2025 Trends and Predictions: Communications and Investor Relations Recruitment and Executive Search

​It’s New Year’s Eve, and as 2024 draws to a close, our MD & Founder, Max Forsyth, has pulled together his thoughts and predictions for the communications and investor relations industry in 2025.

But before we get into them, we would like to take a moment to thank all our clients and candidates for their support in 2024 and wish you all a very Happy New Year.

2025 Outlook: Light Clouds With Bright Spells

Persistent economic headwinds, political volatility, evolving stakeholder expectations, increased activist investor activity and a tight job market could make for a cloudy 2025 forecast. 

However, global M&A volume in 2024 was up c.25% on 2023, interest rates are slowly coming down, and for all the talk of layoffs, redundancies and a difficult job market for communications and IR candidates seeking employment in 2024, the number of professionals working in the industry remained broadly flat across the UK & US.

Add in the realisation from many Boards, CEOs, and senior executives that visibility and excellent communication are now core pillars of effective leadership of internal and external stakeholders, I’m confident that 2025 will see bright spells of sunshine across the communications and investor relations industry.

AI and Content Transformation

Furthermore, AI integration is starting to move beyond speculation to demonstrate real value in reporting, communications and stakeholder engagement, freeing up leadership teams and comms and IR professionals to spend more time on the more critical human elements of communications and investor relations.

Digital platforms, particularly video, social media, and podcasts, are becoming essential channels alongside more traditional mediums, and this is an exciting area of transformation. From Jon Gray at Blackstone to Daniel Ek at Spotify, content posted by senior executives on LinkedIn increased by 23% YoY in 2024. Their posts get 4x more engagement than other users' posts. Employees, investors, shareholders, clients, and the media all engage.   

This shift requires communications teams to adapt to new mediums and audience expectations. Many have turned to external agencies to produce content. Still, as the cost of producing content in-house falls and a generation of young professionals who grew up using and absorbing social media enter the workforce, I expect companies to invest in hiring in-house content teams.

Maturing ESG and Greenwashing

ESG communications have undergone a similar maturation. The focus has shifted from broad sustainability narratives to precise metrics and transparent progress reporting. Whilst regulatory requirements primarily drive this, clever firms use this detailed reporting and data to combat allegations of greenwashing. Organisations that communicate their ESG journey with clarity and candour—acknowledging both achievements and shortfalls—are establishing stronger connections with stakeholders.

Demand For Talent and Hiring

The talent landscape reflects these evolving demands. Whilst some consolidation has occurred in generalist roles, there is increasing demand for specialists who can navigate complex regulatory requirements, manage sophisticated crisis communications, and align communications strategy with business objectives.

Clear, strategic communications have become essential to business success, and it has been proven that effective stakeholder engagement directly impacts business performance, reputation, and long-term value creation.

Organisations that invest in these capabilities now will be better positioned to navigate future challenges.

How We Can Support You In 2025

Whether you are looking for a new role or about to expand your communications or investor relations team in the UK or US, please fill in the form below and one of our team will contact you to discuss how we can help.

​

​