Broome Yasar Partnership, a global specialist executive search team which focuses on senior leadership recruitment in corporate affairs and investor relations, published a global analysis exploring the ways in which leadership roles in corporate affairs have been heightened by the Covid-19 crisis and whether these changes will last.

The research, which gathered insights from more than 20 leaders in the corporate affairs and investor relations across the US, Asia and Europe, shows how Covid-19 has been a great opportunity for communications practitioners to demonstrate the professional growth the function has undergone in the last few decades. The research also found that was usually the ‘forgotten child of corporate affairs,’ internal communications, became the company’s saving grace as the seamless move from office to remote working enhanced their credentials.

“The current crisis has provided an opportunity for corporate affairs to demonstrate, visibly, our role in protecting the reputation of the businesses we work for, and keeping people internally connected with and engaged with the organisation, its values and forward plans,” says CCO of MSC Cruises Luca Biondolillo.

“Corporate Affairs has really come into its own during this crisis. As a global corporate affairs function, we

have really demonstrated how critical the function is – and the business has ‘woken up’ to its importance. The increasing criticality that we have seen of the function over the last 10 years has rapidly accelerated in the

last five months, and this looks set to be the new normal,” adds David Ku, global VP, public affairs for Mars Wrigley.

Although there was a general sense of optimism from respondents, it is clear the future is a question mark and for many in the profession, employability is precarious. Many interviewees spoke about the need for continued agility to keep in survival mode, while a minority recognised that as the new channels were now running they could focus their energy on how to leverage for a future they could already sense coming.