China opens up

China's state council Information Office wanted to equip its senior government spokesperson with the skills necessary to handle future crisis.

The training program developed by H&K, "Communications Skills in Times of Crisis," marked the first time a foreign consulting firm has been invited by the central government to provide nationwide training for 84 senior Chinese officials. 

Commenting on why H&K was chosen, Mr. Wang Xingming, General Director of SCIO had this to say: "We are in need of eloquent spokespeople with excellent communication skills and a global perspective while in the international spotlight. This is why we chose H&K as the first and only international consultancy to train our spokespersons."

International and domestic media, from BBC to People's Daily, reported extensively on H&K's positive role in China's new efforts to manage its public image.