With a career path that takes in some of the toughest public and private sector roles around, Harper Collins’ Director of Communications Siobhan Kenny has gained experience from both grit and glamour.

How can an international accounting organisation create a brand that’s right for its many member firms? Max Hotopf visited Grant Thornton International to find out: Everyone knows the big four accounting brands – PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG, Deloitte and Ernst & Young – but what of the firms beneath them? How can they project a brand that will enable them to compete with fi rms four or fi ve times their size? Or one that will help them to grow to a similar size and status? Th is was the challenge faced by Jon Geldart on his arrival as global director, marketing communications, at Grant Thornton International, the world’s sixth largest accountancy firm.

In a struggling economy, organisations are looking at the way they deliver unpleasant news to stakeholders.