financial and M&A; crisis and issues; executive positioning; public affairs and geopolitical strategy; talent and transformation; and responsible business. Catanach will also ensure FleishmanHillard’s Global Executive Advisory network provides strategic guidance to senior leaders navigating high-stakes issues and transformative change. She continues to lead the agency’s New York and Boston offices.

“Rachel is a visionary leader who understands how to drive business results through modern, reputation-centered communications,” said J.J. Carter, FleishmanHillard president and CEO. “Her leadership of corporate affairs will elevate the impact FH delivers to global clients navigating extraordinary uncertainty and strategic challenges.”

To support this global capability, the agency has also named three regional leaders:

  • Michael Moroney, managing director, corporate affairs, Americas – A trusted counselor on regulatory complexity and executive visibility, Moroney will guide strategy across the Americas while continuing to shape the Executive Advisory portfolio and lead key client relationships.
  • Yvonne Park, managing director, corporate affairs, APAC – Based in Seoul, Park brings two decades of experience in litigation communications, stakeholder engagement and CEO succession planning. She will drive consistency and innovation across Asia, aligning with global capability and sector leads.
  • Hanning Kempe, managing director, corporate affairs, EMEA – With a track record advising multinationals and government stakeholders across Europe, Kempe will leverage his expertise in change management, corporate strategy and crisis to lead the region’s growth and service excellence.

(From left to right: Yvonne Park, Hanning Kempe, Rachel Catanach, Michael Moroney)

FleishmanHillard’s global corporate affairs practice leverages a powerful combination of counselor-driven solutions and advanced intelligence infrastructure that enables teams to respond to client challenges with greater speed, precision and business impact. Counselors across the network are empowered to design and deploy real-time solutions that integrate proprietary tools, institutional knowledge and advanced audience insights, no engineering background required.

  • Risk Radar: An AI-powered early warning system that flags reputational, legal and operational vulnerabilities, helping clients identify and respond to meaningful risks before they escalate.
  • SAGE (Strategic Audience Generation Engine): A predictive audience intelligence tool that simulates stakeholder reactions to messaging and positioning, enabling teams to test and refine strategies for maximum impact.
  • Connectivity Diagnostic Agent: A solution that analyzes how a brand’s story aligns with shifting cultural, regulatory and reputational forces, revealing areas of strategic misalignment and opportunity.

These capabilities, combined with FleishmanHillard’s Global Executive Advisory network of more than 50 senior counselors, enhance the firm’s ability to deliver high-impact counsel at the intersection of risk, reputation and growth. Corporate affairs teams routinely collaborate across brand work and all FleishmanHillard centers of excellence, ensuring clients lead with confidence in their most consequential moments.

These appointments follow several recent FleishmanHillard market leadership announcements, including Mei Lee in Singapore, Madhulika Ojha in India, Adrienne Connell in Canada, Kristin Hollins across California and Marshall Manson in the United Kingdom — as FleishmanHillard continues to invest in regional leaders who deliver trusted counsel and measurable impact on a global scale.

With this next chapter, FleishmanHillard’s corporate affairs leadership is uniquely positioned to help leaders anticipate risk, accelerate transformation and build enduring reputation in a world defined by complexity and change.

Article

Closing the Innovation Gap With FH Fusion, Our Data and AI-Powered Solutions Suite

July 14, 2025

Our new solutions suite designed by and for communications professionals builds on Omnicom’s agentic AI platform, Omni, by integrating institutional communications knowledge with advanced audience data and technology capabilities. FH Fusion gives every FleishmanHillard counselor and team the ability to create real-time, agentic AI solutions that deliver sharper insights, more precise activations and stronger business outcomes—no engineers required.

FleishmanHillard today launched FH Fusion, a first-of-its-kind communications solution suite that puts the full range of AI models, institutional knowledge and a proprietary data toolset directly into the hands of communications professionals. Unlike tech-first applications built by developers, FH Fusion was created by—and for—counselors, enabling them to design and deploy real-time solutions backed by Omnicom’s secure, scalable intelligence layer.

Already in use by more than 1,000 FleishmanHillard strategists, FH Fusion reduces ramp-up time, accelerates delivery and improves outcomes across crisis, stakeholder messaging, media intelligence and brand strategy.

“FH Fusion closes the innovation gap—the distance between what communicators envision and what most tools actually enable,” said Ephraim Cohen, global head of data and digital. “It gives every strategist the power to turn expertise into action, combining insight, data and AI to build exactly the solution they need. We designed it so communicators can move at the speed of their ideas, with technology that’s trained to think the way they do about how people react, how issues evolve and how strategy needs to shift in real time.”


A Peek Inside: How FH Fusion Works

Today’s communicators don’t just need insights. They need infrastructure. FH Fusion leverages Omnicom’s industry-leading investments in AI and data to bring together four critical components – data, generative AI, knowledge bases and subject matter expertise in building custom agentic solutions for each client. FH Fusion combines:

  • 🔗 A full range of AI models and agentic AI technology – Omni’s AI layer enables users to create custom, multi-agent workflows from a full range of generative AI modes.
  • 📊 Industry leading data stack – The data layer of FH Fusion combines Omnicom’s collective data-driven intelligence across audience and commerce inputs from Omni and Flywheel, with corporate and consumer media, influencer, and other critical communications data from OPRG and FleishmanHillard.
  • 📚 FleishmanHillard’s institutional knowledge – FleishmanHillard’s considerable institutional knowledge and collection of proven, proprietary methodologies are being organized into a growing library of knowledge bases accessible to any agent.
  • 🧠 Subject matter experts trained in developing agentic AI solutions – Solutions are built not by engineers, but by FH counselors trained in creating AI agents, resulting in agentic solutions with communications expertise at the core.


A Smarter Model for the Future of Communications

FH Fusion is already being used by FleishmanHillard subject matter experts to build client solutions across three capability areas—each one modular, extensible and designed to integrate seamlessly with existing client workflows. The tools below are just a few of the expert-built components being combined to create end-to-end, outcome-driven solutions.

1. Predictive Audience Intelligence with Synthetic Audiences

Solutions include SAGE (Strategic Audience Generation Engine) that simulates how key stakeholder groups—from policymakers to employees—respond to messaging, content or positioning. Using AI-modeled virtual audiences built on deidentified and aggregated behavioral and attitudinal data, teams can test multiple approaches, identify what resonates and refine strategy before going live.

As AI becomes the new filter for information, SAGE helps communicators shape how messages are interpreted before they’re summarized, surfaced or amplified by algorithms. In a recent pilot, SAGE uncovered shifts around trust and transformation, informing a Fortune 100 client’s rollout across six markets.

2.  Storytelling and Strategic Alignment

Solutions include the Connectivity Diagnostic Agent that analyzes how a brand’s story aligns with shifting cultural, regulatory and reputational forces. Trained by messaging experts, it goes beyond keyword scans to reveal strategic misalignment—helping teams fine-tune positioning before small gaps become larger problems. The Communications Function Builder helps leaders optimize team structure and workflows using benchmarking and best practices—turning institutional knowledge into scalable systems.

3. Crisis Management and Corporate Communications

Solutions include Risk Radar that flags reputational, legal and operational vulnerabilities using AI trained by FleishmanHillard’s crisis experts. It filters out noise and false positives, helping teams identify and respond to meaningful risks early, serving as a calibrated early warning system built for decision-making rather than a cry-wolf dashboard.

These solutions build on FleishmanHillard’s long-standing commitment to democratizing access to data—now extended through new forms of intelligence, including curated knowledge bases (KBs), scenario-trained agents and secure, segmented workspaces that adapt to each client’s needs. FH Fusion is powered by a flexible intelligence layer that enables any employee to build multi-agent workflows tailored to real-world communications challenges, drawing from a full range of top-performing AI models. FH Fusion also taps into the depth of Omnicom’s data ecosystem, combining audience and cultural intelligence from Omni, commerce insights from Flywheel, and integrated streams of media, social, influence, and business signals—calibrated for strategic communications.

“Too many tools treat communications like an engineering problem. FH Fusion starts from a different premise: strategy is a human discipline,” said Cohen, who will host the FH Fusion Summit in September featuring live builds, cross-functional demos and client use cases. “We’ve spent years expanding data fluency across the agency—and now we’re applying that same model to AI. We’re training every FHer to be a builder, not just a user. Communications expertise alone isn’t enough anymore. What we need is that expertise plus deep data fluency—and the ability to train AI agents just like we train people. That’s the real shift with FH Fusion.”

Disclosure: This post was developed in collaboration with a custom agent trained for the communications industry—guided by FleishmanHillard counselors and built using Claude 3.5 Sonnet, one of seven major models FH Fusion can switch between on the fly. It drew from a curated knowledge base of communications research to focus on the capabilities clients care most about right now. Want to see what else it can do? Let’s talk.

How FUSION WORKS
Article

FleishmanHillard Launches Global Executive Advisory to Help Brands Navigate an Uncertain Marketplace

May 29, 2025

FleishmanHillard today announced the launch of its Global Executive Advisory, a strategic network of senior counselors designed to help C-suite leaders navigate special situations, high-impact issues and transformative change. The group is now operational and actively engaging with clients managing risk and opportunity in the face of global volatility, geopolitical uncertainty and increasing stakeholder scrutiny.

With more than 50 senior advisors across the United States, EMEA and APAC, the Global Executive Advisory pairs relevant specialists with global client leaders and sector experts to deliver precise, high-velocity counsel. The group provides integrated advisory across financial communications, crisis and issues, ESG and responsible business, talent and transformation, public affairs and brand impact. The Advisory group also taps into omniearnedID’s proprietary analytics platform — including genAI-enabled solutions that accelerate insight, risk evaluation, narrative development and decision-making.

“FleishmanHillard thrives by anticipating what our clients will need next — and by showing up with the right people to help them lead through it,” said J.J. Carter, president and chief executive officer. “The Global Executive Advisory is an extension of that legacy. It brings together first-rate advisors and modern solutions from across our network to meet the demands of this moment — leaders who understand not just communication but the weight of decision-making in a time of profound uncertainty and unpredictability. This is about accelerating impact, elevating counsel and unlocking the full value of our collective expertise.”

Rachel Catanach, head of the Global Executive Advisory, shared that while these are deeply uncertain times FleishmanHillard’s stake in the ground is clear: strategic communication is a key driver for companies wanting decision advantage despite the dilemmas they face.

“Whether it be navigating geopolitics, supply chain arbitrage, identifying new cross-industry partners, communicating new pricing or embedding AI into all operations, the winners and losers in times of uncertainty are often defined by the quality of their communication. In navigating uncertainty, the most grounded leaders focus on what aspects of their operations are immutable: the constants—people, purpose, values—that act as anchors – and then look to innovate and find a third way for those areas requiring a pivot. From an organizational perspective, that means focusing on your people and providing as much assurance as possible even if you can’t provide all the answers,” Catanach said. “That requires honesty, vulnerability and discipline. Share what decisions are being made, what’s on hold and why. Under-promise and over-deliver. That builds trust.”

Read More From Rachel: Turning Uncertainty into Opportunity

“A brand is more than a message — it’s an experience,” added Jim Joseph, global head of Brand Impact. “And in uncertain times, it’s often the brand experience that either connects people or loses them. That’s why executive counsel like this drives business results. We’re helping leaders reinforce what’s true in the world today and relevant in the moment so they can navigate complexity, lead with confidence and keep their brand experience connected to what matters most.” 

Built for flexibility and scale, the Global Executive Advisory enables FleishmanHillard to rapidly assess client needs and activate the right mix of internal and external experts. In addition to its in-house capabilities, the firm will draw on select partners across the Omnicom network including Daggerwing Group, Maslansky + Partners and public affairs firms PLUS, DDC, VOX Global and Mercury where specific expertise is required.

The cohort of advisors is equipped with proprietary tools and frameworks to solve complex challenges, and can also access resources across the full FleishmanHillard, OPRG and Omnicom network quickly. Some of these tools and frameworks include Connectivity Diagnostic, which allows clients to assess how aligned their organization is with the many outside forces that are shaping their story; Risk Radar, which is a forward-looking telemetry system that will help organizations spot reputational issues before they break; and the Two Truths framework, which is designed to help clients navigate competing belief systems to build trust in a highly polarized environment.

The Global Executive Advisory reflects FleishmanHillard’s commitment to delivering the highest level of counsel with the pace and precision today’s leaders demand. It will accelerate how the firm delivers value to clients — by putting the right talent, experience and thinking in place to guide them through their most consequential moments.

This launch also represents a broader evolution of FleishmanHillard’s Corporate Affairs model, which connects capabilities across five advisory pillars: Financial Communications; Crisis, Issues and Risk; Talent and Transformation; Responsible Business; and Public Affairs. The approach deepens the firm’s relevance to the C-suite and strengthens its positioning in special situations.

“Yes, caution is warranted. But the future won’t wait for certainty. It belongs to those who lead through the uncertainty, navigating with strategy, innovation, courage and integrity,” shared Catanach. “Let others chase the trend. We build relevance that lasts.”

FleishmanHillard Executive Advisory Board