Client Britain – A Reputation Repair Job for a Slightly Frayed Nation

Update: 2025-11-26

Description

Normally, we spend our days advising big organisations on how to rebuild trust, explain themselves better, and stop setting fire to their reputations. But today we've taken on a new client. A tricky one. With the sort of knotty challenge we love at Apella Towers. Legacy brand. Huge heritage. Slightly confused about what it stands for.

Name of the client: Britain.

It's a high-maintenance account, this one. Constant leadership churn, outdated assets, no clear narrative architecture, and absolutely no budget. So probably pro-bono then?

That's before you even get into the stakeholder relations — the EU, the US, the Commonwealth, the neighbours up North. It's a crowded contact sheet. Let's see what they've sent us.

Brace yourselves.

This episode is hosted by Matt Young and Andrew Brown.
Matt Young has 25 years of experience across media relations, public affairs, regulatory development, employee engagement, brand development, competition and CSR. Group corporate affairs director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA.

Andrew Brown; formerly Director of Communications and Public affairs at Ageas Insurance, Andrew has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global, listed, multifaceted firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors. He has considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management as well as reputation sentiment analysis and insight. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc.

You can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com and please consider leaving us a review.

This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.