equip.
THE ORGANIZATION
A North American energy company
MY ROLE
Executive advisory and embedded leadership across operating structure, planning and agency partnerships
A corporate relations function needed to support and lead business growth as the company scaled. I worked alongside its leader and team to strengthen how they made decisions, developed stories and brought external partners into the work.
What needed to change
The business was asking more of the function. Competing requests and unclear priorities made it difficult for a committed team to step back, shape the agenda and prepare for what was coming
The opportunity was to help the function lead as the company grew, with the operating discipline and partnerships to match.
What I took on
I worked alongside the executive responsible for the function, drawing on enterprise brand leadership and agency-building experience to connect decisions about people, partners and how work gets done.
The agency search began with a question: who would we want beside us as the business evolved? Capabilities mattered, but so did trust, shared ambition, creative chemistry and the ability to grow together.
I designed and led a mutual evaluation process, giving both sides room to understand the opportunity and each other. Discovery conversations and in-person working sessions explored how a partnership would actually work. We selected a partner for the longer journey and began building shared understanding and ways of working.
Inside the function, I listened to where work became difficult. Those conversations shaped an operating model clarifying priorities, decision rights, responsibilities and workflow.
I also developed an approach to help the team act like a newsroom: finding meaningful stories within the business, developing points of view and turning them into content for different audiences and channels at scale.
I stayed close through working sessions and training, connecting the operating model, the Newsroom and the agency partnership to the executive's wider priorities.
What changed
Team conversations revealed something worth building around. People wanted to be there for one another and shared my belief in helping others become their best selves. Clearer ownership and priorities could give that belief more room to show up in the work.
The work established an operating foundation, selected a long-term agency partner and set the Newsroom approach in motion.
The next chapter is putting that foundation to work: helping the team shape the agenda, tell stronger stories and build the confidence and capacity to lead at greater scale. The structure is in place to support that progress; sustained use and learning will determine how far it goes.
The executive also began exploring additional areas where I could take responsibility. To me, that was a meaningful sign of trust in the judgment and partnership I brought.
Where this applies
For leaders whose marketing or communications function needs to carry greater business responsibility as the company grows, with the priorities, authority and partnerships to lead.
Let's talk about what your function needs to lead next.