Crisis Communications: PR Storms in the Digital Age

In an era of ‘permacrisis’ – where issues escalate, attention fragments, and trust erodes – how can organisations adapt their crisis communications to stay credible and effective?

Join leading practitioners and experts as we unpack what’s changed, what hasn’t, the importance of pre-crisis planning , and how to respond in the first hour, day, and week of a crisis.

We’ll discuss recent UK flashpoints – including the Marks & Spencer cyber-attack, reputation management challenges at the BBC, and the Post Office Horizon scandal.

The panel will explore the media issues surrounding the crisis communications industry, the impact that AI is having, how to best handle social media, and what it takes to manage a crisis successfully.

This event is organised in partnership with the Media Society.

Event Schedule

6:00pm: Pre-event socialising and networking
A cash bar will be available for refreshments.

6:30pm: Event begins

7:45pm: Event ends

Speakers

Anoushka Mutanda Dougherty is a BBC broadcaster, journalist, and radio presenter. Anoushka is the host of the BBC Sounds podcast Fame Under Fire, which explores high-profile celebrity legal battles and the impact of social media on modern fame.

Abby Mangold is Managing Director of Mangold Consultancy, a PR company that specialises in crisis communications. Abby founded her company in 2014, after working at the BBC and then global PR agency Burson-Marsteller.

Scott Langham is Senior Counsel, Reputation Management for Global Agency, VCCP. Previously, he was Head of Crisis at Freuds, Deputy Managing Editor of MailOnline and spent ten years at the Press Complaints Commission.

Simon McCoy is a broadcaster and journalist. Simon is a former BBC presenter and a royal commentator for ABC. He has worked for a range of leading UK media outlets and is a conference moderator and media trainer.