Strategic ESG communications for global engineering consultancy
Client: Buro Happold
Campaign: ESG Report editorial strategy and content optimisation
Services: Strategic content review, stakeholder messaging architecture, technical editing
Business challenge.
Buro Happold, a global engineering consultancy with expertise spanning buildings, infrastructure and cities, needed to evolve its sustainability reporting into comprehensive ESG communications that would satisfy increasingly sophisticated stakeholder expectations. The firm was transitioning from environmental-focused sustainability reports to holistic ESG reporting covering social impact, governance, and environmental performance.
The strategic challenge extended beyond compliance: how do you communicate complex technical performance data across diverse metrics (net zero roadmap, social sustainability initiatives, governance frameworks) in ways that resonate with investors, employees, clients and regulatory audiences - while maintaining the technical precision expected of an engineering consultancy?
The report needed to demonstrate accountability and progress whilst acknowledging ongoing challenges, requiring editorial judgment about tone, transparency, and strategic messaging.
Strategic approach.
2024: Foundation year - structural architecture and messaging framework
Working directly with Buro Happold's marketing team, I provided strategic editorial oversight to transform technical ESG data into compelling stakeholder communications.
Strategic content architecture:
Restructured report flow to balance regulatory compliance with narrative accessibility
Developed messaging hierarchy that positioned ESG performance as business strategy, not separate CSR activity
Refined technical language to maintain engineering credibility while ensuring investor accessibility
Strengthened the integration of social, environmental and governance themes to demonstrate holistic business approach
Editorial methodology:
Conducted comprehensive structural review of draft content
Identified opportunities to reduce jargon without compromising technical accuracy
Tightened narrative connections between initiatives, metrics and business outcomes
Refined tone to balance confidence in progress with candor about challenges
Ensured consistency across diverse technical content areas (net zero, social impact, governance)
Stakeholder alignment: Content needed to serve multiple audiences simultaneously - investors evaluating ESG risk, employees seeking evidence of firm values, clients assessing sustainability credentials, and regulatory bodies requiring compliance transparency.
2025: Optimisation and evolution
Maintained editorial consistency while updating content to reflect year-on-year performance evolution, ensuring the established messaging framework and structural clarity continued to serve the expanded scope of ESG reporting.
Business outcomes
Strategic positioning delivered:
Established Buro Happold's ESG report as transparent, accountable communication of business performance across people, places and planet
Created report architecture that successfully broadened scope from environmental sustainability to comprehensive ESG without losing narrative coherence
Enabled leadership to communicate progress and challenges with appropriate balance
Stakeholder impact:
Report provides "holistic view" of business performance that meets expectations of clients, employees and investors
Content serves as strategic communications tool beyond compliance requirement
Demonstrates how engineering consultancy manages complex sustainability challenges while maintaining technical credibility
Organisational capability: Two-year engagement established robust editorial framework that enables Buro Happold to maintain communications quality as ESG reporting continues to evolve, supporting the firm's positioning as leader in sustainable engineering.
Examples.
