We spoke with Iain Twine, Founder at Harrup Advisory and non executive director of BLAST Entertainment. Iain was previously Vice Chairman, Reputation for APACMEA at Edelman, and he talked about Harrup, helping clients manage COVID-19 and the changing face of the communications function post COVID.
 
· Harrup Advisory has been built around three pillars – crisis and issues management, in particular litigation communications; government policy and country positioning; and sports and esports including Manchester City Football Club and BLAST entertainment.  

· After initial crisis management COVID-19 communications is shifting from internal to external communications.  

“Moving forward what I see as the outlook, from a communication and public affairs perspective, is that companies that are able to open up to get towards whatever relatively normal looks like, will start to change their communications pattern, become more external facing, and try reboot as quickly as they possibly can the deals that weren’t able to be done during COVID-19.”
 
· The communications function will need to adapt as a result of changes in the media landscape. 

“The business of communications, and the business of helping organisations do deals, will become a part where communicators can play a more strategic role within organisations. The other part is going to be trying to, particularly in the policy space, demonstrate an opinion about what these new measures may look like post lockdown and have communicators push forward businesses opinion.”
 
“You want to look at making your team leaner and making it focused more on advice rather than pushing out messages and stories. How do you upweight the advice and consultancy within your own organisation?”
 
· As far as Harrup Advisory is concerned - looking forward to being able to travel to support global clients. 

“Generally it will be to continue to support my existing base of clients, pick up some issues and crises along the way and continue to be very happy being a small, boutique agency, versus no-doubt the significant and interesting and difficult conversations the large agencies are having now. I think being nimble and independent is definitely the way forward. But I would say that now. ”