What the C-Suite Should Look for in a Corporate Affairs Partner

Written By: Kirsten Thorne, former Chief Strategist for Corporate Affairs, Chevron and Jimmy Leppert, Co-Founder of Empactful Advisors

In today’s business environment, every decision a company makes is under public scrutiny. Stakeholders, regulators, employees, and investors are all watching – not only what you do, but how and why you do it. This reality has elevated the role of corporate affairs from a support function to a strategic enabler.

Too often, we see companies failing to adequately integrate the policy, stakeholder and reputation risks into their strategies and business outlooks. When this happens, companies risk losing their credibility with key stakeholders, undermining the trust built over time and damaging their ability to achieve business outcomes. Don’t underestimate the value of early, proactive identification of corporate affairs-related risks. The ability to turn risks into opportunities is a first mover advantage and only works when your corporate affairs partner has a seat at the table.

The right corporate affairs partner doesn’t just protect your reputation. They help you anticipate risk, accelerate strategy to action, and build trust with stakeholders in ways that drive long-term enterprise value. But how do you identify the right partner for your C-suite?

Here are five qualities to look for:

1. Strategic Foresight, Not Just Firefighting

   Many companies engage corporate affairs only after a crisis strikes. But the best companies integrate functional expertise and intelligence early and often in their planning process. They anticipate risks and potential flashpoints and prepare organizations to navigate them before they escalate.

   Look for partners who bring scenario planning, stakeholder mapping, policy and geopolitical context to the table. These are the advisors who can help you understand not just what’s happening now, but what could happen next and how to be ready. They move you from a reactive posture to a more proactive position of strength.

2. Enterprise-Wide Thinking, Not Just PR Spin

   Corporate affairs is more than communications. It’s an integrated function that works across multiple disciplines, including external and government affairs, stakeholder engagement and reputation management to connect and manage community, policy and other stakeholder issues in more effective ways. The right advisor understands that alignment between corporate affairs and the business is crucial for operational success.

   When evaluating potential partners, prioritize those who understand business models, not just message models. An advisor who can tie policy to strategy, ESG performance to investor confidence, or reputation to long-term business success will deliver far greater value than someone focused only on headlines.

3. Crisis Fluency, Calm Under Pressure

   In a true crisis, internal operating teams are often too close to the situation to see external threats. Tensions run high, time is short, and objectivity can be hard to maintain. This is when a seasoned advisor can add real value. 

   You want someone who has been tested in moments of real pressure – earnings downgrades, regulatory scrutiny, or public backlash. Their value lies not only in expertise, but in leadership: bringing experience, sound judgment, and credibility when it matters most.

4. Boardroom Credibility

   The ability to move seamlessly between audiences is rare but essential. An advisor who can speak to frontline employees one moment and to directors and regulators the next provides a unique advantage.

   
   

   This range matters because trust is built across multiple levels and among a variety of key stakeholders. A partner who commands credibility in the boardroom while also engaging authentically with employees ensures that risks, messages, and actions remain aligned. It also means they can help your executive team sharpen its own voice and presence in the moments that count.

5. Alignment with Purpose and Performance

   The stakes for trust, transparency, and values are higher than ever. Today, a company’s license to operate depends not only on financial results but on how those results are achieved.

   
   

   The best advisors understand this dual mandate: business performance and societal responsibility. They will challenge you to stay accountable to your purpose while finding pathways to responsible growth. In doing so, they help ensure that your commitments to stakeholders are more than words; they are integrated into how you operate.

A Call to Action for Executives

When you hire a corporate affairs partner, don't just ask who they've advised. Ask what they've helped transform.

The best advisors are not there to polish your story after the fact. They are there to help you build it - to align purpose with performance, mitigate risks before they surface, and establish trust that enables long-term growth. In an era where every business decision can be a public one, the right corporate affairs partner is not a luxury. They are a strategic necessity.