As the founder and chief executive of her namesake Studio City-based firm, Fiona Hutton has built one of the leading women-owned public affairs and strategic communications companies in the state, which was first established in 2001. Last year, she was tapped as one of Capitol Weekly’s Top 100 most influential players in California politics.
1: Hutton marks a milestone of 25 years in business. Hutton founded her firm with $30,000 in family savings and no formal roadmap, building it “client by client and hire by hire,” she says. “Twenty-five years later, the firm reflects a disciplined, tenacious, reputation-driven approach to growth. I credit that focus with its longevity.” Hutton also has offices in Sacramento.
2: Hutton has worked on some of California’s most consequential issues. She has advised more than 200 organizations statewide across an array of industries, including energy, water, health care, technology, manufacturing and entertainment. She says her work often involves helping clients “navigate complex regulatory environments, align stakeholders and make decisions under intense public and political scrutiny.”
3: Hutton is a “Valley girl – by choice.” She grew her business and raised her family in the San Fernando Valley, even though many told her she would succeed in the industry only if she moved to downtown Los Angeles or even the Westside. She held to her mission and stayed in the Valley. “I have remained committed to the region, establishing a statewide firm from the Valley and continuing to call it home,” she says.
4: Away from the office, she considers herself a “nature nerd.” Hutton enjoys the outdoors, hiking and traveling in her free time. She says she has “a particular affinity for critters, parks and open space, interests that provide a counterbalance to the pace and intensity in my professional life.” One of her favorite things to do: tend her Ojai farm.
5: That downtime matters for Hutton – simply because running a firm can mean operating in “fifth gear,” she says. Hutton says she’s moving nonstop in her chief executive role – “managing multiple priorities, anticipating risk and navigating what I call three-dimensional chess across clients, stakeholders and issues.” She adds that maintaining such a mindset helps shape how she leads her firm, being proactive and “staying ahead of challenges rather than reacting to them.”
