Integrated Reporting Strategy Greater Toronto Airports Authority

The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) operates Toronto Pearson International Airport – Canada’s largest and busiest airport facility. The focus of the GTAA continues to be on growing Toronto Pearson’s capacity to deliver excellent service and financial sustainability. Works Design has produced the GTAA’s annual and sustainability reports since 2011, engaging with the airport’s stakeholders to analyze and prioritize internal and external priorities, and link these topics to long-term strategy. Taking these steps directly informs planning, content development and design for the annual report (which became a combined AR and sustainability document in 2013).

Toronto Pearson has become one of the world’s leading airports by constantly meeting growing demand for connectivity and forging vital collaborative relationships that sustain success. From air carriers, to agencies like Metrolinx, to other ground transportation providers, as well as municipal leaders, Pearson relies on strong relationships to create value for all – within the airport, across our region and around the world. Works Design’s creative approach for the 2019 report needed to make clear that the airport thrives by functioning as an integrated part of the region. Our strategy was to underscore that Pearson’s partnerships were personal. We didn’t want to characterize its partnerships as strategic alliances between amorphous entities. Our goal was to honour the commitments of those at the heart of these partnerships, and so our design brought people to the forefront. We identified nine individuals to represent essential relationships in the GTAA’s network. Separate video interviews with a diverse range of stakeholders gave voice and context to a very simple idea: We need each other.

Just prior to the release of the 2019 report, the aviation industry was dramatically disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. This suddenly put the GTAA in a common conundrum: How you do tell your pre-pandemic story while also acknowledging your newly transformed reality? Stakeholders wanted reassurance about topics like passenger safety, and the potential for good economic returns over the long term, but the report included data and stories prior to COVID-19. To address this, Works Design and the GTAA tweaked the design of the website with a series of succinct, full-screen introductions – and adapted the approach for the accompanying PDF document. Clear, direct copy helps users understand the timing and context of the report – and guides users into each subject-matter area with a frank, confident tone. Readily accessible, the content highlights how strong values and culture traits (such as adaptability, or the ability to balance competing responsibilities) will support the organization as it evolves to serve a dramatically changed world. The airport acknowledges where there is uncertainty and outlines the magnitude of the pandemic challenge. But through the theme of partnership, the GTAA demonstrates its capacity to help communities – and the entire world – recover, rebuild and reconnect.

In recent years, Works Design has also supported the GTAA in planning its broader sustainability communications, developing internal and external communications and other assets relating to noise pollution, community investment and safety. Additionally, we have advised the GTAA in areas such as the GRI Standards and Sustainable Development Goals, and helped develop a series of videos aiming to articulate clearly the GTAA’s strategy and impact.