Why the CEO Must be Seen to Lead in a Crisis

From our friend and colleague, Tony Jaques, Director of Issue Outcomes Pty Ltd.

When the Trump administration launched an unprecedented attack on the painkiller Tylenol – known in most of the world as paracetamol – it was a serious product crisis for drugmaker Kenvue, as well as its previous parent.

Johnson and Johnson, which spun off its Kenvue unit in 2023, said in a not very helpful statement that Kenvue is responsible for “all rights and liabilities associated with the sale of its over-the-counter products, including Tylenol.”

Left to fight alone, Kenvue posted a well-written company statement, which defended the product, rejected the claimed risk of autism in unborn children, and cited the support of leading medical professionals and global health regulators. It was textbook crisis response, expressing concern and leaning on responsible third-party experts.

But Tom Corfman, writing in PR News under the headline: “Trump trashes Tylenol. Where’s the company’s CEO?”, said Kirk Perry, who became interim CEO of Kenvue just two months before the attack from the White House, made only one public comment — a LinkedIn post nearly a month after the controversy began.

He concluded that, while Kenvue’s communications team made the case for Tylenol’s safety in statements to the media, on social media and on its website “those messages don’t convey the authority and emotion of the person in charge.”

Corfman’s critique raises an important question for all issue and crisis managers. It’s not a new problem, and the potential brand damage from an absent CEO is exemplified by two high-profile examples.

For the rest, click here.

Photo Credit: ChatGPT

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Dr. Tony Jaques established Issue Outcomes in 1997 as a provider of management training and consulting services.  He worked for more than 20 years in corporate issue and crisis management, mainly in Asia-Pacific, and served two terms as a Director on the Board of the Issue Management Council, of Leesburg, Virginia. He is author of four books in the field, most recently Crisis Counsel: Navigating Legal and Communication Conflict (Rothstein, NY, 2020) and Crisis Proofing: How to Save your Company from Disaster (OUP, Melbourne 2018). For more information: tjaques@issueoutcomes.com.au