Who actually writes your annual report?
If your answer is “a bit of everyone”, you’re not alone.
Corporate communications teams, marketing directors, sustainability officers, investor relations and the C-suite all play a role. But without a clear annual report team structure, the project often spirals into missed deadlines, duplicated effort or a design team scrambling at the eleventh hour.
This article breaks down the annual report project management process, outlining the essential roles, responsibilities and workflows that make the difference between a stressful compliance exercise and a polished, professional report stakeholders genuinely want to read.
The core roles in an annual report team structure
A successful annual report is never the work of a single department. Instead, it requires a well-organised structure with defined responsibilities. Here are the key players.
Project sponsor (usually the CFO or corporate communications director)
- Provides strategic direction and ensures the report aligns with corporate objectives
- Signs off on major milestones and final approvals
- Acts as the link to the board and senior leadership
Project manager (often from corporate communications)
- Owns the timeline and coordinates across departments
- Ensures stakeholder feedback is collected and managed
- Keeps the project moving through planning, drafting, and approvals
Lead writer or content agency
- Develops the theme and structure
- Produces the narrative sections including, CEO statement, strategy, ESG and governance
- Ensures consistency of tone and compliance with FCA requirements
- Manages interviews and drafts with senior leaders
- A professional report writing agency can take on this role to reduce internal pressure and bring expertise
Subject matter contributors
- Finance team for financial disclosures and performance data
- Sustainability/ESG officers for climate-related and social impact reporting
- HR, risk, and operations leads for functional sections
Design and production team
- Responsible for layouts, graphics, and visual storytelling
- Works closely with writers to balance content and design
- Ensures the final product is accessible across print and digital
Legal and compliance reviewers
- Checks for FCA, Companies Act, and sector-specific compliance
- Validates risk disclosures and forward-looking statements
- Provides final sign-off before publication
How responsibilities should flow
To avoid overlaps and delays, consider key responsibilities in your annual report team structure. Map out annual report workflow roles clearly:
- Planning: Sponsor and project manager define scope, objectives, and timeline
- Drafting: Writers and contributors produce content, working to deadlines set by the project manager
- Reviewing: Legal and leadership provide feedback in structured rounds
- Design integration: Content and visuals are aligned, with writers adapting text for layouts
- Final approval: Sponsor and legal teams sign off on the finished report
By clarifying ownership at each stage, you reduce the “too many cooks” problem that often derails annual reports.
Common pitfalls in annual report collaboration
Even experienced corporate communications teams face recurring challenges when it comes to annual report collaboration. Here are some of the common issues to watch out for:
- Unclear sign-off: Multiple departments making edits at the same time causes version control headaches
- Late data: Finance or ESG teams not supplying figures until close to deadline
- Conflicting feedback: Leadership offering divergent views on tone or emphasis
- Design bottlenecks: Writers delivering content too late for designers to integrate smoothly
Addressing these risks upfront with a clear annual report project management framework is vital.
Best practices for structuring your annual report team
- Appoint a single project manager: Give them authority to enforce deadlines and resolve conflicts.
- Limit review rounds: Aim for no more than three structured rounds, each with specific objectives.
- Use a content calendar: Align drafting and data collection with reporting deadlines.
- Centralise feedback: Collect and consolidate comments before passing them to writers or designers.
- Work with professionals: Bringing in annual report writing services ensures regulatory compliance and consistent storytelling.
Of course, these are only topline thoughts, but if you use them as a guide to expand on, you’ll be on the right track.
Who should actually write the annual report?
One of the key questions when developing your annual report team structure is: should the report be written in-house or outsourced?
Internal teams know the business best, but they’re often overstretched. A business writing agency specialising in annual reports offers several advantages. These include a deep understanding of FCA requirements and global frameworks such as TCFD and GRI. They’ll also have experience interviewing senior leaders and shaping clear, engaging narratives. Beyond that, they’ll be able to translate complex financial and ESG data into accessible language for diverse stakeholders. Finally, their independence means they can avoid internal bias, which can increase credibility with investors
Curious about how a professional agency manages annual report projects? Explore our annual review writing process to see how we work at Alex Genn Copywriting.
Why team clarity improves stakeholder communications
Stakeholders, from investors to employees to regulators, expect transparency and accuracy. A well-structured annual report team structure ensures the document delivers:
- A coherent strategy narrative for investors
- Clear disclosures for regulators
- Engaging content for employees and wider stakeholders
When responsibilities are muddled, these audiences get mixed messages. When responsibilities are clear, the report speaks with one voice.
An effective annual report team structure is less about the number of people involved and more about how responsibilities are organised.
By defining roles early, managing workflows and using external expertise where needed, companies can transform their annual reports from compliance documents into powerful corporate communications tools.
Ready to strengthen your annual report team?
If you want a reporting partner who understands project management, corporate reporting frameworks and the realities of multi-stakeholder projects, we can help. At Alex Genn Copywriting, we provide annual report writing services that keep teams organised and reports on schedule. From drafting clear narratives to coordinating complex workflows, we help you deliver reports that are accurate, engaging, and on time.
Arrange your free consultations today to discuss how we can support your next annual report.