Brief

H/Advisors Cicero has been the retained public affairs provider to IHG since 2015. We provide regular insight and analysis to understand how the changing political and public policy environment impacts IHG and its hotel owners.

We work closely with IHG’s internal team, acting as a genuine extension with a core understanding of the business, providing strategic advice and support on their public affairs strategy. We were also commissioned to produce a Board-level report that analysed the upcoming policy and regulatory developments in the ESG space.

Strategy & Execution

H/Advisors Cicero supports IHG’s internal public affairs by track a range of policy issues that directly impact IHG’s core business priorities, such as regulation around short-term lets and tourist taxes, business taxation, ESG, migration and foreign affairs. We regularly provide senior counsel to IHG’s leadership team, such as transition planning for their incoming new UK CEO.

In 2022, and in partnership with H/Advisors US and China teams, we provided a bespoke ESG insight and analysis tool across four key markets (EU, UK, US, China). This was supplemented by a benchmarking exercise, consisting of an assessment of governmental and societal expectations pertaining to ESG in these four markets benchmarked to IHG’s existing ESG commitments.

ESG regulations and policy are increasingly a part of board level conversations, given the potential material impact on operations across businesses. Our work played a crucial role in informing how IHG build ESG considerations into their future strategy

Helena Walsh – Managing Director, Brussels

Results

Our strategic advice and counsel have allowed IHG to stay ahead of important developments in its sector. We ensure that they remain abreast of, and where necessary, are able to influence, the ever-evolving political and public policy climate. We are a trusted voice to their senior leadership team, directly advising and informing their wider business strategy.

Our final ESG report was presented by Cicero to the IHG board and allowed IHG to have a clear understanding of all obligations and opportunities arising from the outlined ESG policies and regulations (including IHG reporting requirements). Working with IHG’s internal stakeholders, we identified key actions the business would need to take to overcome the gaps highlighted.

If you wish to discuss any of the issues mentioned in this article, please contact Helena in H/Advisors Cicero’s Brussels team on helena.walsh@h-advisors.global

Brief

H/Advisors Cicero has been the public affairs provider to HP since 2018, supporting them to raise their profile in Whitehall and Westminster. We provide regular insight and analysis on relevant policy matters and support them with legislative engagement, as well as delivering a comprehensive meeting programme with key policymakers.

Strategy & Execution

H/Advisors Cicero supported HP with a campaign to ensure public procurement processes consider cyber resilience and sustainability. Our campaign included engagement with the Procurement Bill, a series of meetings with relevant government, backbench and opposition stakeholders, as well as message development and thought leadership pieces. We also helped organise a roundtable on cybersecurity in public procurement at the US embassy with senior policymakers and industry stakeholders.

H/Advisors Cicero also provides ongoing support across a range of policy issues that directly impact HP’s business priorities, including 3D printing and digital manufacturing, ESG and trade policy.

Results

Our strategic advice and campaign support have allowed HP to be actively involved in the policy discussions that most impact the business, as well as strengthening their profile with key policymakers. Through our procurement policy campaign, we worked with the Labour Shadow Ministerial team to table a series of amendments to the Procurement Bill that would bolster cyber security requirements. HP have also campaigned and successfully advocated for mandated and robust considerations of sustainability in public procurement putting them on a par with value for money considerations.

We have placed HP at the centre of the public policy debate on their key issues such as embedding sustainability and cyber resilience into public procurement and championing the role of 3D printing. We have also organised a number of high-profile political roundtables and events for them.

Tijs Broeke, Government Affairs and Public Policy Director at HP, commenting on Cicero’s work with HP: “Cicero’s ongoing counsel and support has ensured HP can proactively contribute to the UK public policy debate on business-critical issues”.

Brief

H/Advisors Cicero was instructed by DXC Technologies in July 2020 to undertake a 360-degree perceptions audit of the business’ stakeholders and clients. The aim was to identify growth opportunities in the UK public sector for DXC to capitalise on, whilst raising the business’ profile among key stakeholders in Government. We conducted 27 interviews alongside a benchmarking exercise against competitors.

Strategy & Execution

Of the 27 interviews conducted, 10 were internal and 17 were external. The internal interviews were with senior DXC employees and sought to understand individual perceptions of DXC, their role within the company and the direction of travel the business should pursue. The external interviews were held with Government stakeholders and clients to understand why, outside of its customer base, knowledge of the DXC brand is low in the public sector. Alongside the interviews, we examined seven of DXC’s competitors’ messaging, communications and websites to assess how DXC compares. This allowed us to recommend to DXC the areas it is doing well against its competitors and opportunities to differentiate itself in the market.

Results

Our findings informed a set of actionable recommendations for DXC to execute going forward. The recommendations were based on four themes: competitor advantage, brand awareness, strategic planning and reputation. DXC found the audit extremely helpful to understand their perception among colleagues, clients and potential customers and the business adapted their strategy based on our findings.

Brief

H/Advisors Cicero had supported the Government Affairs function to undertake an audit of parliamentarians on what issues mattered to them, with social mobility coming out as the top topic for engagement. As such, Accenture asked H/Advisors Cicero to design a campaign around social mobility, specifically focused on digital exclusion, which is both relevant to Accenture’s business offering and where it has well-established charitable partnerships.

Strategy & Execution

H/Advisors Cicero created an insights-led campaign to understand the current challenges around the digital divide across the UK, and those groups at greatest risk to digital exclusion. We looked to re-define digital exclusion beyond simply having access to the internet, and instead assess how confident people were with leading digital lives.

Our research included conducting a nationally representative survey of the UK public, via telephone interviews to reduce risk of bias from online surveying. We also held seven in-depth interviews with key partners to Accenture, including the Good Things Foundation and Stay Nimble.

H/Advisors Cicero undertook all copywriting for the report, adding in spotlight sections to highlight the work Accenture is already doing to reduce digital exclusion and championing the importance of social mobility across the UK.

Results

Accenture’s Digital Divide report was launched in May 2022, with the published version accessible here, including recommendations for both Government and industry. H/Advisors Cicero then worked with the Government Affairs team to pull together a policymaker stakeholder list and tailored messaging to socialise the report and set up follow-up meetings with policymakers across the UK, focusing on those areas where Accenture is a major employer – such as Newcastle and Manchester.

Brief

H/Advisors Cicero was tasked with providing crisis communications support to Slough Borough Council as it issued a Section 114 notice, effectively declaring it was unable to set a legal budget, with expenditure far outstripping revenue. Slough Borough Council was in the process of re-examining its finances, which led to discovery of a severe shortfall. 

Strategy & Execution

It was decided that a strategy of transparency would be adopted. A press release and the Council CEO and Council Leader’s response to the Section 114 were issued proactively to a wide range of national and local press. The entire Council leadership team were also made available for press enquiries and interviews. We worked closely with the Council team to develop a narrative that would reassure residents, help stakeholders understand the background for the Section 114 notice and underline the ongoing process of management and financial transformation in the Council. We drafted and/or reviewed all the collateral for the Section 114 notice and provided media training to the key spokespeople at Slough Borough Council.

Result

Media coverage focused on Slough Borough Council’s legacy issues and provided context to the story, including mentioning the new Council leadership team in place. Slough Borough council’s Section 114 notice was covered in a significantly more positive light than other Councils that had issued Section 114 notices, including Northamptonshire and Croydon.

Brief

H/Advisors Cicero was hired to help LEG Immobilien SE gain a better grip on the legislative and regulatory developments in the EU that impact the company’s real estate investments, ESG objectives, as well as its reporting obligations.

Strategy & Execution

To ensure that we identifed relevant legislative developments at an early stage, we provided LEG with a succinct monthly Policy Tracker. Through this, the company was informed about the status and next steps of relevant files (ie European Green Deal, EU Taxonomy, circular economy and more), including relevant public consultations and the identification of key stakeholders. ​

A monthly client call allowed us to advise LEG at senior management level about the impact that new legislation could have on the real estate sector, as well as potential next steps the company could take to ensure its interests are represented well at the EU level. This included advice on stakeholder engagement as well as on the appropriate engagement tools to be used.​

Apart from the structural services delivered, H/Advisors Cicero also supported LEG through constant monitoring of and reporting on ad hoc policy developments of importance to the industry. This ranged from forwarding leaked versions of legislation to analysis of draft reports published by the EU institutions, and early identification of public consultations.​

Result

We have provided LEG with detailed analysis of important climate and energy policy reforms as part of the ‘Fit for 55’ Climate Package, as well as investment criteria as part of the EU Taxonomy in the field of climate, circular economy and social policy. While the former informed the company’s sustainability agenda, the latter was valuable for the company’s investment department.​