More and more communications leaders are noticing something unsettling. A voice note that sounds like an executive. Content that moves faster than anyone can verify. Nothing overtly malicious. Nothing that triggers an immediate alert. But enough to raise questions. AI risk rarely originates in communications, but it often lands there. Communicators are responsible for trust, clarity, and credibility in an organization’s most visible moments. When AI enters unevenly, through approved platforms, unsanctioned tools, or external [...]

Three January Signals for Corporate Communications in 2026 January has come and gone, and once again the communications and corporate affairs role is front and center as organizations navigate an increasingly complex environment. But are some of the things we witnessed part of a yearlong trend, or just a blip on the radar screen? CEOs Speaking Out – With Precision Events in Minneapolis sparked a collective response from the local business community. More than 60 [...]

Why Communications Leaders, Not CEOS, Are Now the Real Decision-Makers on Social Issues If you work in communications long enough, you will eventually hear this question: “Can’t we just stay out of it?” It is a reasonable instinct. But in today’s environment, staying out of it is rarely perceived as neutral. Silence gets interpreted. Statements get dissected. And communications leaders are often asked to manage expectations without a clear strategy to anchor decisions. What’s changed? [...]

For many, 2026 is starting with a look backwards, evaluating: what worked, what didn’t, and what has to change now. And talent strategy has moved to the top of that list. Hiring is no longer a predictable, linear function; it’s become a fast-evolving system shaped by rapid skill turnover, hybrid expectations, and the high price of getting a hire wrong. The trends that defined 2025 didn’t just tweak the process, they rewired the way organizations [...]

During our final Caffeine & Camaraderie of the year, participants from our talent pool shared their predictions for 2026, knowing we might publish them. Their only request: a little grace (and forgiveness) if any of these forecasts miss the mark. Agency consolidation will continue. Between AI and its still-untapped potential, the rise of specialist boutiques, consultants, and fractional leaders, and ongoing chatter that the traditional agency model is in “serious trouble,” 2026 could be a [...]

By Fernando Vivanco Chief Communications Officer, Marelli Every Christmas, I think about a friend from my childhood. I was 11 years old living in Guatemala.  On Christmas morning, after opening gifts, my father and I went for a walk around our neighborhood and ran into one of my best friends.  He greeted us with the biggest smile and wished us a Merry Christmas. His happiness that morning struck me as odd at the time.  I [...]