ISSUES MANAGEMENT: PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Case Study 1: Corporate Governance Policy
Case Study 2: Public-private Partnerships

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE POLICY

challenge

In the aftermath of the Enron and WorldCom scandals, the Government of Canada became intensely focused on the evolution of legislative and regulatory initiatives designed to protect the integrity and reputation of Canada's capital markets and restore investor confidence. These initiatives, relating primarily to matters of corporate governance, included additional regulation and oversight of the auditing profession. Our client, one of the big four accounting firms, wanted to ensure that regulatory initiatives would not be inconsistent with its business model. In addition, in developing its own moving forward strategy for doing business in the post-Enron world, the firm wanted to gain a better understanding of the Government's intentions.

strategy

We developed and implemented a government relations and communications strategy designed to provide the firm with opportunities to bring its knowledge and experience to bear on evolving Government policy initiatives impacting the auditing profession. We developed key messages and communications materials for Government decision-makers; helped arrange and attended meetings between the firm and key Government decision-makers (including the Chair of the Senate Banking Committee); monitored the work of the Committee; arranged for the firm to appear before the Committee and helped prepare its testimony for that appearance. We also assisted in the preparation of corporate communications materials for the firm's clients and employees. We provided the firm with critical back-channel intelligence on likely regulatory and legislative responses given the real and perceived threat to Canadian capital markets, thereby helping the firm to appreciate the Government's perspective on the issues arising from the Enron and WorldCom scandals.

results

The firm was positioned with key Government decision-makers, their influencers and the public as a concerned and leading member of the auditing profession. In addition, the firm was able to implement its going forward business model in a manner consistent with Government policy initiatives.