Corporate leaders increasingly face apparently impossible decisions, balancing the interests of investors, customers, civil society and colleagues.
Businesses have never had more options or faced a more fragmented, less forgiving environment. In this world, establishing and rebuilding reputation and trust in their organisations and brands is now the number one job for CEOs, whether they recognise it or not. The process of doing this job properly touches every aspect of corporate activity, especially the way in which companies manage stakeholder relationships in response to changing events. We help organisations and business leaders to act with certainty as they face these critical challenges.

Our Approach

Our North Star is the need to earn trust, which is the essential commodity that makes all other business actions possible.

Our map is created by our team of researchers, analysts and subject matter experts who use cutting edge tools to help plot the right course.

Our engine is the biggest team of corporate communications, public affairs and financial communications specialists in Europe; supported by the digital, planning, creative, strategic media and influencer teams that can only be sustained in an agency of our size.

By bringing together close, passionate client-centric core teams and giving them access to these resources, we help companies answer some of the hardest questions they face.

Explore the latest careers at Edelman Corporate Affairs

Leadership

Dropdown

John has nearly 30 years of experience advising companies on all aspects of their capital market communications. He is co-founder of Smithfield, which is now Edelman’s wholly owned financial media and investor relations practice in the UK.

He has recently been involved in a number of high profile cross border M&A and restructuring projects including Vantiv’s $28.8bn merger with Worldpay, CME’s £3.9bn acquisition of Nex Group, PayPal’s acquisition of iZettle and Walt Disney Company’s acquisition of Euro Disney.

Additionally, John has also worked on a number of IPOs and spinoffs including, C&W Worldwide from C&W Group (London), TNT Express from Post NL (Amsterdam), Emaar Malls (Dubai) and a number of international deals.

He advises on special situations, shareholder activism and pension trustees on a range of issues.

John is also a guest lecturer on Investor Relations and crisis communications at the London Business School.

 

 

 

 

 

Nick Hope is Managing Director of Edelman’s 90-person UK Corporate team which works across the full-spectrum of corporate communications. He provides c-suite counsel and leads integrated communications teams for major multi-market accounts. He operates at the intersection between business, politics and culture and is a specialist in narrative development, strategic positioning and crisis management.

Previously at Edelman he was Chief of Staff for Europe, Middle East & Africa, sitting on the Regional Executive Committee and Chief of Staff for the UK & Ireland. He has been a member of the Corporate team since joining the firm over half a decade ago.

Before his career at Edelman, Nick spent just over a year dividing his time between working as a speechwriter for private clients in business and entertainment and advising Hilary Benn MP as Chair of the Brexit Committee. Prior to that, Nick worked as a Political Adviser in the UK to the Shadow Foreign Secretary and Shadow Communities Secretary. He also worked in the UK Parliament for the Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury, the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, and the former Deputy Prime Minister. From 2008 to 2011, Nick was a Senior Researcher at a thinktank.

 Julian Payne is Global Chair, Crisis and Risk as well as Chair of Corporate Affairs for Edelman EMEA.  Prior to this Julian worked for five years with the British Royal Family as Communications Secretary to Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall now King Charles III and Queen Camilla and as a strategic advisor to the wider Institution.  Previously, Julian held a series of global roles specialising in Corporate, Brand and Digital communications for organisations including the BBC, where was Director of Communications, and at British luxury brand Burberry where he held the post of VP Global PR and Corporate Affairs. 

 

 

Want to learn more?