Issues Management and Crisis Communications

Issues can escalate quickly, whether they start with a safety incident, regulator interest, workforce concerns, environmental impacts or media attention. A clear, timely response helps contain the issue and show your organisation is in control.​

Clarity works with organisations to anticipate, manage and respond to complex issues in ways that protect reputation and maintain trust. We stay calm under pressure so leaders can focus on making sound decisions and keeping people informed.​

We support clients before, during and after critical moments to:​

• Spot emerging issues early and deal with them before they escalate
• Develop simple, credible messages that make sense to stakeholders and media
• Coordinate fast, consistent responses across leadership, legal, operations and communications
• Prepare and support spokespeople for tough conversations and high‑pressure interviews
• Rebuild confidence and reinforce reputation once the immediate issue has passed.​

Support can be ongoing or intensive, including being on‑site during high‑risk periods or live incidents.​

Effective crisis response starts well before anything makes headlines. We help build practical issues and crisis processes into your existing communications, so people know what to do when it counts.

Our recent experience:

• Global crisis retainer – energy client.

We provide a follow-the-sun crisis retainer for a major energy operator, staying briefed on issues, maintaining response plans and escalation paths, and running cross-region simulations to test decisions and spokespeople. When pressure hits, we activate immediately and are responsible for coordinating media, social and community updates. In addition, we managed a substantial community engagement strategy, which included planning, facilitating, advertising, and attending a series of community meetings and events. Helping our client build trust and enhance the reputation of the company in the region in which it works, through social media, marketing materials, and direct liaison with stakeholders including local government.

• End-to-end corporate affairs partner – global resources.

For a multinational resources company, we operate as the integrated corporate affairs function across several jurisdictions including Australia, Zambia and Panama. We manage reputation and media at corporate and site level, activate and run incident responses for safety, industrial and political events, deliver brand and employer brand programs, produce TSX/ASX-aligned reporting, and shape community investment that closes the feedback loop.

• Regulatory readiness for offshore campaign – near-shore activity.

Supporting an offshore campaign adjacent to a sensitive coastline, we aligned communications with approvals and regulator expectations, ran NOPSEMA-style crisis simulations with local and international teams, prepared ministers and media, and provided standby response for the full program, keeping stakeholders informed and confident through near-shore activity.