Leading Corporate Affairs in the Age of Scrutiny

Last week, we hosted the third Ellwood Atfield Directors’ Club - an invitation-only dinner bringing together senior Corporate Affairs leaders from some of the UK’s most high-profile organisations. The discussion centred on one overarching question:

How do corporate affairs leaders build trust, shape narratives, and maintain influence in an era defined by scrutiny, noise and accelerated technological change?

1. Shaping and building trust when everyone’s a watchdog

Reframing trust under fire

A recurring insight was that organisations can still build trust even when under pressure, but it requires shifting the narrative beyond the immediate issue.

Corporate Affairs directors now play a critical role in helping boards zoom out, re-anchoring in long-term strategy rather than short-term noise. You need to worry about your strategy, not keyboard warriors or social media pen pals.

You lose more by over-promising than under-delivering

Credibility depends on delivering exactly what you say you will. Trust collapses fastest when organisations over-claim and then fall short.

The power of the first response – you get one shot at shaping the narrative.

The initial allegation travels far faster than any eventual exoneration - so the first response must be clear, confident and values-aligned.

Helping non-comms leaders understand risk.

A common challenge is how to get non-communications colleagues to fully grasp communications risk.
Techniques shared included

• “Daily Mail test”: translating issues into relatable, reputational consequences
• Using internal audit to surface and socialise risks from another angle
• Select Committee or media training to give leaders real-world exposure
• Leveraging board members’ own experiences of being “hauled over the coals”.

And whilst we would never tell a lawyer or an accountant how to do their job, you will find that everyone will have an opinion on how they should do comms.

2. Gaining cut-through in an ever-noisier external world

The group discussed how the rules of engagement have changed dramatically — driven by political shifts, social media dynamics and a declining trust in traditional institutions.

A new vernacular in public communications

A US-style combative communication culture beginning to seep into UK and European discourse. With misinformation increasingly deliberate, organisations sometimes need to call out inaccuracies directly, while still retaining credibility.

Rethinking who speaks for the brand

There is a split in CEO appetite: some want to be visible external voices; others prefer to focus internally. Corporate affairs teams are therefore finding alternative, credible voices.

The growing risks of brand ambassadors

While formal partnerships can be vetted, informal or viral associations cannot.
In the age of cancel culture, the behaviour of an influencer or individual loosely linked to a brand can quickly become a reputational liability. The shared advice was not to put all your eggs in one basket.

The declining influence of trade associations

An interesting shift is emerging where Government increasingly prefers to engage directly with CEOs, while trade associations are struggling to represent increasingly diverse and non-aligned member interests. This creates both challenges and opportunities for corporate affairs leaders to shape discussions more directly.

Internal messages should always be written as though they may become external.

In a world where organisations once said something about everything, Corporate Affairs teams now need clear decision trees to determine when to speak and when to stay silent externally. But regardless of whether you comment publicly or not, you should always be communicating with your employees- and communicating in a way that stands up to external scrutiny (as you should simply assume they will be leaked).

Political complexity is rising

What was once a two-party system is no longer. With the rise of Reform UK and an electorate in flux, organisations need a more sophisticated, multi-lens political read, not allegiance to a single ideological trajectory.

3. Shaping future-fit Corporate Affairs functions in the age of AI

AI was seen not as a threat, but as a profound shift in how corporate affairs teams work and where they add value.

A post-truth world - but a return to traditional PR fundamentals

AI is increasingly pulling information from verified, high-quality sources such as the FT and The Times, reinforcing the importance of credible earned media. Monitoring how an organisation “shows up” in these environments matters more than ever.

The automation of low-value work is a relief, not a loss

The idea that AI replacing junior tasks (e.g., media monitoring) is a negative was challenged, arguing agreed these tasks never actually taught judgment. Instead, this frees juniors from them and could accelerate the development of more strategic skills.

Human advantage: empathy, nuance and judgment

The consensus was that while AI can generate content, it cannot deliver emotional intelligence, contextual sensitivity, organisational instinct, ethical and reputational judgment… yet!

Localising the narrative

Even when the macro narrative is challenging, positive local experiences can shift perception. Example: strained GP services vs. excellent individual practice experiences can shift people’s perceptions is a a reminder that micro-narratives can counterbalance macro narratives.

AI as a discipline, not a shortcut

AI is powerful for overcoming the “tyranny of the blank page,” but leaders stressed the importance of rigorous human checking, personalisation ,accountability and quality control.

The Directors’ Club continues to demonstrate the power of bringing leaders together to share what is changing and what remains timeless in this evolving discipline.

‍