Leadership Lesson: Sam Bowen, Partner, FOUR32 

How did you get into comms and what initially drew you into the field?

It was in 1992. I hadn’t been to University and had been trying a few different early roles, but eventually I talked to a recruitment consultant and told her I’d always had a passion for film and music. She introduced me to an agency affiliated with many well-known film companies, and I ended up doing PR for Four Weddings and a Funeral, Reservoir Dogs, Trainspotting, The Usual Suspects and other brilliant titles.  

I moved on to join Freuds and being there in the 90s was one of the highlights of my career. I joined wanting to be a unit publicist and was given that opportunity almost immediately as the launch publicist for ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?’, unit publicist for Channel 4’s ‘TFI Friday’ and Chris Evans’ Breakfast Show on Virgin Radio. It was an incredible time, and it never felt like work.

What personal attributes do you think have helped you succeed?

I’ve always had many interests, the result of an inquiring (and neurodiverse) mind. Going down different rabbit holes and asking questions is key. I remember an old boss at Freuds told me how the best PRs think like journalists – vital info then for someone pretty new to the game. That really piqued my interest. When you have permission to ask those questions, it’s a great foundation for a strategic mind. You can look at things in a different way and ask the questions that others might not want to.  

The other attribute is having a healthy approach to risk, which is ‘opportunity’ in a more positive framing. These days, it feels like people are concerned about making mistakes, getting things wrong or veering away from a well-trodden path up the ladder. My career path hasn’t been linear to say the least, something I’m happy about given the opportunities and learnings that have come my way.  

What do you think are the key qualities needed from leaders in sustainability comms in 2024 and beyond?

You need to understand the field as much as possible and importantly, why change is needed, to move from extractive to regenerative mindsets and models. It’s growing so fast, and there’s so much to understand and unpack in terms of the political, business, environmental and societal perspectives.  

In his book Creativity Inc, Ed Catmull, the founder of Pixar Studios talks about the early days, that despite their innovative technology, creative skills and many years of experience, they still faced challenges in convincing businesses to invest in the latest digital animations. To counteract this, they adopted a mindset of continuous learning. That’s a vital skill to adopt and/or maintain at any stage. 

Also, an understanding of what sustainability professionals are looking to achieve, married with comms expertise. Through this understanding, we can engage stakeholders with the ‘what’ and the ‘why’ of what a business is doing. We can ask the right questions, bring more businesses out of greenhush and avoid the pitfalls of greenwash in order to build greater reputation and trust.  

What are the key challenges that you’re facing in your role as a leader in sustainability comms?

One of the clear challenges is making sure all stakeholders understand what a business is doing, how it is transitioning to a more sustainable model, towards sustainable growth. The expectations on its supply chain, the opportunities for employees and future talent, the impact for investors, the clear advantage for nature and communities. 

However, before anything, there’s insight. We have to understand various audiences and unpick their needs before we can expect to meet them. And insight is imperative when bringing anything new into the mix, like demand switching. As it’s been said before, this is not about making everyday brands look green, it’s about making greener brands the norm. 

I believe avoiding greenwashing is getting much clearer thanks to guidance from the Advertising Standards Authority, the CMA, and the EU. The challenge is to ensure clients fully understand the need to communicate on sustainability and with the right advice, can trust in the navigation around any greenwash pitfalls. Fundamentally though, it’s pretty straightforward in terms of staying close to the sustainability framework and not overselling – you have to be able to show receipts. 

Lastly, I’d say there’s great challenge in bringing cohesion into sustainability comms and navigating  eco-apathy / denialism. With the emergence of CSRD and other mandates, auditing of ESG claims, fears of greenwash etc, reporting is getting more complex. Many businesses are putting out sustainability reports that read like long laundry lists of achievements. Yet to properly engage stakeholders and help people understand how and why they need to live more sustainably, storytelling the ‘why’ is vital and reporting shouldn’t be reduced to binary output. 

How do you see the field evolving over the next five to ten years, especially as public awareness of environmental and social issues continues to grow?

We’re seeing people’s consciousness rising as they’re growing in their environmental concerns and becoming a lot more aware of the various issues around us. I had great meetings with the BBC and ITV recently to discuss climate reporting, something that’s becoming much more joined up to reflect climate impact on all areas of society. 

Sustainability communications are likely to become more sophisticated, transparent, and action-oriented in response to this growing public awareness. Companies and organisations that effectively communicate their sustainability initiatives and engage stakeholders in meaningful dialogue will be better positioned to drive positive change and build trust with stakeholders.  

Five to ten years feels an age given how fast things are progressing, but I believe there will be several developments over the next year or so: 

• Greater Emphasis on Transparency: People are becoming even more conscious of the environmental and social impact of products and services. As a result, there will likely be a greater demand for transparency.
• Deeper Integration of Sustainability into Corporate Narratives: Sustainability will become increasingly integrated into corporate narratives. Companies that prioritise sustainability will highlight their commitment as a core value, rather than just a marketing strategy.
• Focus on Solutions and Action: While raising awareness about environmental and social issues is important, there will be a growing emphasis on highlighting solutions and actionable steps that individuals can take to address these challenges. Sustainability communications must focus on inspiring positive change and empowering stakeholders to make a difference.
• Use of Technology and Digital Platforms: Technology, including AI, social media, mobile apps, and digital platforms, will play a significant role in shaping sustainability communications. Companies will leverage these tools to analyse volumes of data, engage people, share information about their sustainability initiatives, and foster community involvement in sustainability efforts.
• Storytelling and Emotional Engagement: Effective storytelling will continue to be a powerful tool in sustainability communications. More companies will use narratives, visuals, and multimedia content to convey their sustainability message in a compelling and emotionally engaging way.
• Collaboration and Partnerships: Collaboration and partnerships will be essential for driving meaningful change on a larger scale. Companies, governments, non-profits, and other stakeholders will work together to address complex sustainability challenges and amplify their impact.  

What advice do you have for someone looking to pivot from more traditional comms (or a different area of comms) into sustainability or purpose-driven work?

It’s all about putting yourself in the right place and using the experiences you’ve already gained in comms to help pivot, whether it’s within a specialist agency or a division of a larger agency. The fundamental need when making a pivot like this is knowledge and having a network of like-minded people to build ideas, collaborate and share in the successes.