Thought Leadership

The term thought leadership has become something of a buzzword in communications of late. And it is no wonder. Thought leadership offers great value to any business, charity, non-profit or individual when it comes to building brand recognition, getting potential customers or donors to take action and establishing key team members or leaders as the go-to experts in their field.

I have been working in this field for several years, watching it grow with the expansion of the op-ed, growth of comment sections in newspapers/magazines and the need for online publications and 24-hour news outlets to fill their channels with interesting and original opinion. Most recently, I have specialised in work relating to technology, AI, LLMs, data, health and education.

Thought Leadership is often a service that is hard to sell simply, not least as it can involve both ghost-writing and selling-in content from CEOs, MDs and founders. It takes a very particular combination of skills and experience to be able to do this effectively, liaising with senior leaders and having the contacts and confidence to convince editors and producers that this is important content from an important voice. Confidentiality and trust are key, but so is being able to push leaders and founders, finding their voice and encouraging just the right amount of risk.

Being expert in thought leadership means having a plan to build profile, steadily or quickly, producing biographies, raising profiles and knowing where people need to see your client and their staff. You need to be both friend to CEO, adviser and critic. You also need to deliver on time, on target and to the news agenda. This role is something that you can either do, or not. It is hard to teach, but it is endlessly transferable across sectors.

I like to think that I am one of the best at providing this service today, whether building profiles, ghost-writing articles or co-editing with some of the biggest names in fields in which I often hold no expertise. I know that I can improve the reputation and the impact of any foundation, charity, business, founder or CEO. Please get in touch to find out more about how I could help you and your staff build your profiles in this high-impact but cost-efficient way.

“Over the last two years, I have enjoyed working closely and collaboratively with Iain, who is highly-adept at picking up and running with the latest ideas in AI, data, and technology. He has a knack of making the new, and the complex both interesting and accessible for a wider audience. He does this without loss of rigour, he does not ‘dumb down’, and produces material that finds favour with existing experts. Moreover, he is able to come up with original takes on developments in AI, data, and technology that command the media’s attention. He always adds a distinct human touch to his work, whether that be thought leadership, speech-writing, or ideas for media content, making considered arguments during the creative process and in his finished work.” 
Sir Nigel Shadbolt, Executive Chair & Co-founder of the Open Data Institute, and Principal of Jesus College, Oxford