Founder’s note – December 2025

Welcome to my December 2025 founder’s note. 

Today is a particularly important date for me and Strategic. On this date last year, Mike Klein and I decided to join forces! Up until then, we had always closely collaborated due to the shared mission of Strategic and #WeLeadComms to recognize, elevate and advocate for communication leaders and the profession. 

During the past year, we have covered a lot of ground with plans to cover far more. 

We are expanding the Strategic offering with the introduction of Mastermind in Q1 2026, with groups facilitated by Mike Klein, Sia Papageorgiou, Stephen Waddington, Louise Thomson. Mike, Sia, Stephen and Louise will be hosting focused, practical groups that meet biweekly to tackle communication challenges facing internal communicators and corporate communicators, and provide guided peer coaching, and accountability. 

We have opened applications for Strategic Global Awards to shine a light on you, the talented and successful members of our community, and to recognize excellence in strategic communication, internal communication and change communication for individuals, teams and campaigns. Read more in this article by Mike and I.

Our 2026 events plan includes our flagship Communication Leadership Summit in Brussels on 17 April 2026. We will also be hosting further events, and bespoke in-person and virtual events with our partners. 

Recent conversations have reminded me of the unique position Strategic is in as an agile organization. This position enables us to respond to industry changes and needs with speed, flexibility and adaptability, adding value to our community. 

We are interested in welcoming new partners who wish to engage with our global community in 2026. Through Strategic, our partners collaborate with communication leaders worldwide, and we are proud to facilitate these connections and conversations.

Whether you are a columnist, contributor, partner, reader, or another stakeholder of Strategic’s, I hope it resonates with you. 

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your support during 2025. It is much appreciated. 

Wishing you and yours a peaceful and joyful holiday season, and continued success in 2026. 

— Orla Clancy, founder and director, Strategic

Written by: Editor