Sefiani has launched a Sustainability Communications Practice in response to growing demand from clients seeking communications support for environmental and sustainability initiatives.

Our announcement is timely, given the latest climate change report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which issued a ‘code red for humanity’, providing new impetus for urgent action within the global business community to address climate change and our broader sustainability challenges.

The new consultancy service will be led by Julia Hoy, who has been appointed Sustainability Communications Practice Lead.

After commencing her career with Sefiani in 2004 before moving to London for a decade, Julia has advised some of the world’s leading brands on corporate sustainability, social purpose and communications in the UK, Europe and Australia. She brings a wealth of experience and valuable insights, having worked for over six years both agency-side and in-house with sustainability giant Unilever.

Sefiani CEO and Reputation Counsel, Robyn Sefiani, said: “Sefiani has helped build and protect corporate and brand reputations for over two decades. From that experience, we understand that how corporations act on and meaningfully communicate their commitment to sustainability can have a significant impact on brand reputation. We are delighted Julia has returned to Sefiani and will lead this specialty practice to guide our clients in communicating their work in sustainability.”

Julia Hoy commented: “I’m excited to be taking on this important new role at Sefiani. In the past year, we have seen a significant increase in companies seeking our guidance to shape and strategically communicate their sustainability and social-purpose commitments and actions.

“Investor, consumer and employee expectation has never been higher, and it is pushing companies to better articulate a stance on the issues that matter to their audiences. At the same time, the stakes are high for those that miss the mark. Companies are seeking external expertise to navigate this complex and changing landscape,” she said.

Sefiani is currently providing sustainability communications services to global sector leaders EY (Ernst & Young) Climate Change & Sustainability Services, 3M and L’Oréal and was recently awarded a global brand sustainability roadmap assignment with a German-based multinational. Last week, Airbus appointed Sefiani as its PR agency in Australia, with an important area of focus being communicating Airbus’ commitment to innovation and sustainability.

The new practice will cater to both corporate and consumer-facing organisations and span roadmap-to-zero communications, ESG communications, consumer, stakeholder and employee engagement, thought leadership, partnerships and advocacy, and community education initiatives.

Sefiani recently published its ‘Communication that Matters Report: Building positive reputations and meaningful connections in a fast-changing world’, which identified sustainability, along with transparency, social purpose and culture, as the most valuable currencies for brand and corporate reputations in the past year.