Leadership Lessons with… Louise Stewart, Global Vice President of Communications & Engagement, Oversight Board

Leadership Lessons with… Louise Stewart, Global Vice President of Communications & Engagement, Oversight Board

Bringing communications to the forefront of Governance, how the sector is moving faster and faster, and evolving employee demands. We recently spoke with Louise Stewart, Global Vice President of Communications & Engagement about the changing landscape of communications, and how it’s reflective of our wider world.

Take a look.

What do you see as the key role as a Chief Communications Officer, and how has this changed from previous years? 

More and more organisations are seeing the crucial role of CCOs and of comms in general. I have a seat at the Executive table and that is hugely important when a brand is going through any types of strategic change.

At the moment, most organisations are feeling the economic downturn and there’s a lot of downsizing. Communications can really determine the success of those changes, but also help ensure the organisation remains sustainable for the future.

What key qualities do global comms leaders need today?

Agility is one of them. I’m from a news background, but even now I find that the comms world is getting quicker and quicker. The sector very much used to revolve around planning, longer-term thinking – but being part of the news cycle isn’t conducive to that, and professionals and brands need to adopt agility.

In any organisation, regardless of where you sit, it’s not uncommon for everyone to feel like a comms expert, and everyone has an opinion about how it should be done. Acknowledging feedback and affirming it in the communications strategy is important.

Bringing people with you is also one of the key strengths. So you need to be able to bring the team with you, lead the way during uncertainties, and see what’s around the corner to move the conversation along.

With an increased focus on workplace mental health, what approaches can the industry adopt to support the wellbeing of its employees?

4 years ago, most of us were having conversations about whether flexible working was allowed, and how it would work, and even having one day a month at home felt revolutionary. We’ve had a lot of overnight changes and needed to adapt quickly. Great in some ways – but the pendulum swung so drastically we’re only just catching up.

One of the biggest negatives is that the day never seems to end, and there’s always another call to take or an email to send. And when there are teams located all over the world, the day gets longer and longer. Being a leader in that environment can be difficult and my priority is helping dismantle the “always-on” culture and support teams to create boundaries.

It comes down to establishing a supportive environment, and providing assistance wherever you can for employees’ wellbeing – whether that’s mental health support, advanced education support or something else.

Employee demands are changing beyond salary and benefits. What changes are you seeing, and how can leaders meet these?

What we do is ensure that the whole package meets those fundamental needs – not only looking at salary and benefits, but pension schemes, wellbeing support, childcare and so on.

We also operate what we call “recharge weeks” during the summer and Christmas holidays. Often, when people have a day off, others are still working and there can be an underlying pressure to be available. And you know on your return you’ll have a slew of emails to tackle. When there’s a company-wide shutdown, that shifts and enables people to really rest.

Another thing I would say is fully appreciating the time spent by employees, even outside of a typical working day. If our teams travel for business matters, we do honour that and give time in lieu to recoup some of that.

What skillsets do you think businesses will be looking for in the coming years?

We all need to be more flexible. I look at my team and a lot of them already wear multiple hats: comms and engagement or comms and public affairs. People used to be able to work more in silos, but there’ll be less and less of an option to do that. Combined skills that work hand-in-hand will be in-demand.

Seeing comms in a wider context, as well. My advice to younger talent is to read everything you can, absorb and observe. Everything is content moderation, and looking at what that means for brands will keep your skills and learning valuable.

How do you foster DEI in your organisation, and what have you learnt about your efforts in this area?

Part of the strength of the team we’re running at the moment is that they are diverse, located all around the world, and have varying experiences. That naturally brings differing viewpoints and innovation into a business. The more we see that, the more we realise it’s a non-negotiable. It isn’t about a tick-box exercise, it’s about genuinely wanting to do things differently, and better.