FROM THE EDITOR: Leading Comms Together

I am thrilled to be kicking off 2025 as the new editor-in-chief of Strategic, and to be leading the integration of Strategic with #WeLeadComms.  

Together we are creating a formidable voice, place, and home for communication leadership.

In amassing 20,000 followers since 2021, #WeLeadComms has illustrated the appetite among communication professionals for connection, content, and community – one that transcends borders, disciplines, and affiliations.  

In its nearly five years of operation, Strategic has established itself as an independent transatlantic platform that supports the profession with news and content.

By joining forces, we are creating something that well exceeds the sum of our parts.

At its heart will be a community of Strategic columnists who will share their thought leadership through the platform, making it a go-to destination for communication pros and business leaders who want current, fresh, and opinionated perspectives on the power and impact of communication leadership on organizations.

In providing a long-needed platform for communication leaders to share their views and content, the #WeLeadComms-Strategic tie-up will also give them access to a ready-made global audience.  

As that audience grows, #WeLeadComms and Strategic will become a central gathering point for our profession – and a highly attractive sponsorship opportunity for those who want to tap into the economic, intellectual, and connective power we represent.

Our stance is unequivocal – a recognition both of the power of communication leaders to alter the trajectories of our organizations and communities, and of the need for communication leaders to acknowledge and take ownership of that power.

And for me personally, I see this opportunity as enormous.

I was raised in a journalist family. My father, Frederick C. Klein, was the sports columnist for the Wall Street Journal for many years. When I chose careers, I purposely avoided journalism because “I wanted to make the news rather than report it.”  

Now, many years later, taking on the role of editor-in-chief of Strategic allows me to do both.

By all means, Strategic will continue to be a place where people in our industry can share our news. But my core intent is to help create a better set of conditions for all of us to develop our careers and express our power in the world.

By giving communication leaders a platform to share our insights about how communication can make a tangible difference to our organizations and communities, we will support our collective confidence.

Through the sharing of ideas, stories, and research, we will help disseminate questions and solutions that all of us can bring to bear in our projects.

In making people with ideas, vision and expertise more visible, we will enable our readers and followers opportunities to connect with them – and each other – to strengthen networks and, ultimately, drive results that we can get acknowledged for.

#WeLeadComms will promote Strategic and its content to its 20,000-plus followers.  Strategic will partner with #WeLeadComms to increase the reach of its sponsors, partners, events and initiatives. Jointly, it will create a space for a stronger #comms ecosystem that will support professional advancement, career resilience and a broader embrace of our roles as catalysts of outcomes.

Thank you for being part of this story, and thank you, Strategic founder Orla Clancy for making this partnership a reality.

Together we will amplify our profession, celebrate courage, and challenge complacency. 

Together we are the home for communication leadership.

Together, we are Strategic. Together, #WeLeadComms.

Written by: Editor