Reputation & Crisis

Reputation & Crisis

Pentameter advises organisations through periods of heightened scrutiny, disruption and risk, where clarity, discipline and judgement matter more than volume or speed.

As founder and principal, James Doran’s approach is shaped by two perspectives: decades spent as a senior business journalist reporting on corporate failures, controversies and turning points from the outside, and subsequent work advising leadership teams from the inside when stakes are real and decisions are irreversible.

We understand how stories form, how narratives harden, and how quickly misjudged language can cause structural damage.

Pentameter focuses on stabilisation before amplification - helping leadership teams understand what must be said, what should not be said, and how to communicate consistently under pressure. This includes preparing leadership for difficult questions, aligning internal and external language, and putting in place clear guard rails so responses remain coherent as events evolve.

Our role is to help organisations protect trust, credibility and long-term reputation by saying less, saying it better, and saying it consistently.