For Simon Quarendon, who has a 35-year career in corporate affairs, the appeal of reputation management is its unpredictability. ‘It isn’t formulaic’, he says. ‘There’s no one silver bullet or magic solution. Every situation has a different set of circumstances surrounding it. That makes the job endlessly stimulating.’ Quarendon tells Spear’s that PR and public affairs are increasingly intermingled. ‘Politicians are mindful of what the media writes, and the media are mindful of what politicians say,’ he explains. ‘Most journalists will be monitoring a politician’s Twitter feed because it will give them off-the-cuff insights before the press office has time to prepare a statement.’