ABOUT US

I’m Susan Lawson. With 25+ years' experience in Thought Leadership, Publishing, Editorial, PR & Marketing, IP & Social Value, and engagement with both business leaders and respected academic thinkers, I created Susan Lawson Bureau to improve the quality, 'charisma' and authenticity of Thought Leadership materials, with a particular emphasis on restoring trust and credibility.

See our Founding Principles below.

Too much Thought Leadership material today is generic, mass-produced, corporate and fails to lead thought at all. Trust in companies and in the material they produce has broken down due to the uncritical use of AI and years of company 'greenwashing'; far higher levels of rigour, authenticity and 'proof of concept' are now demanded.

In addition, Thought Leadership materials are often produced in a disconnected way which not only fails to capture (and prove) the unique insights of individual companies and company leaders but also leads to unconvincing material and 'scattergun' approaches. Never before have so many companies also been passionate about positive change and this produces an opportunity: to create Thought Leadership which acts simultaneously as advocacy and as a critical tool for rebuilding trust.

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Founding Principles: Our Reason d'Etre

Susan Lawson Bureau was founded to: 1) Marry leading-edge thinking with flair and charisma to create voice-driven Thought Leadership that future clients will actually enioy reading and therefore remember. Too much Thought Leadership today is generically corporate and fails to capture the company's voice, wit, insights and charisma; some of it is solid quality but reveals nothing about unique brands and is almost instantly forgettable; 2) Promote positive change via and not against business. I believe that fantastic businesses worldwide are producing a great bottom-line whilst also making a difference, and I believe this is the most effective way forward. As such SLB is especially interested in working with ethical and/or sustainable companies as well as those involved in Sustainable Finance, SRI and 'Good Growth' models. Not least when ethical companies do Thought Leadership Marketing it lives up to its name in that it acts as Marketing whilst also genuinely leading thought; 3) Bring together insights from Marketing Analysis, Knowledge Management, PR, Publishing & Editorial to prevent companies wasting resources through scattergun & disconnected campaigns and approaches; 4) Help companies formulate and articulate more authentic stances and business thinking on sustainability and ethical issues, simultaneously to help them better stand out whilst also promoting the banishment of ‘greenwash’ and 'goodwash' (including in ESG and Social Value Statements). In short we see authentic Thought Leadership as a 'win-win' that simultaneously promotes great companies whilst also contributing to the greater good through genuinely leading thought.

Our Team & Growth Plans

SLB is currently primarily myself, Susan Lawson, as Strategist, Editor-in-Chief and Lead Writer, supported by an in-house Researcher and Junior Writer. Going forward I want to spend more time on Strategy for our Clients (although I will likely always write / oversee final drafts of our Clients' most critical materials) and so we have great growth plans, including hiring more writers to work on supporting blog campaigns and taking on expertise in post boosting, since digital Thought Leadership materials themselves often require a little help initially to gain traction where Companies have not undertaken Thought Leadership before. Finally where Graphic Design is required (for example with magazine-style publications or White Papers), we are experienced in briefing and overseeing designers (as well as proofreaders and typesetters, for books) and can hire an associate on your behalf if you don't already have an in-house team. Whilst SLB is in the process of growth, we will always remain boutique with a voice-driven approach based on unusual attentiveness to our Clients' company 'personality' and unique modes of thinking.

We also want SLB to become a hub for ideas and insights: our Reading Room and Resources, including our News Digest The STOCKtake, our blog and White Papers provide starting points on topical stories across business, including impact business, green finance and sustainable investing, the economy, SRI, sustainability, ethical AI and other issues, offering fresh new angles and summaries of key debates.

In addition we provide growing resources on Thought Leadership approaches, including our forthcoming Concise Guide on Thought Leadership and Breaking the Trust Ceiling. we also provide Recommendations and pointers on external books we think might interest you.