Founder’s Note – August 2026

By Orla Clancy. 

Welcome to my August Founder’s Note.

August has been a month of focus for Strategic.

As we prepare for an important autumn, we have been looking closely at how the different parts of Strategic connect – from our magazine and membership to events, partnerships, and professional development – and how we can continue to create greater value for communication leaders.

One of the most significant areas of focus has been artificial intelligence and what it means for the future of communication leadership.

There is understandably a great deal of discussion about how communicators can use AI. We are equally interested in how communication leaders can ensure that credible expertise, trusted perspectives and authoritative professional content remain visible as more people turn to AI-powered search for information.

This is already influencing how we approach Strategic Magazine, our membership community and the role Strategic can play in helping experts build greater visibility across both traditional and AI-powered search. We removed the magazine paywall earlier this year, are continuing to strengthen the structure and discoverability of our content, and are exploring how Strategic can become an even more trusted source of attributable expertise for the profession.

At the same time, preparations for Innovation Sprint London on 17 September are entering their final stages.

The Sprint has been designed around three major executive challenges: demonstrating communication value and business impact, building organisational trust and addressing the say-do gap, and leading AI implementation with greater confidence and consistency.

Unlike a traditional conference, participants will work collaboratively through a Discover–Design–Deliver methodology to develop practical recommendations and frameworks. We are working with our Facilitator, AI Innovation Partner, Industry Leadership Partners and Executive Mentors to bring together perspectives from communication, business, organisational change and AI.

The insights developed during the day will also contribute to our first Innovation Sprint Executive Insights Report, allowing the thinking generated in the room to travel beyond the event itself.

Our international plans are also progressing, with preparations continuing for the Communication Leadership Summit USA in Washington, D.C. on 16 October in partnership with IABC. Bringing our collaborative leadership format to North America represents another important step in building a genuinely international Strategic community.

Across all of these developments, one idea continues to become clearer.

Strategic is not simply about creating more content, events or programs. Our role is to connect credible expertise with the people who need it, create opportunities for leaders to turn insight into action, and help communication professionals strengthen their influence and demonstrate measurable business impact.

That will remain our focus as we move into what promises to be an important final few months of 2026.

Whether you are a member, partner, columnist, contributor or part of our wider community, thank you for continuing to support Strategic and contribute to what we are building.

Best from Ireland,

Orla

Orla Clancy
Founder and Managing Director
Strategic