Reputation under siege: Key event insights
Rick Osborne
It was great to bring clients and colleagues together in Auckland recently for a thought-provoking conversation about one of the issues increasingly shaping business performance: reputation.
Partners Rick Osborne and Lisa-Marie Richan, together with consultant Marie Hosking, hosted a presentation featuring Oliver Freedman, Executive Partner at RepTrak. Oliver delivered a fascinating session titled “Reputations under siege – AI narratives and the cost-of-living crunch collide”, drawing on RepTrak’s global reputation data and insights.
The discussion was a timely reminder that reputation is no longer simply a communications issue. It is increasingly a leadership, risk and commercial performance issue. A few themes particularly stood out:
- AI is changing how reputation is formed. While AI may not be a stakeholder in the traditional sense, it increasingly influences what people see, believe and ultimately decide.
- Reputation is a powerful differentiator. When product, price and convenience are broadly equal, reputation can be what sets an organisation apart – and AI is helping shape how that reputation is perceived.
- What organisations do matters as much as what they say. The pathways to trust, admiration and respect remain grounded in capability, conduct and positive impact on New Zealand.
- Expectations of business leadership are rising. Cost-of-living pressures mean customers, employees, investors and communities are looking closely at how organisations behave, the choices they make and the contribution they make to society.
- Reputation has real commercial value. It can influence customer preference, employee attraction and retention, investor confidence and, ultimately, an organisation’s licence to grow.
Guests shared their own perspectives and experiences on building trust, credibility and resilience.
Big thanks to the team at Arup for hosting us, and to Simon Bridges, CEO of Auckland Business Chamber, for helping support a stimulating and enjoyable morning.
It was a great example of the value of bringing people together to step back from the day-to-day and explore the issues that are shaping business and leadership.
