SErvices - CRISIS AND ISSUES MANAGEMENT
Crisis Management Consultants When Reputation is at Risk
Crisis Communications Management Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra
The Reputation Agency is an independent crisis management and crisis communications firm based in Melbourne. We advise Australian boards, executive teams and leaders when scrutiny escalates from media, regulators or stakeholders. How leaders respond in the first hours matters, so we provide immediate, senior-led support to protect trust and contain risk.
When something’s gone wrong, and you need someone who’s been there before.
The Reputation Agency is led by Scott Thompson, a former journalist for newspapers including the Herald Sun, The Age, The Sunday Age, The Sunday Herald and more. Over more than 25 years in corporate communication and executive advisory Scott has managed issues for the Business Council of Australia and led crisis management in large consultancies for clients including international sportspeople, large energy companies, government departments, professional services firms, banks and large food and beverage and retail businesses.
A LEADING CRISIS MANAGEMENT AGENCY TRUSTED BY BOARDS AND EXECUTIVE TEAMS ACROSS AUSTRALIA
Energy · Financial services · Infrastructure · Mining and resources · Insurance · Government · Sport · Education · Arts and recreation
the questions we're usually asked
- Something’s happened. What do we say, and when?
- We’re facing a regulatory investigation. Who handles the media?
- Our CEO needs to front the media tomorrow. Is he ready?
- We need a crisis plan before something happens, not after.
- How do we keep the board, legal and comms aligned in real time?
If any of that sounds familiar, this is the page for you.
What Our Crisis Communication Services Cover
01
Immediate crisis response and rapid deployment
Senior advisors available to support urgent media, regulator and stakeholder communications from the outset
02
Crisis messaging and spokesperson support
Clear, defensible messaging for CEOs and executives, including media statements, Q&A, holding lines and talking points.
03
Scenario planning and crisis simulations
Board and executive simulations to test decision-making, escalation pathways and internal alignment under pressure.
04
Issues management and risk scanning
Identification of emerging risks before they escalate into full-scale crises.
05
Cross-stakeholder coordination
Integrated messaging across media, regulators, employees, investors and community stakeholders.
06
Crisis readiness and governance assurance
Crisis plans, escalation frameworks, after-action reviews and governance strengthening.
Senior advisors lead every engagement. No hand-offs to junior teams.
WHAT YOU GET in the first 24hrs of a crisis
- Situation assessment and risk framing
- CEO and executive guidance on tone, posture and decision-making
- A clear next-step roadmap
- Immediate messaging and holding statements
- Stakeholder and media prioritisation
Senior support for leaders when the consequences are real.
Why it matters
Reputation is often the first asset tested in a crisis.
Unclear or poorly timed communication creates unnecessary damage in a crisis. Silence, over-explanation or misalignment between leaders amplifies risk rather than containing it. Professional crisis communication protects organisational and personal reputation, preserves stakeholder trust, reduces regulatory and legal exposure, and supports faster recovery.
how we work
- Direct access to experienced crisis consultants
- Calm, clear guidance under pressure
- Practical support, not theory
- Advice grounded in regulatory, media and stakeholder realities
- Discretion and confidentiality at all times
We work as senior advisors embedded alongside leadership, not as a detached PR function.
outcomes
- Faster, more confident executive decision-making
- Clear, consistent leadership communication
- Stronger crisis preparedness for the future
- Reduced reputational and regulatory exposure
- Improved stakeholder confidence during uncertainty
Posts from our CEO Scott Thompson
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What a CEO Should Do in the First 24 Hours of a Crisis
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What Should a Crisis Communications Retainer Include?
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How to Recover From a Major Public Relations Crisis
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How to Fix a Ruined Business Reputation
Common questions
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A crisis management agency helps an organisation prepare for, respond to and recover from events that threaten its reputation. At The Reputation Agency that covers crisis plans and simulations, issues monitoring, media statements and holding lines, spokesperson preparation, and coordinated communication with regulators, staff, investors and community.
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As soon as a risk emerges. Early advice reduces impact and cost.
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We develop the initial crisis communication plan: triage, fact pattern, holding lines, approvals and protocols, stakeholder mapping, and a media and stakeholder plan.
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We begin implementing the plan while strengthening business continuity, feedback loops, and longer-term communications systems.
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Yes. We regularly support matters involving legal, regulatory and compliance considerations.
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Yes. We run accelerated spokesperson prep and simulation drills.
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Containment of misinformation, message consistency, sentiment shift, and stakeholder confidence.
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Yes. We can be on call and run readiness checks each quarter.
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Immediately. Senior crisis advisors are available for urgent situations.
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Yes. We provide board-level advice, briefings and crisis simulations.
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Yes. We work with organisations in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra and across Australia, in person or remotely.
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Yes. All discussions are confidential.
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Crisis management covers the decisions an organisation makes to contain an event and protect people, operations and value. Crisis communications covers what it says, to whom and when. We advise on both, because the decisions and the messages have to line up.
Special Report: Reputation Is Tested First in a Crisis
Our 2025 Reputation Measurement research shows reputation can lose decades of value in minutes when trust is mishandled under pressure.
