Speakers in a panel discussion

Expertise

Strategy and production, one team

Built around your objective, not a channel.

A team working around a boardroom table

Practice

Strategy, influence and reputation

Narrative, public affairs and crisis counsel.

Corporate reputation and strategic communications

We help organisations define who they are, what they stand for and how they create value for stakeholders.

  • Corporate narrative, positioning and messaging architecture
  • Reputation strategy and stakeholder ecosystem mapping
  • Corporate profiling and integrated communications planning

Corporate and public affairs

We connect business objectives with policy, public institutions and stakeholder expectations through ethical, evidence-based engagement.

  • Political economy, policy and stakeholder analysis
  • Government and regulatory engagement strategy
  • Public affairs campaigns and coalition building

Crisis, issues and special situations

We help clients prepare for, respond to and recover from high-pressure events with accuracy, calm and coordinated decision-making.

  • Reputation risk and issues assessments
  • Crisis protocols, manuals, simulations and spokesperson preparation
  • Rapid-response messaging and stakeholder coordination
A highway winding through Nairobi’s high-rise district

Practice

Markets, leaders and transformation

Transactions, leaders and change.

Financial and transaction communications

We support organisations around transactions and financial events where stakeholder confidence and message discipline matter.

  • M&A, joint venture and strategic partnership communications
  • Investor and financial media positioning
  • Capital raising, market-entry and investment narratives

Leadership and executive communications

We position leaders to communicate with clarity, authenticity and authority across internal and external settings.

  • Executive narrative and leadership profile development
  • Speechwriting, presentations and high-stakes briefing materials
  • Media, presentation and interview coaching

Internal communications and change

We help organisations explain strategy, mobilise employees and maintain confidence through growth, reform and change.

  • Change and transformation communications strategy
  • Employee engagement and leadership cascades
  • Culture, values and employer-brand narratives
A reporter holding a microphone on a city street

Practice

Media, brands and digital influence

Earned media, campaigns and digital.

Media relations and international PR

Our newsroom experience and media relationships help clients earn credible attention rather than simply generate publicity.

  • Media strategy and story development
  • Press offices, releases, statements, briefings and media kits
  • Executive interviews, press conferences and media tours

Brand communications and campaigns

We turn strategy into distinctive campaigns that build awareness, relevance, preference and action.

  • Brand positioning, campaign platforms and launch strategy
  • Integrated earned, owned, shared and paid communications
  • Public education and behaviour-change campaigns

Digital strategy, intelligence and engagement

We use digital channels and data to understand conversation, build communities and improve communications decisions.

  • Digital and social strategy
  • Audience and conversation analysis
  • Online reputation and issues monitoring
A professional camera with a microphone on a tripod

Practice

Production and experiences

Film, editorial and events.

Film, documentary and video production

Penside produces credible, human-centred stories for broadcast, digital, institutional and campaign use.

  • Documentaries, short films and impact stories
  • Corporate, institutional and project videos
  • Concept development, research, scripting and storyboarding

Editorial, design and knowledge products

We translate complex research, policy and technical information into materials people can understand and use.

  • Reports, policy briefs, case studies and annual reviews
  • Editorial strategy, writing, editing and proofreading
  • Campaign toolkits, fact sheets and stakeholder materials

Events, conferences and experiential communications

We design convenings as strategic communications platforms, not isolated logistics exercises.

  • Conferences, policy forums, workshops and roundtables
  • Launches, press events and stakeholder dialogues
  • Hybrid and virtual production
A farmer tending crops in a green field

Practice

Research, development and social impact

Research, development and impact.

Research, insights and measurement

Our strategies are informed by evidence and strengthened through continuous learning.

  • Audience, stakeholder and media landscape research
  • Perception studies, interviews and qualitative insight
  • Narrative, sentiment and conversation analysis

Development communications

We help institutions communicate programmes, reforms and results across citizens, governments, donors, partners and affected communities.

  • Programme and portfolio communications strategies
  • Research dissemination and knowledge translation
  • Donor visibility and development storytelling

Sustainability and impact communications

We help organisations communicate climate, sustainability and social impact with evidence, relevance and restraint.

  • Sustainability narrative and stakeholder strategy
  • ESG and impact report editorial support
  • Climate, energy-transition and resilience communications