Friend Studio Ltd

Clients

We work closely with a wide range of businesses from start-ups to global plcs, enabling them to build lasting relationships with their stakeholders. We work across all sectors, and use all media to develop effective, creative and award-winning communications.

Our IR, reporting and sustainability clients include:

The AA
Adnams
Aggreko
Airtel Africa
Advertising Standards Authority
Avast
Cenkos Securities
Eurocommercial Properties
Experian
Flutter (Paddy Power Betfair)
Galliford Try
GSK
Hyve (ITE Group)
Intermediate Capital Group
Lloyds Banking Group
Marks and Spencer
Naked Wines (Majestic)
Nestlé
Pearson
Philip Morris International
Rentokil Initial
Rio Tinto
RSA Insurance
Royal Dutch Shell
Standard Chartered bank
Ultra Electronics
Vesuvius
Zotefoams

Credentials

PMI Sustainability Reporting

Working with a tobacco company that’s moving to a smoke-free future

• PMI is evolving its sustainability reporting to show stakeholders how it is addressing sustainability challenges and opportunities in the transformation of the tobacco sector.
• In our first year with PMI we worked with multiple contributors across the business to reshape the company’s sustainability reporting, helping to structure, design and write the report as well as creating internal campaigns to support the report’s launch.
• We worked closely with the PMI team to agree the structure and content of the report, then created a first draft of the 136 page document, after interviewing about 30 PMI experts around the world.
• We travelled to 14 countries and created over 30,000 high quality photographs, providing a comprehensive library for the reporting and wider communications projects – the first time PMI had commissioned photography to capture their sustainability activities.
• A close working relationship with the team in Switzerland and collaboration with PMI’s subject matter experts globally are fundamental to creating successful reporting.

M&S Plan A reporting

Helping an influential sustainability reporter showcases a ten year success story

• Over the past few years, the company has reshaped and evolved its annual reporting in line with the principles of the International Integrated Reporting Framework, while staying aligned with UK best-practice and its own award-winning ‘Plan A’ reports.
• In its Plan A report, M&S explained the evolution of the Plan over the past decade, showcased the key achievements it is most proud of, reaffirmed its commitment, and nodded to what’s coming next.
• The report focused on key achievements to date, and shed light on what’s next for Plan A. The connection between the Plan A report and the integrated annual report has also been strengthened.
• It was critical to set the Plan A journey in context, highlighting not just specific achievements, but also the different focus areas of the Plan that have provided energy and structure.
• We also produced an easily-digestible online summary of the report offers top-line insights into key achievements and performance.

Lloyds Bank Reporting

Helping communicate year one of a new strategy

• We helped Lloyds to discuss the progress that’s been made during ‘year one’ of the new strategy, revitalise their Responsible Business content, give the Helping Britain Prosper Plan a more distinctive look and feel, and improve discussion around the business’ external context.
• There was a push to make their Responsible Business content much more concise and accessible, and to increase the overall quality of the report’s narrative.
• We’ve helped them to produce a suite including the annual report, a standalone strategic report, a shareholder summary and a digital summary, plus a digital ‘Helping Britain Prosper Plan’ update and data sheets.
• We did considerable work behind the scenes on the materiality process that underlies the bank’s approach to Responsible Business. This helped the bank to ensure that their reporting remains relevant to stakeholders, covering the issues most important to them.

Pearson Sustainability strategy and communications

Communicating the company’s reshaping of their sustainability strategy

• Friend works alongside Pearson’s sustainability team to develop the plan and its communications, including the full sustainability reporting suite.
• Pearson is transforming its business to meet global education market needs and opportunities. Key to this is the planning and documentation of the processes, practices and systems which will enable it to measure its impact on the world.
• We engaged with Pearson, with a mix of stakeholders, developing a five-year sustainability plan that shapes operational and strategic decision-making and provides the foundations of its reporting.
• In order to explain the areas where its business can create the greatest value, Pearson reviewed its value creation model, assessing its approach to sustainability within the wider context of its reporting.
• As part of Pearson’s sustainability communications planning, we are developing a more dynamic user-led sustainability website.