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SOLUTIONS DELIVERED
From central and local government, healthcare, the commercial sector, and charities, we have applied our skills to enhance business communications and stakeholder engagement.
  
   
 
Some of the areas where Stuart Notholt has delivered communications solutions to clients include...
Delivering communications for a major government civil contingencies exercise
Vision
The Department for International Trade needed specialist communications support to deliver its part of Operation Yellowhammer, the Civil Contingencies Secretariat led programme to mitigate any serious effects of a no-deal Brexit.
Action
Set up the Departmental and cross-government communications function for DIT's Operation Yellowhammer communications. Provided communications leadership to broader EU Exit contingency planning. An inclusive culture was created through cross-departmental sessions where ideas were shared and feedback sought from all voices. Placed staff development, welfare and resilience at the heart of DIT operational contingency activities.
Results
Programme successfully delivered. Good feedback received that stakeholders 'always felt in the loop' even while working at pace and outside normal hours. The Yellowhammer team was awarded a Permanent Secretary Team Award for an outstanding contribution to the Department and shortlisted for the Resilience & Rapid Response Award in the Civil Service Awards.
Setting up and running a media function for an international NGO
Vision
The major animal welfare charity Compassion in World Farming wished to significantly up its game through better media relations. Significant expansion of Compassion’s activities, particularly in the field of consumer relations, was not being matched by increased media exposure. The organization wished to have a Media Director as a permanent member of its Senior Management Team, but lacked experience in designing and integrating the media function at a senior level.
Action
Using experience gained through leading the press relations for commercial and not-for-profit organizations, Stuart Notholt developed a new international media relations strategy for Compassion in World Farming. The team was restructured and, as interim Media Director, Stuart Notholt demonstrated how a media director would successfully operate alongside senior colleagues. He also led on rolling out a social media strategy designed to promote the activities and profile of the Chief Executive officer. Appropriate media monitoring processes were put in position.
Results
Greater media coverage was achieved and a start made in cultivating better long-term relationships with key journalists, editors and other stakeholders. A process was put in position to ensure quantifiable reporting, to the Board, of progress in media work. The future team structure was identified and a permanent Media Director recruited.
Supporting back-office transformation for a local authority
Vision
In order to better manage public funds against a background of the financial pressures faced by all local authorities, Suffolk County Council sought to bring its IT, Finance and HR functions in-house and required a communications strategy to support the transition.
Action
Stuart facilitated meetings with staff to determine the key issues and concerns involved in with bringing functions in house. Based on these and other conversations, narratives to address staff, management and union concerns were developed. Stuart developed an 18-month communications strategy and liaised with the existing Suffolk County Council communications team to support the smooth transfer of communications functions for internal delivery.
Results
Succeeded in obtaining buy-in for the transition and embedding stronger communication channels to support the new in-house functions.
Helping deliver the seamless merger of three firms into one
Vision
€500 million HR services firm Randstad was creating a new integrated interim resourcing function from three previous acquisitions, Albemarle, Armadillo and Walker-Cox. New branding and extensive stakeholder marketing was required to support this 3-way merger and integrate the new business into the broader Randstad organization.
Action
Stuart Notholt led on marketing communications work, created the web content for the new Randstad Interim Executives website, and led on internal communications to the 20,000 strong Randstad workforce worldwide.
Results
Succeeded in facilitating a smooth re-branding and cultural transformation of the 3 firms to support a seamless merger.
Delivering behavioural change amongst staff during a major health crisis
Vision
Following the start of the swine flu outbreak in mid-2009, NHS Hillingdon Primary Care Trust in west London needed specialist communications input to ensure that accurate and timely messages reached key stakeholders, including other statutory bodies, the public, the local voluntary sector and NHS staff. Uncertainly over the severity of the outbreak meant that rapid response and flexibility needed to be built into communications plans. A particular concern centred on staff uptake of vaccinations; which had historically been very poor.
Action
Working as a member of the Hillingdon Pandemic Flu Silver Command, Stuart Notholt took the lead in delivering swine flu communications to stakeholders, providing a one-stop source of authoritative communications advice. Stuart had previously spent a year with the Department of Health developing risk-management based pandemic flu communications for the English Strategic Health Authorities, so was ideally placed to contribute. Stuart wrote the swine flu communications plans for the PCT, and when on to deliver it, including hands on delivery of wide range of collateral communications assets. A key tool was the establishment of an intranet/extranet to enable remote access of communications tools.
Results
Positive and widespread coverage was achieved in local media (including front page coverage in the main local newspaper). Local governmental and statutory bodies, such as the local Council, emergency and voluntary bodies, were coached to adapt healthcare and other messages for their own needs. An extensive 'grass roots' internal communications programme was initiated. Instead of the 25% uptake of vaccination amongst staff that had been anticipated from previous experience, this resulted in a 70% uptake - the highest of any PCT in London.
Ensuring readiness to deal with the world's biggest public health risk

Vision
Governments throughout the world were working to prepare countermeasures to a potential pandemic flu pandemic - recognized as the biggest single public health risk. In the UK, the Department of Health needed consistent communications strategies, capable of reaching the public, healthcare workers, and local government agencies such as the emergency services, to alert stakeholders to the risk and ensure that media and other communications assets were in place.
Action
Stuart Notholt worked with the English Strategic Health Authorities (SHA) and with colleagues in the Department of Health to ensure that each SHA had agreed communications plans drafted and tested. He wrote and delivered the 'Black Swan' high-level exercise to simulate communications challenges during the pandemic and managed internal communications between the Department of Health and the pandemic flu leads at SHA and Primary Care Trust level. Bespoke plans were also prepared for acute and mental health NHS trusts.
Results
All English SHAs had pandemic flu communications plans in position by the time of the outbreak of swine flu in May 2009. The UK's pandemic flu countermeasures programme was deployed operationally, providing a robust and successful response to the outbreak. During the swine flu outbreak, Stuart Notholt worked directly for NHS Hilingdon in delivering its communications programme.
Transforming regulatory communications in the financial services industry
Vision
As the sole regulatory body for the City of London, the Financial Services Authority was required to make available copies of its Handbook of Rules and Guidance, an expanding collection of 17 ring-bound volumes totalling some 3000 pages, available to the 23,000 firms under regulation. The FSA lacked the skills to move rapidly away from its obsolete paper-based publishing approach, which was no longer financially nor logistically sustainable.
Action
Stuart Notholt managed the transition from paper-based to electronic publishing. Proposals for an unworkable proprietary delivery route were abandoned in favour of the industry-standard Portable Document Format (PDF) technology. Document search and individual customization of the Handbook by regulated firms was facilitated through a specialized Acrobat plug-in which concentrated search results according to the user's profile. A marketing communication campaign aimed at regulated firms highlighted the changes and their benefits.
Results
Electronic publishing saved an estimated £6 million on print and distribution costs compared to the previously proposed paper based versions of the FSA Handbook. Easy customization of the Handbook by regulated firms was enabled, whilst meeting statutory requirements to make all sections of the rules available. Remaining hard copy publishing costs were minimalized, as mailed updates could be restricted to newsletters, with pointers to the relevant resources on the FSA's website. Uptake of the electronic version was extremely high, with over 90% of regulated firms opting for electronic delivery over hard copy distribution. This transition to electronic publishing was used by Adobe as a case study.
Launching a new high-worth product for a leading bank

Vision
Banking group Lloyds-TSB needed support delivering a corporate communications and business transformation programme arising out of the merger of three advisory/sales teams to create a new Wealth Management business. The existing communication teams were small and fragmented, and required bolstering and co-ordination. Planning for a major launch event was significantly behind schedule.
Action
Stuart Notholt wrote and delivered a strategic communications plan bringing together elements of the existing communications teams. Coaching was provided to communications managers and recommendations were made for future communications structures. Stuart worked with individual workstreams to determine, and deliver, their internal communications requirements. He also took the lead on the management and organization of the high-profile launch conference.
Results
The communications aspects of the creation of the new wealth management product were successfully delivered, with the integrated sales team understanding the combined corporate objectives, value proposition, and change trajectory. The new division's communications were integrated with overall Lloyds-TSB messages and systems.
Creating a new PR strategy for a major international property group

Vision
International property investment firm CB Richard Ellis had experienced significant growth in their Europe, Middle East and Asia division, largely through acquisition or merger of regional partners. This resulted in a situation in which there was no consistency in corporate messaging and in the practicalities of press and public relations work. Clearance processes for press releases were ill-defined, while a centralized 'one size fits all' approach was equally inappropriate in preserving both local autonomy and in addressing very wide differences in media culture and legal frameworks.
Action
Using experience gained through managing the press relations for major international organizations, Stuart Notholt developed a new press relations strategy for the EMEA division. This set the guidelines for media communications, whether domestic, cross-border, or international. Clear thresholds were established setting out the authority levels for managers seeking to engage in press relations. General guidance on international media relations, the need for cultural and legal sensitivities and specific 'rules of engagement' were also created.
Results
The new EMEA media strategy was enthusiastically adopted and rolled out throughout the CB Richard Ellis EMEA division. A consistent approach to media relations was adopted, which enabled the CB Richard Ellis group to better demonstrate its comprehensive ability to address client needs across borders and regions. Similarly, the dangers of inappropriate media communications were reduced.
Developing communications for the world's largest supply chain re-procurement exercise

Vision The challenges of an aging population and ever rising health costs are posing considerable challenges for the NHS. One way to make better use of existing funds is to improve the ways in which the NHS procures goods and services. The NHS Supply Chain Procurement Transformation Programme, the largest procurement re-tendering exercise in the world, aims to address this need, with the aim saving the NHS £2.4 billion over five years.
Action
Stuart Notholt was engaged to provide communictions and stakeholder engagment support to the programme. The work included the development of a communications stategy, leading on producing external media line-to-take, and the development of programme communications materials and created targeted marketing collateral.
Results
Succeeded in ensuring consistent, balanced media coverage and clear messaging of the positive values created by the programme for all stakeholders, resulting in better understanding and increased buy-in.
Helping strengthen the brand of an important charity

Vision Having grown rapidly, the Small Charities Coalition needed a brand consultant to help with a strategic review of its goals, vision and activities, against a backdrop of significant fundraising challenges facing the small charities sector and the need for the authoritative sector leadership and support that the Small Charities Coalition exists to provide.
Action
Stuart Notholt conducted a through appraisal of how the Small Charities Coalition supports the small charities sector, identified key strengths and opportunities in the existing Small Charities Coalition branding, and developed a proposal aimed at enhancing the Small Charities Coalition's brand through a strategy of strengthening brand authenticity.
Results
The new brand proposal was rolled out within Small Charities Coalition, delivering greater confidence in the organization around the use of their brand strengths.
Supporting the roll-out of cloud based back-office solutions for a Government department

Vision The Metis Programme is the introduction of Oracle Cloud software-as-a-service technology to transform the way in which Home Office back-office functions, such as HR and financial transactions, are undertaken. The benefits case for Metis is compelling, with a projected initial saving of £198m over 10 years and a return on investment of 2.5 years. Metis is also viewed as a pathfinder programme, with the programme working with other Government departments to helping them understand the benefits and how they might capitalise on the work undertaken by the Home Office.
Action
Stuart Notholt supported and delivered communications and stakeholder engagement planning for the programme, including the creation of communications materials targeted at a broad range of stakeholders across the Home Office and the broader Civil Service.
Results
A longer term communications planning strategy was developed that enabled the Metis programme to effectively reach stakeholders throughout the Home Office, ensuring that they are informed about the benefits of the introduction of Metis and the changes they need to make. Following completion of this assignment, Stuart moved to the equivalent Foreign & Commonwealth Office programme, Atlas, where he set up the programme communications infrastructure, facilitated skills transfer to permanent FCO communications leaders, and led on communications for key stakeholder engagement activities.
 Delivering a variety of internal communications solutions
 Providing editorial and business writing support
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