Jane Hodgskin, Paradigm’s Communications Director, shares her story on working through the pandemic and how the last 12 months have reshaped communications.

Hong Kong has been your home for 15 years. What has kept you here all this time?

It certainly feels like home after so long.

My mother is from Hong Kong. So, having spent my childhood in New Zealand and early adult life in Australia, it has been wonderful spending more time with her side of the family here in Hong Kong and learning about my culture.

As a city, accessibility is really at the essence of why Hong Kong is such a dynamic and exciting place to live. I have been able to pack a lot into life here and pursue my interests both personally and professionally.

How has the general business landscape changed since you arrived?

If you look at Hong Kong’s history, it is clear the city is no stranger to change. Its resilience and ability to adapt are qualities that I really admire.

When I arrived, Hong Kong was recovering from the SARS epidemic and then it was hit by the global financial crisis – two periods which really tested its strength. Hong Kong was able to rebound and throughout the 2010s, continued to act as the springboard for global brands entering mainland China and window for Chinese brands eyeing international audiences.

Months of political and social unrest in 2019 thrust Hong Kong into the international spotlight. Helping our clients navigate through that period was unprecedented and challenging.

What has the last 12 months been like for comms professionals?

Communicators around the world have been juggling a number of issues and themes over the last 12 months - the pandemic, the growing threats of misinformation and disinformation, racial injustice and a more polarised media landscape, to name a few.

In Hong Kong, businesses have also had to grapple with volatile geopolitical tensions alongside the local impact of the pandemic, creating a unique challenge that is ongoing.

To adapt, brands have been seeking ways to enhance stakeholder engagement and communicators have had to embrace more agile ways of working, the power of digital being central to this process.

In addition, towards the end of last year we saw an uptick of interest from our clients about how to develop a more compelling ESG narrative. While many were already transitioning into purpose-led organisations before the pandemic, Covid-19 has caused brands to rethink their stance on ESG issues and accelerate their transformations – driven in large part by shifting consumer behaviour.

I have found working with our clients to tell their ESG stories to be a very enjoyable and fulfilling part of my daily work and look forward to doing so with more brands in the months ahead.

On a personal level, what has it been like working through the pandemic and how have you handled the challenges?

This has been a stressful period for everyone. As a full-time working parent, I have certainly had challenging days trying to work-from-home and home-school my children at the same time. Right now, my kids are both in school and I’m sure most parents in Hong Kong are trying not to think about the prospect of another school closure.

The team at Paradigm have been very supportive during this period. All of us have faced personal struggles and have been able to lean on each other at different times to pull through. It is one of the great aspects of being part of a small, close knit team.

What is your advice for communicators over the next 12 months?

Looking ahead, I think we can safely say that the issues and themes I mentioned earlier will remain. The last 12 months have been transformative in so many ways that being prepared for the immediate future will require building on many of the lessons we have learnt:

• Maintain timely, accurate and personable stakeholder engagement. Effective communications to keep stakeholders engaged will continue to be an invaluable trust-creator and business-critical process. For example, greater listening and connecting with employees on a more personal level as well as ensuring external stakeholders are onboard with the strategic direction of the company through timely and informative messaging.

• Strengthen your ESG narrative. ESG issues are shaping our future and now is a critical time to make sure your brand is part of the opportunity. If you have already defined your ESG story, it is important to continue building on the momentum. For example, using internal communications campaigns to support sustainability as a business wide initiative as well as collecting credentials, such as individuals who have been positively impacted by your organisation, for authenticity. If you have yet to craft your ESG story or do not know how, the team at Paradigm is more than happy to assist.

• Build strategies to stand out from the noise. The volume of online information will only continue to grow. Communicators need to work harder for their ESG story to reach their intended audience - one that has access to a multitude of sources as well as a shrinking attention span.

While the last 12 months has been tough, there has also been opportunities for brands to excel and the challenges are real but clear for the period ahead. The Paradigm team looks forward to working with more companies and discovering ways to build strong and effective communications in the new order.