Press Release: Herdwick Communications launches to build communications resilience at a time of increased business risk

London, UK, 06 June 2022 - Today marks the launch of Herdwick Communications, a new UK-based strategic communications consultancy. Herdwick’s offering is rooted in the experience and unique perspective of its co-founders, Mike Evans and Elizabeth Maclean. They protect and enhance reputation by mitigating business risk and incorporating issues management into everyday communications.

Communications teams are increasingly experiencing challenges to reputation in an ever-dynamic business environment. The risk of crisis and persistent issues management can lead to stakeholder reaction compromising business and communications objectives. 

Herdwick’s role is to ready businesses to manage issues and crises to prevent communications objectives or business continuity from being compromised. Their approach to reputation management prevents issues from developing into crises. They do this by identifying risk and aligning the in-house team to make reputation management part of everyday operations. Herdwick reviews an organisation’s risks, strategy and stakeholders, evaluates current capabilities through readiness audits and tests resilience by engaging in simulations. It is a tried and tested approach, applied to highly operational businesses and has proven to enhance reputation and protect the delivery of business objectives.

Herdwick’s directors are highly practised in crisis communications, with hands-on experience managing crises from start to finish. They can step in quickly to provide timely and relevant counsel to protect reputation. As a crisis is a long-haul event, they support stakeholder mapping, resource planning, communications strategy development and incorporate learnings for continual improvement.

The Co-Managing Directors each have more than 30 years’ applied experience in strategic communications in the UK and internationally:

Mike Evans has worked in highly operational businesses steering brands through start-up, exponential growth and during periods of disruption to business continuity. It included the aviation sector where reputation is built and challenged daily.

Mike Evans, Co-Managing Director, Herdwick Communications, said: “We know that reputation is won and lost in day-to-day operational environments. Therefore, managing reputational risk is fundamental to any communications strategy and key to pursuing long-term sustainability. Both Elizabeth and I have successfully enhanced reputation throughout our careers by taking business risks and making them intrinsic to communications. Herdwick makes reputation management sustainable.”

Elizabeth Maclean started her career in an international PR agency and subsequently held in-house roles. Through effective issues and crisis management, her counsel has enhanced the reputation of major corporations in energy, financial services, telecommunications, transportation, and government.

Elizabeth Maclean, Co-Managing Director, Herdwick Communications, said: “Our unique perspective brings clarity to complex situations and allows us to develop scenarios to foresee possible solutions. Our models are tried and tested in highly operational businesses. We are practised, experienced and understand the power of working together, stakeholder by stakeholder, to ensure communications are heard by the right people, at the right time and with the right tone. It makes our counsel compelling and supports effective Board-level decision-making. It is why Mike and I founded Herdwick.”