A New World by 2030: closing the readiness gap in our profession 

I had the pleasure of joining a Global Women in PR panel this week on a question I think every communications leader is quietly asking themselves right now. Are we ready for what 2030 looks like? 

The session, A New World by 2030: Closing the Readiness Gap in Our Profession, was moderated by Cornelia Kunze, President of Global Women in PR Deutschland. She brought together Barby Siegel, Global CEO of Zeno Group, Gabriele Hessig, Managing Director of Communications, Public Affairs and Sustainability at Procter & Gamble DACH, and me, representing the executive search and talent perspective. It was one of those rare conversations where the answers were as honest as the questions, and a few themes really stayed with me. 

The gap is real, and bigger than we admit 

Barby shared findings from Zeno’s Clarity 2030: Communications at a Crossroads study, based on more than 1,400 communications professionals across 10 markets in North America, Europe and APAC. The headline is striking. 72% of global communications leaders expect greater impact across strategy, growth and risk by 2030. Only 29% feel ready to meet those demands. 

As Barby put it on the panel, “the playbook that got us here is not the playbook that’s going to take us forward.” 

That gap is what every comms leader, agency and in-house, is now trying to close. The truth is, no one has all the answers yet. 

From managers of the message to drivers of strategic growth 

One of the strongest themes of the discussion was the identity shift comms is going through. We are no longer a support function brought in to amplify decisions that have already been made. Comms now belongs in the room while the decision is being made. Closer to the C-suite. Sitting alongside the CEO, CFO and COO. Bringing strategic counsel rather than just messaging. 

Barby framed this as a move from being managers of the message to drivers of strategic growth. It’s the shift our profession has been talking about for years, and it’s finally landing. 

From a search perspective, this is reshaping the briefs we take. Media relations, reputation management and internal messaging are still core. Clients still want comms leaders who have real relationships with journalists and can land messages internally. Layered on top are new expectations: geopolitical awareness, AI fluency, integrated thinking across corporate narrative, employer brand, policy, public affairs and internal comms, and the credibility to sit at the top table and offer genuine strategic counsel. 

The rise of the fluid role 

Gabriele made a point that resonated strongly. Roles are becoming far more fluid, and they will only get more so. The best teams are now built from across functions, with brand people, communicators, sales and public affairs coming together around a business challenge. “Change will never be as slow as today,” she reminded us. The implication is clear. Deep business acumen, not just communications craft, is now non-negotiable. To my mid-career and emerging talent reading this, get exposure beyond comms, take the cross-functional assignment, sit on the business team. That’s where the next generation of senior comms leaders will be built. 

AI is the floor, not the ceiling 

We talked at length about AI, and the conclusion was nuanced. To play our cards well in this new landscape, we have to be genuinely fluent in AI. Not superficially, but deeply enough to use it as a tool that makes us faster and sharper. That fluency is becoming the floor. 

The ceiling is still, and increasingly, human. Barby highlighted that the two skills communicators identified in the study as most important going forward were creativity and judgment. Not the kind of creativity that produces the big idea, but the creativity to look critically at how we work and do it differently. And judgment, which is the thing AI cannot replicate. Empathy, intuition, the ability to read a room, the courage to give a CEO advice they don’t want to hear. As Gabriele said, “empathy, empathy, empathy is the name of the game.” 

Sustaining talent through the change 

Burnout came up, as it always does. It isn’t new, but the current change cycle is making it worse. People are trying to figure out how to demonstrate their value while the definition of the role is shifting underneath them. Senior leaders are doing MBAs on top of their day jobs to stay relevant. 

My honest view, from the conversations I have every week with both clients and candidates, is that the way through is upskilling around what clients actually need now. 360-degree thinking. Integration across comms disciplines. Data and insight built into strategy from the start. Being deliberate about the impact you have rather than the volume of work you do. Barby made an important point about celebrating impact too. We move so fast from one thing to the next that we rarely stop to acknowledge what we’ve achieved. That matters for our profession’s wellbeing, and for its future. 

Culture matters more than ever too. As work becomes more strategic, more challenging and more 24/7, leaders have to create the environment that makes that pace sustainable. Clarity, trust, the right tools, and team structures where the burden doesn’t sit on one person. 

So, are we ready?

Not yet. But the optimism in this conversation was as striking as the honesty. There has never been a more interesting time to be in communications. The profession is being invited to the table in a way it has wanted for thirty years, and the skills that will matter most (judgment, empathy, creativity, business acumen, the ability to bring people together) are the ones our best practitioners have always had. 

The work now is making sure the next generation of comms leaders has them too, and that we build the teams, structures and cultures around them to sustain the change. 

My thanks to Cornelia, Barby, Gabriele and Global Women in PR for an honest and energising conversation. Plenty more to think about as we head toward 2030. 

Watch the full event here: https://globalwpr.com/

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Amy Hayer is Managing Partner and Global Head of Healthcare & Communications. She has a proven track record in advising and counselling professionals on critical career choices across both the UK and the MENA region.

Hanson Search is a globally recognised, award-winning talent advisory and headhunting consultancy. Our expertise lies in building successful ventures worldwide through our recruitment, interim and executive search. Our specialisms include communications, sustainability, healthcare communications, digital marketing and sales.