Communications and Public Affairs Specialties
We understand the vast functional expertise the best professionals master on the way to the C suite.
Communications may be a single profession, but it encompasses a great many specialties. In over 30 years serving the profession, we have developed an appreciation for the subtle differences between the various areas of specialization and the skill sets, personality types, and management experience required to succeed in each one of them. We have had success placing top communicators in a wide variety of roles:
Over the years, we’ve seen increasing overlap between the marketing and communications functions. This makes sense: building reputation and building a brand have a lot in common. “Marketing” is a big tent – whether it’s a hybrid “marcomm” role or one geared toward a given area of specialization, our team has significant experience placing top marketing talent across the spectrum.
1
Constantly refining our expertise.
Our clients expect us to be subject matter experts in the functional areas in which we specialize, and that depth of knowledge is the foundation for all our search engagements. We are always thinking about what, exactly, goes into great communications, public affairs, and marketing work. In any given week, we have deep conversations with hundreds of leaders in these fields, leveraging everything we learn to improve our approach to search and the outcomes we achieve for our clients.
2
Focusing on your unique needs.
To identify the right candidate for a given role in a particular organization, we follow a time-tested approach, which depends on listening – really listening – to a client’s needs, understanding culture and reporting lines, thinking strategically to envision an ideal candidate, and then diving deep to find the people who best fit that profile, often in places where others wouldn’t think to look. Success is never just about the person or the company; it is about the fit between the two. Our goal is to facilitate good hiring decisions for the client’s organization and for the candidate’s career.
3
Fielding the right team to advise you.
Our engagement teams are each led by a senior recruiter with significant experience in the client’s field. The senior recruiter is paired with a research associate who is in touch with a variety of senior communications, public affairs, and marketing professionals open to new opportunities. We also target professionals who may not be thinking of other roles – until we help them to see the possibilities. In addition, each search team leverages the knowledge and contacts of all senior recruiters and associates in the firm, who meet frequently to exchange information and brainstorm. When you hire Heyman Associates to conduct a search, you will have the resources of the entire firm behind you.
4
Putting our experience to work.
We pair the knowledge developed conducting a great number of searches in communications, public affairs, and marketing with what we have learned about your needs and your culture to determine the experience, skill set, and personality type of the right person for the position. Next, we identify a selection of outstanding candidates, compile comprehensive candidate profiles, manage the interview process, and help with final negotiations with your preferred candidate. The result is the right person for what you need now – and for what you will need in the future.
5
Vetting candidates thoroughly.
Raw skills – writing, measuring results, managing teams – are important, but they're not enough. Intangibles matter – more than anything else. That is why we put so much time and effort into building complete portraits of candidates. We meet them in person, look them in the eye, explore motivations, weigh strengths and weaknesses, and probe colleagues’ impressions. For communicators, we know that certain personality traits are suited to media relations or public relations while others are better suited to investor relations, public affairs, or internal communications roles. The same can be said for marketing: different mindsets might be suited to specializing in branding, digital, programmatic, or influencer marketing, among other areas.
6
Supporting your diversity goals.
We make every effort to present you with a slate of candidates from diverse backgrounds. Long committed to promoting diversity in the workplace, our diversity placement rate (over 18%) is well above the industry average. We also place male and female candidates at equal rates. Historically, we have been able to present a racially and ethnically diverse candidate slate in 80% of our searches. Our aim is to achieve that 100% of the time.
Service Offerings for Every Aspect of Your Talent Strategy
A search is not a one-off transaction for us. We want to build a long-term partnership with you.
Executive Search: Our core business is partnering with clients to identify and appoint the best communications, public affairs, and marketing professionals.
Advisory Services: Leveraging decades of experience observing what works and what doesn’t in structuring communications, public affairs, and marketing functions, we regularly advise clients on issues including: team structure, balance of responsibilities, reporting lines, job titles, compensation, and other research into best practices.
Relying on a database of up-to-date information on tens of thousands of communications and marketing professionals, we carry out custom benchmarking and mapping studies.
Corporate Communications
Brand Communications
Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability
Executive Communications
Development Communications
Government Relations
External Affairs
Consumer Communications
Investor Relations
Crisis Communications
Internal & Change Communications
Financial Communications
Marketing Communications
Social and Digital
Corporate & Media Relations
Our Unique Value Proposition: Real Relationships and a Tailored, Disciplined Approach
Your reputation and brand mean everything to you. Guarding them is serious business, and we will help you make the best possible decisions when hiring top communications, public affairs, and marketing talent.
We know these professions, here and abroad.
Our clients benefit from the efforts of dozens of executive search professionals across North America, Europe, and the Middle East who are experts in communications, public affairs, and marketing talent.
We pay attention to your needs.
No two searches are alike. Tell us about your perfect candidate, and we will craft a job description and search strategy to attract that person.
Our network is your network.
Rely on our deep, personal knowledge of thousands of top-notch communications, public affairs, and marketing professionals who have gone through our exhaustive vetting process.
Our disciplined approach works.
At the outset, you receive a customized plan designed to streamline your search, deliver appropriate candidates and help you to identify the best long-term fit for the role and for your company’s unique culture.