Why Hesitation Hurts: Corporate Affairs Leadership in 2025
by Warren Madlin, Director
Corporate affairs agencies are under pressure. UK corporates are taking longer than ever to sign off comms/public affairs budgets and approve campaigns. What once moved in weeks now drags for months, leaving agencies squeezed: revenue lags, pitches stall, and teams sit in limbo. Delay isn’t just frustrating, it’s commercially damaging.
But agencies are falling into the same trap
Here’s where it bites twice. Agencies rightly complain about hesitation from their corporate clients, but many are mirroring the same behaviour in their own hiring. With revenues uncertain, committing to a senior salary looks risky. So decisions are delayed. Processes stretch on. Candidates lose interest or take offers elsewhere.
Hesitation feels like prudence, but in reality, it multiplies risk. It leaves agencies weaker, slower, and less able to seize opportunities when new mandates finally land. Top people are not sitting on the shelf waiting; they are snapped up by competitors who move faster. Every week of delay narrows the field, damages credibility, and leaves leadership teams overstretched.
Decisiveness is leadership
This would be short-sighted in any market. In 2025, it is dangerous. The UK political landscape is unstable - polls swing, policies shift, and businesses need constant recalibration of their government relations. Globally, the economy remains fragile, ESG pressures are intense, and reputational risk is brutal: one misjudged statement can trigger a crisis and wipe millions off value overnight.
Corporate affairs is no longer a “nice to have”. It is a survival function. Corporates rely on agencies to keep them ahead of the curve - mapping stakeholders, anticipating shifts, and protecting reputations in volatile times. That work only happens if agencies have the leadership strength to deliver it.
The agencies that will win are not the ones that wait for perfect certainty. They are the ones that show ambition when others hesitate: backing senior hires, bringing in fresh energy and networks, and sending a clear signal to clients that they are here to lead.
At MadlinHanna, we see daily how the right senior hire can change the trajectory of a business - strengthening client relationships, opening doors, and restoring confidence inside teams. Hesitation doesn’t avoid the risk; it only pushes the value further out of reach.
Hesitation hurts. Decisiveness builds. The choice belongs to leaders.
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.