HONG KONG, April 17 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ --
The Kroll-FH Crisis Leadership Solution:
-- A one-stop solution
-- Fully transforms the power of intelligence into effective
communications
-- Enhances companies' risk management capability and preserves their
reputations and businesses
Kroll, a global leader in risk consultation, and Fleishman-Hillard International Communications, one of the world's leading public relations firms, today announced the launch of an innovative joint offering: The Kroll-FH Crisis Leadership Solution. This one-stop, truly practical solution is designed to help Japanese companies navigate and react to an increasingly hostile, challenging, and risky business environment.
"'Japan Inc.' is in the midst of unprecedented and dynamic change, with emerging regulatory and social changes that are altering the very basis of the Japanese corporate system," said Tadashi Kageyama, managing director of Kroll for Japan and Korea. "Those changes have given rise to new external and internal risks that are becoming more invisible and unpredictable, coupled with the ongoing evolution of fundamental elements that define the local business culture. An accurate understanding and evaluation of the status quo is critical to anticipate issues and ensure a prompt response."
Against the backdrop of the implementation of a Japanese version of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, Japan will soon introduce a new Company Law that would provide more opportunities for foreign companies to invest in local corporations. As a result, Japanese companies would be more frequently challenged by calls for better governance, and become more vulnerable to hostile takeovers, corporate scandals, and the impacts of globalization. In addition, top management is faced with multiple internal risks, such as increased mobility of the workforce, more fragile employee loyalty, and the threat of internal misconduct (including fraud and personal data leakage).
"We are witnessing a growing interest in internal control and risk management, a sign of Japanese business leaders' genuine concern that the threats businesses face today are getting increasingly complicated," said Shin Tanaka, managing director of Fleishman-Hillard Japan. "However, any effective measures to counter such threats must go beyond guidelines on paper -- they must be actionable and practical. Equally important is the ability and willingness of companies to create a transparent, efficient, and consistent mechanism to respond to any emerging threats and communicate their messages to their stakeholders."
The Kroll-FH Crisis Leadership Solution is founded on the premise that Japanese corporate leaders must inevitably develop ample preparedness measures, formulate smart strategies, and use proactive and effective communications to preserve their companies' reputations and avoid disruptions to their organizations and their businesses.
Combining Kroll's track record in intelligence gathering and analysis and Fleishman-Hillard's expertise in multifaceted strategic communications, the joint solution focuses on "intelligence and communications" and comprises three key offerings:
-- Internal control and intelligence gathering, to be followed by
internal communications strategies and planning
-- Crisis response and management, including intelligence analysis and
application to formulate strategic communications
-- M&A and hostile takeover counsel, plus post-merger integration
communications
The Honorable Tom Ridge, a Fleishman-Hillard International Advisory Board member and the former Secretary of the United States Department of Homeland Security, launched the FH-Kroll Crisis Leadership Solution with a keynote speech he delivered earlier today at the Kroll-FH joint seminar in Tokyo. He commented on the importance of intelligence gathering in helping Japanese corporate leaders identify and evaluate "invisible enemies" -- both within and outside of their company -- and in helping them implement effective solutions to tackle these challenges. Leveraging his public service experience in the arena of national security, Mr. Ridge further highlighted the need to put in place a robust communications and stakeholder education plan to support those solutions.
About Kroll
Kroll, the world's leading risk consulting company, provides a broad range of investigative, intelligence, financial, security and technology services to help clients reduce risks, solve problems and capitalize on opportunities. Headquartered in New York with offices in more than 65 cities in over 25 countries, Kroll has a multidisciplinary corps of more than 3,900 employees and serves a global clientele of law firms, financial institutions, corporations, nonprofit institutions, government agencies, and individuals. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE: MMC), the global professional services firm.
About Fleishman-Hillard
Fleishman-Hillard Inc., one of the world's leading public relations firms, has built its reputation by using strategic communications to deliver what its clients value most: meaningful, positive and measurable impact on the performance of their organizations. The firm is widely recognized for excellent client service and a strong company culture founded on teamwork, integrity, and personal commitment. Based in St. Louis, the firm operates throughout North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, South Africa, and Latin America through its 80 owned offices. In Japan, the Fleishman-Hillard office was established in 1997. For more information, please visit the Fleishman-Hillard global Web site www.fleishman.com or the Japan local Web site www.fleishman.co.jp .
Fleishman-Hillard is a part of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC), Omnicom is a leading global advertising, marketing and corporate communications company. Omnicom's branded networks and numbers specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, directed and promotional marketing, public relations, and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 100 countries.
Media Enquiries:
Joanne Wong
Fleishman-Hillard Asia Pacific
Office direct: +852-2530-0272
Cell: +852-9427-1249
Email: joanne.wong@fleishman.com
