Nicola Lally, BDO

Nicola demonstrates that Comms Professionals don't just tell the stories but influence the business decisions that create those stories. And that Purpose is for life - not just for a crisis.

In January 2020 as global health and economic crises loomed, Nicola kick-started scenario-planning with BDO's Board. The Board agreed with Nicola on two matters:

1.That the firm's Purpose - 'helping you succeed' - needed to be front-and-centre of all C-19 decision-making; and promoted openly with our employees as such

2.That Communication was vital to help BDO navigate the C-19 storm.

As Director of Communications, Nicola recognised that the anchor of her C-19 communications needed to very visibly be BDO's Purpose - and delivered via powerful human storytelling, particularly at a time when humans were socially distanced. And that their external and internal communications needed to be hand-in-glove.

This was also personally important to Nicola who had previously reflected on her passions and skills to identify her own personal Purpose as: 'helping people to shine'.

2020 was to be the third year that BDO would produce its Culture Report. Spearheaded and drafted personally by Nicola, she pitched her concept to the Board: that, after a year of global health and economic crisis, the report simply had to be completely purpose-led. It became BDO's most read report internally and externally.

Nicola's purpose-driven C-19 communications led to 88% of BDO employees saying they felt supported by the firm and 86% agreeing that the communications had hit the spot throughout the 2020 C-19 pandemic.