Half-Year Market Review Across Corporate Affairs
by Alicia Buckley, Consultant
Halfway through 2025 and we’re sharing a market review of how the corporate affairs landscape has evolved this year. Cautious and considered investment defines the tone of the market, impacting new business, hiring plans and broader industry sentiment for 2025.
Corporate Communications
Market Sentiment:
The tone remains cautious and risk averse. Opportunistic hiring and speculative conversations have slowed significantly. However, with multiple layers of approval required for hiring, roles going to market now are backed with more certainty and intent.
New business development is taking longer to land, which explains slower internal decision-making. This is driving demand for commercial acumen not only at the leadership level, but increasingly from the mid-level upwards to get involved in revenue generation.
Key Moves:
Smaller, specialised consultancies are seeing growth. Agencies like Thorndon and Apella are capitalising on high-value clients wanting more tailored, bespoke advisory work.
Meanwhile, in-house teams are becoming more sophisticated at the senior end. A standout move was Ruth Warder’s appointment at Chanel, signalling the scale and seriousness of in-house operations in luxury consumer brands.
Prediction for H2:
Hiring will remain cautious but steady at the senior level. Junior hiring is likely to focus on AI fluency and data-led skills to meet a growing demand from businesses in those spaces.
Public Affairs
Market Sentiment:
The Labour government appears increasingly fragmented, and engagement with Reform UK is starting to gather pace, albeit with caution. Clients are navigating how, and whether, to engage with the party without damaging their alignment with Labour. Engagement decisions made now may prove pivotal in the years ahead.
Key Moves:
Consultancies such as Strand Partners and Hanbury Strategy continue to perform very well in challenging conditions, while Bradshaw Advisory is carving out a strong position beyond the traditional lobbying and advocacy.
Prediction for H2:
We expect more churn on the agency side, alongside clients looking for strategic counsel that goes beyond just access. Agencies that lack insight and data-driven capabilities may struggle against more strategic competitors. In-house teams may push for membership of trade bodies or associations to reduce reputational exposure while still engaging in effective lobbying.
Financial Communications
Market Sentiment:
With public markets in the UK still subdued, transactions remain few and far between. Many financial comms professionals with a few years under their belt career-wise, have yet to experience a major UK transaction, reflecting the sustained downturn in domestic deal activity.
Focus has therefore shifted heavily to private markets, with agencies such as Kekst CNC, H/Advisors Maitland, SEC Newgate, and Headland continuing to perform well in this space. Interestingly, larger firms are now pitching for smaller market cap clients than they would have considered a few years ago.
Key Moves:
The appointment of Charlie Armistead as UK CEO at FTI, seen as a continuation of the firm’s financial comms legacy and market leadership.
Prediction for H2:
Expect continued stability, although with lower levels of activity. Diversification will be essential for growth. Should a company be bold enough to move forward with a UK listing, they’ll have their pick of agencies. Private markets expertise will remain in high demand.
Digital Communications
Market Sentiment:
Expectations in digital are increasing. Candidates are now expected to be multi-skilled, able to handle SEO, content, web design, AI integration, and analytics. Being a specialist in one area is no longer enough.
Firms are increasingly looking for ways to differentiate their AI capabilities, and the race is on to develop proprietary tools that set them apart from competitors.
Key Moves:
The appointment of Cindy Rose, a former Microsoft executive as WPP’s new CEO signals a strong push towards expanding digital and technology offerings across the network. It also reflects the scale of ambition required to rival global players like Publicis.
Prediction for H2:
Expect continued investment in digital capabilities, both in-house and agency-side. In-house teams are likely to build out their own expertise through digital hires. That said, there will always be a strong need for deep market-level digital expertise, particularly where local nuance and platform-specific skills are critical.
MadlinHanna Consulting is a recruitment consultancy specialising in public affairs, corporate communications and financial PR. Contact us in London on +44 (0) 20 8088 4102 or in Brussels on +32 (0) 2 586 38 98 for more information or a confidential conversation about these services and more.