Sector: Financial services; Insurance

Services: Strategic communications: Crisis communications; Internal relations

Apella worked with the company to support three key objectives during a challenging period of business transition. First, to do the right thing by employees through compensation, redeployment and retraining. Second, to demonstrate strategic rationale for the closure of local branches. Finally, to ensure the best commercial and reputation outcomes for the business.

We set about achieving these goals through early, open, transparent and authentic engagement with decision makers in central, devolved and local government; government agencies and the regulators. We ensured full and unhindered access to all available government agency support for affected individuals, while retaining day-to-day control of the situation.

As a result of the communications strategy, the company developed a trusting relationship with politicians and government agencies of all parties. This gave it headroom to do the right thing by employees during a difficult but strategically necessary step; 80% secured new roles prior to closure, and the company was widely praised, including by members of the government, for its handling of the situation.