On August 30th, DHR Global hosted a captivating conversation on how to evolve your communications function into a corporate affairs function. We highlighted the importance of effective messaging, creating buy-in, influencing from the top, and fully integrating strategy to drive business impact and results.
Hosted by Jessica Bayer, Managing Partner, Corporate Affairs and Communications, and joined by our panel of three influential corporate affairs leaders:
- Madeline Chadwick, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Papa John’s International
- Dani Dudeck, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Instacart
- Donna Lorenson, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Kenvue
Thank you to Dani, Madeline, and Donna for sharing your insights on this topic.
You can view the full replay below or scroll down to read the top 8 key areas of importance:
One: Importance of the Title
Q:
And what is it that you think you developed that made you set up for success as a Chief Corporate Affairs Officer versus a Chief Communications Officer?
As you’re looking at your team, whether it’s hiring or doing development and learning, what skill set are you making?
A:
“I think communication is a really important, highly strategic function in any organization. But I think the word ‘communications’ implies that it’s about what the company says, and not necessarily what’s built and designed and strategically sorted way before.”
– Dani Dudeck, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Instacart
Two: Setting Up For Success
Q:
And what is it that you think you developed that made you set up for success as a Chief Corporate Affairs Officer versus a Chief Communications Officer?
As you’re looking at your team, whether it’s hiring or doing development and learning, what skill set are you making?
A:
“I think that’s, first and foremost, it is not being a Comms person, but really understanding the ins and outs of the business, really understanding how your company makes money understanding the P&L, and understanding all your stakeholder audiences, even if it doesn’t report to you. I think that’s important, and ensuring that your team understands that, too. They need to drive decisions that make sense for the business, not cause.”
– Madeline Chadwick, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Papa John’s International
“One piece of advice I would have from my perspective: Sometimes it’s a long game, and sometimes it’s not ownership of something. It’s influence.”
Madeline Chadwick, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Papa John’s International
Three: Educating Others
Q:
How did you educate people internally in other functional areas as to what corporate affairs is, why it exists, and why you’re in this role?
A:
“What are we doing? What are we bringing to the table? And how do you leverage us to maximize impact for your business? …If you’re really good at it, you can make the environment conducive for your business. It’s a winning capability that people need to understand.”
– Donna Lorenson, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Kenvue
Four: Overcoming Challenges
Q:
Who had a hurdle, who had something that they had to overcome? And what was that issue? How did you overcome it?
A:
“Most countries require you to be a registered lobbyist to lead government affairs. Or your team, rather, are registered lobbyists. And so, there’s a whole compliance component to it. I wasn’t a registered lobbyist, but I had a very good understanding of how a bill becomes a law, how legislation moves, and how you can influence elected officials.”
– Donna Lorenson, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Kenvue
Jessica Bayer
Managing Partner, Corporate Affairs and Communications
Jessica serves as the Managing Partner of DHR’s Corporate Affairs and Communications Practice, based in Washington, D.C. With a strong, global network and experience leading C-level searches within the communications space, Jessica develops and maintains strong relationships with industry leaders, understands the evolving nature of agencies and is a trusted advisor to her clients.
Five: Primary Focuses as Chief Corporate Affairs Officer
Q:
So, if you were to think back to your time as a chief communications officer, and what you focused on, and what you did day to day, and then. Now, in your role as Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, where have your priorities shifted? What do you? What is your role? Look like?
A:
“I would say the biggest part of my job is helping my team be successful, and one [part of that] is being able to come out of those strategic meetings and strategic conversations and connect them with the business and what’s going on in the business so they can make smart decisions. And they can be focused on the right work. A lot of it is around team development and connection with our leadership team and our business.”
– Madeline Chadwick, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Papa John’s International
Six: Building ESG Strategies and Integration into the Day-To-Day
Q:
What are the biggest challenges with ESG you’ve had with building out the strategy and integrating it into the business?
A:
“The tactic we’re taking is not just looking at ESG as an industry scorecard and how we measure up in the scorecard we’re given, but rather what are the unique superpowers that we should lean into, that allow us to articulate our priorities and tell a clear impact story. So, less ESG and more impact, and by framing it through the lens of impact.”
– Dani Dudeck, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Instacart
“[Having a communications background] just makes you a much more interesting person at the leadership team table because you see everything end to end. You’re much more of a business leader, and you’re sitting at the table as a business leader who happens to have a specialty in corporate affairs or communications.”
Donna Lorenson, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer
Seven: Purpose-driven Approach
Q:
Are you calling it ESG, or have you branded this differently?
A:
“[ESG is] not a term that ever caught on with our employees. Most people don’t know what that means. So, we shifted it to call it our ‘purpose-driven work.'”
– Madeline Chadwick, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Papa John’s International
Eight: The Future of the Corporate Affairs Function
Q:
If you had to peek behind the curtain. What’s next? How is it going to continue to evolve? What are you going to continue to look at, own, or take over next thinking AI, and just into the future? Does anyone have a perspective on what’s next for this function? Or do we just need to get it established work and continue to promote corporate affairs as a function?
A:
“It’s really about how you make the function more impactful, and the quicker you move, the more you can prevent crises, the more you can see risks ahead of time and de-risk the business, the better, and that’s the future.”
– Donna Lorenson, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Kenvue
“This function will have a bigger seat at the table because word will get out that having a smart corporate affairs team and one that’s really on their front foot saves you money, makes your business better, and ultimately makes the company stronger. And I think we could the more we do that inside the house, the more it’ll be clear to every business leader that this is. This is a critical function for business success.”
– Dani Dudeck, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Instacart