With the official launch of our newest service offering, Mavence Advisory formalises our most strategic guidance and tailored support for PA leaders and Government relations teams. But what does this really mean in practice? Here are some of the most frequently asked questions we’ve received, answered by our Managing Director for Mavence Advisory, Claudia Breure:
Why Mavence Advisory?
While delivering top talent for Public Affairs and Government Relations roles is fundamental to building a successful team, we believe our value extends far beyond executive search. We assist leaders and teams in addressing a variety of strategic and leadership challenges.
Our advisory services answer critical questions such as: what value does this function add to the company as a whole? How do we quantify the impact of successes – or the valuation of neutralised threats – when regulatory agendas and policy-making timelines span across multiple administrations rather than quarterly or annual reports? What data, resources, and collaboration are necessary from internal stakeholders to set the team up for success? And what role should company leadership play in this process?
You can have a stellar team, the best possible advocacy strategy, and premium resources. However, if your internal alignment on strategic objectives is lacking, communication isn’t flowing, and your team is not receiving the necessary support, data, or feedback, then a critical piece for success will be missing. This can eventually lead business leaders to question the value of their GR function or the required resources. We understand that many GR leaders face these internal challenges. Bringing an external advisor on board can help iron out those wrinkles.
What do you offer?
Our four-pillar approach – Assessment, Measurement, Management, and Building teams – is designed to address a wide range of strategic and leadership needs. Leaders come to us with diverse questions, and we tailor our services to meet their specific requirements. Here are some examples of what we offer:
- Performance Audits: we organise comprehensive performance audits for teams to identify strengths and areas for improvement.
- Leadership Onboarding: we support new leaders during their onboarding process, helping them assess and enhance their leadership approach.
- Strategic Revision: we assist leaders and their teams in revising their annual strategy, budget, and resource allocation, or in establishing effective KPIs.
- Implementation Support: beyond facilitating workshops, we handle the heavy lifting and support the implementation of necessary changes and improvements. As leaders, you have a multitude of leadership responsibilities that come on top of delivering results as GR practitioners. Our advisors have the skills and experience to help you (re)build your strategy and reassess your resources. Whether you need insights on competitor performance or strategies to increase internal visibility and support from business leaders, we’re here to help.
Does Mavence Advisory provide public affairs advice?
We help companies make the most of their Public Affairs functions and Government Relations teams. Whether by providing objective insights and making strategic or structural improvement recommendations, or helping leaders with diverse priorities align macro-objectives with advocacy functions, we ensure your team is well-positioned for success. We do not, however, work on the substance of campaigns or the policy issues that these teams are responsible for: our goal is to help you put the house in order and set your organisation up for success, but we won’t weigh in on content or campaigns, and we don’t try and upsell clients on engagement support. While our Mavens are experienced practitioners and political influencers in their own right, our approach is to strengthen your own capacities, not substitute them.
Do you train lobbyists?
We are not a lobby academy focused on training Public Affairs and Government Relations professionals to perfect their skills. However, as part of our commitment to helping leaders achieve the best internal alignment and support network with their colleagues in operational and other business functions, we do assist teams in preparing senior management for key government meetings and other external touchpoints.
Measuring impact of PA and GR is notoriously difficult to do; how do you accomplish this in a meaningful way?
One of the hardest things when measuring the value or impact of GR work is that business metrics don’t map well to advocacy work. Regulatory developments and policy outcomes can be influenced but not controlled, and timelines for votes or decision-making shift for various reasons. Intangibles, such as building trusted networks that lead to a seat at the table, depend on numerous variables, including new appointments, elections, political crises, and even competitor behaviour. Expressing opportunity costs or the overall impact on the bottom line is challenging—how do you value potential risks that never materialised? To tackle this, we conduct a comprehensive review of your goals objectives, targets, KPIs, and processes to establish effective performance indicators. This approach helps better alignment with and secure buy-in from other business functions. When leaders begin to see concrete connections between these indicators and the company’s goals, you have succeeded.
Is this a government relations service, a human resources service, or something else?
Mavence Advisory is all of these, and at the same time, something unique: it is an approach to strategic and leadership advice based on the combined skillset of our advisors. We specialise in both areas, work in a lean manner, and adapt to your needs.