Every business and organisation in the country has to deal with unplanned and unwelcome events from time to time. With preparation and a well rehearsed plan most problems can be managed.

Powells has built an enviable reputation for high profile crisis management, and can advise on every issue from product failures or recalls through to corporate fraud, negligence or employment tribunals.

We are widely known for our handling of the IRA bombing of Manchester – when we managed all public and media enquiries both on the day of the event and, for four weeks following the disaster.

We have also advised clients on the communications issues surrounding a Health and Safety Executive enquiry, an industrial tribunal on unfair dismissal, a high profile racial discrimination story and two separate fraud investigations.

We place great emphasis on the following factors:

• Identifying risk and formulating a robust crisis management strategy.

• Working in partnership with clients to understand the key issues and detail media responses to potential crises.

• Media training of clients’ senior executives, enabling them to handle interviews in a professional and responsive manner.

• Responding swiftly and decisively to incidents.

This emphasis can often ensure that the client remains in control – and that an incident does not escalate into a full blown crisis. Crisis management is often crisis avoidance.