How to Design a Global Public Affairs Function That Delivers

Stefan Borst, Senior Partner Advocacy Strategy

Policy remains the last unmanaged corporate risk. Yet today it is one of the biggest variables shaping business performance. Regulation and government intervention determine where factories are built, how value chains are structured, and whether access to critical resources is restricted. Politics also influences the direction and pace of innovation. Public sentiment can tilt markets overnight.

Despite this, a Weber Shandwick survey from January 2025 found that only 17% of CEOs were confident their Communications and Public Affairs teams were very well prepared to navigate economic or geopolitical volatility. That gap is not just a perception issue. It is a value gap. Companies that close it will treat Public Affairs (PA) not as a cost center, but as a growth lever. So what does a world-class PA function look like?

Define Success: Outcomes, Not Meetings

Too often, PA is judged by superficial metrics - how many conferences were attended or how many politicians were met. A high-performing team must instead measure itself against policy outcomes tied directly to enterprise value. That means focusing on regulatory costs avoided, subsidies secured, permits accelerated, or market access preserved. It means reporting to the board, “We saved €250 million in tariff costs” rather than, “We held 50 meetings in Brussels.”

Shifting the focus from activity to outcomes transforms PA from a peripheral support function into a driver of value creation.

Upgrade the Operating Model

The outdated model - one global VP, a patchwork of local lobbyists, and limited oversight - leaves PA isolated and often reactive. Leading companies are now building federated systems designed for agility and coherence.

At the center sits a global hub that sets priorities, defines strategy, runs analytics, and coordinates dossiers. Around it operate regional leads in the Americas, EMEA, and APAC, who adapt global strategy to local realities. Their work is further supported by Centers of Excellence (COEs) that concentrate scarce expertise such as digital advocacy, scenario modeling, and crisis readiness.

Equally important is how PA connects inside the enterprise. Vertically, many companies assign PA business partners to individual business units so that regulatory foresight feeds directly into P&L planning. A chemicals unit facing carbon tariffs, for instance, co-develops lobbying priorities with PA rather than being surprised by new rules. Horizontally, PA must align tightly with Communications (to maintain a shared narrative), with Legal (to ensure compliance and correct framing), and with Trade Compliance (to monitor tariffs, sanctions, and local-content requirements).

The impact can be substantial. One industrial firm required PA sign-off on all new plant investments. As a result, the company secured €40 million in subsidies for a battery site - funds that would otherwise have slipped away.

Master the External Game

Today’s policy environment is often grievance-driven, polarized, and low-trust. That makes effective advocacy both harder and more valuable. The answer is not louder slogans but professional advocacy built on four pillars:

• Evidence. Anchor arguments in metrics that matter to policymakers - jobs, skills, resilience, investment, sovereignty. Research them, validate them, and present them in clear, digestible formats and language.

• Influence. Build a resilient network across policymakers and media contacts long before a crisis hits. Waiting until pressure is high makes new relationships nearly impossible to establish.

• Coalitions. Create, join and manage associations, alliances, and chambers to carry the heat on contentious issues, while coordinating sector-wide positions behind the scenes. Collective advocacy multiplies impact and reduces reputational risk.

• Discipline. Provide clear guidance on when, where, and how to speak up. A structured decision matrix avoids both costly silence and performative overreach.

The companies that master these four dimensions turn PA into a trusted voice and a credible partner in policymaking.

Build a Control Tower

Modern PA is increasingly data-driven. To manage complexity across regions and issues, companies are building “control towers” that integrate multiple functions. These include a forward-looking risk radar, a global-to-local issue tracker with clear ownership and milestones, stakeholder maps with relationship health scores, and dashboards that capture wins achieved and risks avoided.

The control tower model elevates PA from anecdotal reporting to strategic foresight. It enables leaders to spot threats early, allocate resources efficiently, and demonstrate tangible value to the board.

Establish Cadence and Governance

Even the best structures will fail without rhythm. World-class PA functions are defined by their cadence.

They run monthly steering meetings with the CEO or a senior executive sponsor. They convene quarterly issues councils with Legal, Comms, Trade, and business unit leaders to reprioritize dossiers and align strategy. They deliver an annual strategy refresh aligned with corporate planning and ideally co-owned with Corporate Strategy.

To ensure accountability, they also undergo regular external audits - annually or at least every other year - measuring performance against both policy outcomes and internal standards.

This rhythm makes PA not a reactive voice but an integral part of the corporate strategy engine.

The Bottom Line

Regulation, trade shocks, and political volatility are not abating. They are intensifying. Companies that treat Public Affairs as a strategic growth lever will secure market access, protect margins, and build resilience.Those that do not will eventually face shareholders with an uncomfortable explanation: the rules of the game were written without them.