News and Insights
Navigating Business Chaos Sustainably – Communicating on Climate
October 14, 2025
During Climate Week NYC 2025, communications and sustainability leaders convened for a panel discussion titled “Navigating Business Chaos Sustainably: How Companies Adapt Strategies in a Polarized Environment.” The session brought together five FINN Partners experts to explore how organizations can balance ambition with authenticity in a time when public trust, corporate accountability, and environmental responsibility intersect.
The panel featured five global FINN Partners Purpose and Social Impact Practice colleagues: Brianne Chai-Onn, Senior Partner; Nicole Grubner, Partner; Aila Hernandez, Vice President; Millie Hillman, Account Executive; and Jillian Semaan, Partner. Each panelist reflected on the evolving role of communications in advancing responsible business amid shifting policy and social expectations.
Communications as a Business Lifeline
The group discussion began with a simple yet urgent premise: Communication is not a support function; it is a lifeline for customer credibility and sustainable business. When companies face accelerating climate risks, regulatory shifts, and mounting skepticism, how they communicate determines whether innovation becomes adoption, commitments become action, and customer expectations are addressed.
Chai-Onn, who counsels global corporations and NGOs, underscored that sustainability is now embedded in corporate strategy rather than presented as a tactical initiative. “Sustainability is now infused into operations and business strategy,” she said. “Even as some governments step back, the private sector and nonprofits are stepping forward.” Her remarks reflected the broader trend of business and social impact filling gaps left by fragmented public policy.
Hillman, who advises clients on sustainability reporting, stakeholder engagement and thought leadership, described a significant evolution in corporate storytelling. “Consumers and journalists are demanding proof,” she said. “Companies are moving beyond lofty claims to focus on data, case studies, and human-centered stories.”
That transition from image management to impact measurement has created a new era of authenticity. Hillman noted that companies are learning to showcase measurable progress rather than perfection. “Greenwashing has given way to what might be called ‘lived progress,’” she said. “It’s about honesty and consistency, not performance.”
Collaboration Accelerating Performance
Hernandez, who supports consumer marketing companies navigating at the intersection of purpose and business performance, noted that in past years, Climate Week has shifted from a stage for declarations to a forum of collaboration. “We’re seeing fewer keynote moments and more roundtable conversations,” she observed. “These settings invite organizations to exchange lessons and form partnerships rather than compete for visibility.”
Grubner, who works with emerging innovators in climate technologies, added that such gatherings provide an invaluable opportunity for reflection. “For early stage companies, these aren’t moments to launch; they’re moments to listen,” she said. “When innovators look up from the lab and listen to what investors, policymakers, and partners are saying, they better align their ideas with economic priorities and societal needs.”
The Language of Leadership
Semaan, who previously served in the Obama Administration and now guides FINN clients at the nexus of policy and communications, emphasized how language shapes both access and impact. “The word ‘climate’ itself can divide audiences,” she said. “Adaptive language, such as framing sustainability around resilience, competitiveness, and value creation, helps organizations reach across ideological divides.”
Her counsel echoed a consistent theme from the panelists: Sustainability communication must link purpose to performance. “Aligning sustainability with business goals strengthens long-term resilience,” Semaan explained. “It shows that responsibility and profitability are not opposites but interlinked goals.”
Each panelist returned to a central point: Sustainability is ultimately about people. Whether discussing regulatory shifts, supply chain resilience, or storytelling, the conversation centered around the need to earn trust through transparency and open communication.
Hillman described how sustainability reports have evolved from compliance documents into narratives of accountability and communication. “Acknowledging both achievements and challenges builds credibility,” she said. “That honesty creates the social capital organizations need to sustain long-term progress and strengthen stakeholder connections.
Chai-Onn noted that moral appeals alone no longer drive collective action. “Talking about climate as a moral issue is not sufficient to secure the attention and support from employees, customers, shareholders and regulators,” she said. “What resonates is value creation and how sustainability strengthens opportunity, resilience and economic longevity.”
Semaan agreed, emphasizing that the most effective communicators build the business case while honoring the moral one. “Risk mitigation and competitive advantage go hand in hand with smart business strategies,” she said.
Planning With Purpose
Grubner emphasized the importance of preparation for events such as Climate Week and COP. “You can’t leave your presence to chance,” she said. Plan meetings, social strategies, and follow-up communications. Even if you’re not on stage, be deliberate about how you engage.”
That planning, she added, leaves room for spontaneity and collaboration. Hillman echoed the point, observing that some of the most valuable relationships begin at informal gatherings rather than scheduled panels. “Climate Week is as much about relationship building as it is about policy or performance,” she said.
Across all FINN communication voices, there was a connected insight: Chaos, while uncomfortable, can also be catalytic. It compels organizations to clarify purpose, communicate with precision, and collaborate across traditional boundaries.
The discussion underscored that companies today succeed by minimizing volatility and transforming it into alignment and action. Organizations that endure will be those that approach communications as an instrument of credibility grounded in facts, open to scrutiny, and focused on progress rather than perfection.
In an era when sustainability defines both risk and opportunity, business leadership rests on coherence, courage and care. Climate Week 2025 served as a reminder that even amid tumult, companies can find stability in one enduring truth: Authenticity.
POSTED BY: Gil Bashe
