PRedicting 2019: What's next for...Corporate Communications?

In a newest series we’ve asked senior leaders from across the agency for their ‘PRediction’ for 2019. We will be publishing them daily for the next twelve days so keep checking back to learn more from a range of sectors and expertise in what could be the biggest opportunities and challenges for next year.

Gender equality, climate change and making connections matter

In the first three months leading to Brexit, there are two possible scenarios: even further instability or, I sincerely hope, intense corporate action to overcome the stagnation. There is certainly much business could be more proactive on, particularly the companies many UK consumers believe are the primary contributors to the issues we now face.

Gender equality will once again come under the spotlight as we head into the next reporting of the gender pay gap. Companies will need to show demonstrable progress irrespective of the lag in reporting time, and the smartest will have the steps in place to rebut any negative accusations and make real progress in bringing more equality to pay.

Another issue that will continue to be under the spotlight is climate change. As the Trump administration seems to delight in ignoring each report highlighting the increasingly negative impact of climate change, it is likely there will be a greater call for companies to step in where politics has not. Plastic and water usage will dominate the agenda and it would seem that time is ripe for a smart company to step into the void and pave the way for some intelligent and decisive action.

Human connectivity is also likely to be a big theme dominating senior level discussions. This is more than the effect of too much social media use and not something that can be solved with a week of digital detoxing. The societal impact of a generation brought up dependent on technology, as well as the mental and physical impact of that dependency, are only starting to be fully realised and I expect we will see more companies start to seek to find solutions to re-engage the disconnected.

Steph Bailey, Managing Director of Corporate Communications