SXD Leadership Communications (UK) Ltd
Make sense of your external landscape.
For corporate affairs and strategy leaders in complex political environments who are done with ad hoc approaches — and want a more deliberate way to work.
It is critical to understand the external business landscape.
Too often, the approach is improvised.
Businesses know this work shapes the licence to operate, growth and reputation.
But there’s rarely a shared map, framework or set of priorities.
Many rely on memory, informal networks and gut feel, with little space to step back and see the whole landscape.
Does this feel familiar?
Stakeholder issues are handled one issue at a time, without an overall roadmap.
You are unaware of where your next crisis will likely come from.
Important signals from key external players arrive late.
Key business relationships depend on personalities not a plan
Decisions are made without a clear view of external risks and opportunities.
You know this work matters, but there is no shared internal framework for it.
Connect strategy with the bigger picture
How I help
I work with strategy, corporate and external affairs leaders to help you see your external risks, relationships, and opportunities more clearly - and act on them more intentionally.
01
Bring the external landscape into strategy
Map the external landscape into your strategy in a form that your executives and board can actually use.
02
Strengthen the relationships that matter most
Identify the relationships that matter most, assess their current state, and build a deliberate plan to strengthen trust, access and influence.
03
See how strategy lands beyond the business
Use research and external insights to understand how business plans will land with key stakeholders - and to test the policy, political and social assumptions underneath them.
04
Shape credible messages for moments that matter
Shape messages for high-stakes moments and build leaders’ communication capability through practical preparation, coaching and training.
The external world impacts every strategic choice and decision.
Let SXD help you make better decisions
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Map the external landscape into your strategy in a form that your executives and board can actually use.
-
Identify the relationships that matter most, assess their current state, and build a deliberate plan to strengthen trust, access and influence.
-
Use research and external insights to understand how business plans will land with key stakeholders - and to test the policy, political and social assumptions underneath them.
-
Shape messages for high-stakes moments and build leaders’ communication capability through practical preparation, coaching and training.
Real-world solutions: How this work changes outcomes
High-stakes government relations and negotiation strategy of a multinational energy company
Context
A multi-national energy producer in the Caribbean faced a critical commercial dispute that had a significant adverse impact on its operations.
Challenge
Engagement with government and regulators had become fragmented and confrontational, with different leaders pursuing conversations based on their own relationships and instincts.
Approach
SXD worked with senior leaders to map the political and stakeholder landscape around the dispute, clarifying decision‑makers, influencers, motivations and constraints. We built a small number of realistic scenarios for how the situation could evolve.
Result
The company shifted from reactive, issue‑by‑issue engagement to a more deliberate and consistent strategy for its external interactions.