At the recent National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Summit, Kekst CNC Co-CEO Jeremy Fielding participated in an episode of the BoardVision podcast, “How Boards Navigate a Reputational Minefield.” The conversation offers valuable recommendations for managing reputational risks and communications objectives at the heart of current boardroom and management discussions:
• As the line between business and politics quickly disintegrates, companies need to evolve strategy and messaging to articulate the priorities that matter to policymakers: solutions, deals, and benefitting the American economy and consumers. No industry is immune from the implications of policy change and government influence – or targeting.
• Continuous cybersecurity preparation and oversight are essential table stakes – not only for communications and IT teams, but also for the C-suite and Board. We are seeing criminal and state-sponsored actors deploy increasingly severe threats against businesses, including deeply challenging tactics such as AI fakes and targeting the families of executives and directors.
• Clients are asking how to build a winning AI communications strategy. The most effective strategies are putting humility first: leaning into real opportunities over hype, acknowledging both the knowns and unknowns, and making the innovation roadmap digestible for every stakeholder group.
• Build a “credibility bank” of shareholder engagement in peacetime. The highly active shareholder activism landscape is laying bare the importance of inoculating against criticism with consistent, targeted investor engagement.
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