Founder’s note – May 2026

By Orla Clancy

Welcome to my May 2026 Founder’s Note.

May has been a month shaped by conversations over coffee, on Zoom calls, at industry events, and through introductions across the global communication community. Different locations, different contexts, but interestingly, many of the same themes continue to emerge.

Over the past month, I’ve spoken with communication leaders from corporate organizations, agencies, associations, and specialist disciplines. There is growing discussion around leadership, measurement, capability, and the impact AI is having on our profession. Those conversations are increasingly influencing the work we are building at Strategic and inspired the creation of Innovation Sprint London this September. Expressions of interest are now open, and I’d love to hear from you.

Following the launch of Credentialed last month by Strategic and the Centre for Strategic Communication Excellence (CSCE), in partnership with the Global Communication Certification Council, applications are now open. I have always believed education plays a critical role in advancing our profession and elevating communication as a strategic business function. Credentialed represents another step toward supporting that progression.

This month, I also represented Strategic at the PRII National Communications Conference: Human After All and the AMEC Global Summit in Dublin. It was great to be on home soil and to engage with both Irish and international leaders. I was particularly honored to interview Raina Lazarova, VP, Global Insights at Muck Rack and Global Chair of AMEC, to discuss her reelection as AMEC chair and why public relations and communication teams need to rethink how they measure success as AI reshapes how information is created and consumed.

Strategic Training – powered by the Centre for Strategic Communication Excellence (CSCE) – will deliver three in-person courses in Brisbane this June, and our work through Strategic Magazine continues to bring daily thought-provoking perspectives from members, our Global Columnist Network, and partners.

As Strategic continues to grow, we are also creating more opportunities to connect. You will see more events this year and expanded opportunities for members to engage with conversations shaping the future of our profession.

Whether you are a member, partner, columnist, or part of the broader Strategic community, I hope our work continues to resonate with you.

Best from Ireland,

Orla 

Orla Clancy
Founder and Managing Director
Strategic

Written by: orlaclancy