What strategies build trust, cultivate stakeholder relationships, and drive long-term success?

Activism will increasingly become a tangible option for shareholders to influence a company’s direction and drive increased value. In the last few years, we have seen activism campaigns move out of the traditional domain of activist hedge funds to now include institutional shareholders and private equity firms. While it once may have been seen as an unethical strategy, today, it is considered an effective way for shareholders to influence a company that has lost its way or is unresponsive to shareholder concerns. Also driving this trend is the growing success of activist campaigns, with 79% of campaigns ending in favour of activists in 2023. Moreover, companies generally tend to outperform their sector following activists’ takeover.

In Canada, shareholders holding just 5% of a company’s stock have the power to call a special meeting, compared to 10% in the U.S. Combined with corporate bylaw regulations that are favourable to activists, this makes Canadian companies particularly susceptible to activist interventions.

Preparing for potential activist campaigns should be part of every listed company’s strategy. This includes clearly articulating the corporate strategy, meeting with shareholders to understand their sentiments, and having an action plan to respond rapidly.

In the last year, there were whispers of major Canadian companies selling, going public or recapitalizing. Notable examples include Lightspeed and Groupe Dynamite, the first company listed on the TSX since early 2023.

Amidst exit and growth options, a key factor remains: how and where a company presents itself matters. Companies are increasingly recognizing the importance of purposeful and personalized communications. A compelling story, clear vision and future growth plans are essential to attract investor interest among the sea of pitches.

Numbers tell the story of a company’s current and projected growth. Dovetail the data with the firm’s vision—now, the company has a narrative that reflects its best self. Update the company’s visual identity—now, the company looks poised for success.

Here are three things you can do to stand out from the crowd: Communicate with purpose, personalization, and consistent message pillars. Engage with investors through their preferred medium, which is increasingly becoming a short video. Answer the “so what?” question and make them care, using a refreshed brand as the conduit.

In 2025, the rise in personalized, authentic investor communications will remain strong, with more companies focusing on what they say and how they show up to win the hearts and investments of capital partners.

This year, attention is the most critical resource for businesses, political leaders, and organizations. In a world saturated with content and competition, capturing and sustaining the focus of stakeholders—customers, voters, policymakers or investors—has become a defining challenge. For executives, understanding attention as both a finite and high-value asset is essential for achieving long-term success and policy influence.

Attention is no longer just a marketing metric; it’s a currency. It drives trust, behavior, and decision-making. In the business world, leaders must deliver content that is relevant, authentic, and meaningful to rise above the noise and foster brand loyalty. Similarly, attention shapes political outcomes by influencing public perception and voter engagement. Political campaigns are now battles for focus, with well-targeted narratives determining success in an increasingly distracted and polarized electorate.

Technology, particularly AI, provides tools to enhance engagement by identifying trends and personalizing outreach. However, whether in the boardroom or on the campaign trail, sustained attention is earned through transparency, empathy, and a commitment to shared values.

Favourable business outcomes in 2025 will hinge on how effectively organizations and leaders turn fleeting attention into enduring trust and relationships. 

Loneliness and disconnection are a rising silent epidemic of the workplace, sapping productivity, and innovation. Gallup’s 2024 State of the Global Workplace report concludes that one in five employees worldwide currently feels lonely at work, with engagement up since the pandemic. Now AI and remote technologies have paradoxically connected us more globally while disconnecting us personally. Workers increasingly feel isolated, craving genuine human connection amid algorithmic efficiency.

A future challenge and opportunity for organizations will be creating meaningful spaces for genuine human and customer connections, not just technological integration. Culture will be a critical bridge between efficiency expectations, individual aspirations, and demonstrating collective purpose.

Leadership teams who recognize this will create intentional rituals that bring people together, cultivate storytelling that transforms transactional work into shared experience, and build frameworks where technology serves human connection rather than replaces it.

The knowledge economy demands more than productivity. Workers seek purpose and spaces where their professional and personal narratives intertwine, beyond just operating a keyboard. We all need something to hold on to, at home and at work.  

Yes, success will hinge on the integration of new technology, but also recognizing our human need for meaning. In the future, understanding this can differentiate brands, leaders, and the customers they serve.

The world is becoming more complex with constant transformations where reference points disappear and new models emerge. Welcome to the VUCA environment (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity).

The public affairs universe is shaped by this changing environment, notably the political cycles inducing changes and new priorities. To use the well-worn expression, we erase and start over as soon as the parliamentary hills or the Oval Office welcomes a new tenant. Abroad, geopolitical tensions remind us every day of their impacts on our daily lives.

Closer to home, on the federal scene, an election campaign is already taking shape in 2025, while in Quebec, municipal elections will be held. With the election of President Trump, the bilateral relationship with our top economic partner will be at the heart of concerns for both our leaders and our clients. Navigating this constantly evolving environment is part of our consulting teams’ daily routine, and that’s where the strength of our network takes on its full power.

We will have to continue combining strengths, growing talent, being agile, anticipating risks and, above all, being ready to act, react and innovate to allow our clients to seize opportunities during periods of turbulence. Above all, we will have to remain aligned with our values and learn to deal with 4 letters: VUCA.

The continued growth of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL). The new National Super League (NSL), Canada’s first women’s soccer league. And Canada’s new WNBA team—the Tempo—which will soon be arriving in Toronto.

These examples highlight the rapid and overdue rise of women’s sports in Canada and elsewhere. New fan bases are emerging, young girls are seeing themselves in their new heroes, merchandise sales are soaring, and corporations are taking notice and aligning.

According to the organization Canadian Women & Sport, the Canadian women’s professional sports market is valued at $150-200 million and remains underdeveloped. Their recent report states, “Women’s professional sport is ripe for investment. It offers a unique and strong value proposition for investors in Canada, particularly those with a venture capital mindset.”

By 2025, numerous private sector developments and partnerships are expected, especially given the “start-up” approach of successful women-led franchises. Such collaboration, along with novel and innovative public-private partnerships, should help to continue reaching new audiences. Not to mention attracting—and keeping—young Canadian girls in sport in every region of the country.

At NATIONAL we believe sport is an incredibly powerful vehicle for empowerment and social change. It’s in our DNA, and we’re excited to contribute our expertise to the future of women’s sport in Canada.

In today’s hyper-connected world, with an always-on news cycle, a leader’s comments and reputation are more accessible, visible, and organizationally impactful than ever before. Studies reveal that executives believe up to two-thirds of their company’s market value is associated with the organization’s overall reputation. Organizational reputation is considered a company’s most valuable intangible asset.

Imagine having a committed investor base with efficient access to capital, being the preferred supplier even at a premium price, and having regulators and elected officials trust you. A Reputation Monitor report showed that among people who trust a company, more than half would give it the benefit of the doubt in a crisis, compared to only 10% of those who are neutral toward the organization.

The prevalence of social media and search engines means instant access to executive commentary, customer and employee reviews, investment analyst recommendations, etc. Monitoring online platforms is important, and leveraging social media to humanize leadership personas and develop thought leadership narratives is best practice.

In this age of radical transparency, a leader’s reputation has become one of their most valuable currencies.

Maintaining a strong, trusted reputation requires vigilance and deliberate attention from leaders. Those who become best in class will be positioned for sustained earnings, lower cost of capital, growth, and a strong talent pipeline.