Blog - GK Strategy

Securing planning permission to build: how we support developers through the planning process

To meet existing and new demand for housing between 240,000 and 340,000 homes need to be built per year. While housing supply is a significant issue, so too is affordability, and the pressure this is creating in towns and cities up and down the country is intense. According to the

Ned Lamb 17th May, 2019 Strategy 4 min read

Mental Health Awareness Week is almost upon us – and at GK, we take our employees mental health very seriously.

Mental health problems can affect any person, any day of the year. This week, I want to highlight top tips and practices for staying well at work. Reclaim your lunch break Your lunch break is your time to recharge your body and mind - reclaim your lunch break by taking the time to make use of summer sun and clean air. Get together...

Sarah De Rosa 15th May, 2019 Insight , Strategy , Impact 3 min read

5 reasons spokespeople fail to get their message across

If you’ve managed to ascend to a position of leadership in your chosen field, having some level of exposure to the media is an inevitable part of the job. While the level of control a business has over its ‘owned’ media does provide a sense of safety and when ‘going viral’ feels like the cool thing to do, there is still little that provides the same level of reputation-enhancing, share-price raising and policymaker influencing boost like obtaining national coverage in the media,...

James Page 14th May, 2019 Strategy 3 min read

Why you should prioritise crisis communications planning

GK are delighted to announce the launch of our latest whitepaper on crisis communications planning. In 2010 a psychologist, Dr Alex Lickerman, wrote in Psychology Today that reputation is “an animal designed by committee: you give birth to it but the way it develops depends on the actions of others”. The idea is that your actions can guide your reputation, but what really matters is how others perceive them. He reflected that building a good reputation requires effort, patience, and...

Ned Lamb 8th May, 2019 Strategy

Council level political audits: how GK can help

Local politics at a council level can be unpredictable, and its effect of on planning decisions is often underappreciated. Whereas planning officers provide advice on applications, elected councillors are ultimately responsible for decision making. Promising plans can fall at the final hurdle without the right insight into local authority decision making processes, leadership priorities and the character of key stakeholders. Further to this, and of particular relevance to more controversial...

Joe Berkhout 7th May, 2019 Strategy 3 min read

What lessons does the boom in impact investing have for other investors?

Impact investing - investments made with the intention to generate measurable social and environmental impact alongside a financial return - is booming. Over $502bn in impact investing assets is now managed by over 1,340 organisations, according to a recent survey by GIIN - the Global Impact Investing Network – up from under

Martin Summers 1st May, 2019 Insight 3 min read

The value of political due diligence and post-sale consulting

Private equity investors are currently facing a number of different challenges. A vast amount of dry powder – capital waiting to be deployed - has pushed asset prices up to record highs, not seen since before the financial crash of 2008. The market is becoming overcrowded with players, which is in turn driving competition. In addition, there is a widely held belief that there will be an economic downturn in the near future, through which assets will have to be held. When the stakes are so...

Isabelle Hillson 30th Apr, 2019 Insight 3 min read

How to define ESG best practice and assess a company against it

Our ESG Due Diligence reports for investors (and our ESG assessments for corporate clients) incorporate a gap analysis of the asset’s ESG performance, policies and governance against best practice in the asset’s sector. We also make practical recommendations to ensure alignment with best practice – and how to go further. Why is it important for investors to undertake ESG best practice analysis – and how do we do it? Best practice analysis is part of our

Megan Baxter 24th Apr, 2019 Insight 3 min read

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