Penta Group

I joined Penta Group because what C-suite leaders need today is fundamentally different from what they needed even a few years ago. I’ve spent decades helping clients navigate their hardest reputational challenges: cultural, political, financial, technological. But those moments have changed. Geopolitical tension is up, the media environment keeps splintering, and AI is rewriting how companies operate. A presidential post can rattle a supply chain. A single Substack can move investors. An employee petition can go viral and surface in a Congressional hearing. CEO turnover is at a record, and that makes sense. It has rarely been harder to lead a large organization than it is right now. I’m not pessimistic about it. It’s a good time to be a chief communications or corporate affairs officer, or to be the firm they call when the stakes are highest. The stakeholder environment increasingly impacts whether a company succeeds or fails, and our profession will change more in the next few years than it has in decades. Here’s what that means, and I’ve heard it from senior clients all year: the old agency model isn’t fit for purpose. It was built for a different era. If you built a firm from scratch today, it wouldn’t look like a legacy agency. It would look a lot like Penta. Senior partners with deep expertise in the major industry sectors, often highly regulated, that our clients operate in: technology, healthcare, financial services, energy, defense. Advisors who have sat in the room and made the hard calls: shaping legislation, defending against activism, working through a financial and regulatory landscape that never sits still. And all of it on an active intelligence platform: proprietary data, predictive analytics, and an AI engine built into how the work gets done, not bolted on as a marketing afterthought. A few weeks in, after time across our offices with our teams and clients, I’m more sure about this than ever. The people here are world class, and they take the work of helping clients through their most complex moments seriously. I’m proud to be here and even more excited for what’s next. I spoke with Frank Washkuch and Diana Bradley at PRWeek to get into the details: https://lnkd.in/gSnCbRKq

Delighted we are announcing that Jim O'Leary will be Penta Group new CEO. Across America, Europe and Asia, Penta understands that the risks that shape business outcomes today don't respect borders, and they don't respect functions. Political, reputational, financial, technological — they arrive together. The organisations that stay ahead of them need advisors who understand that terrain across all of its dimensions, backed by intelligence that moves as fast as the risk does. Jim has spent his career making that case and I look forward to building our firm alongside him and our teams in Dublin, London, Brussels, Singapore and Hong Kong as well as D.C., New York and the West Coast, I am personally and everyone at Penta is very grateful to Matt McDonald for his leadership, partnership and friendship and looking forward to working with him as a member of our Board. https://lnkd.in/efNMgV9j

The first 30 days after a cyber breach decide what happens next. According to Penta’s new analysis, companies that respond quickly and visibly can restore stakeholder sentiment within weeks. Silence or delay, on the other hand, can turn a technical failure into a long-term reputational crisis. One case study shows that a CEO-led, transparent response transformed a global outage into a moment of regained trust. Others, slower to act, saw confidence collapse. Across industries, the same truth applies: you can’t control the breach, but you can control the narrative. The breach is one story. How you handle it becomes your story.

Cyber trust is collapsing, and it’s not just IT’s problem. Penta’s latest analysis of more than 4.8 million global mentions shows stakeholder confidence in cybersecurity is falling fast across every major industry. Regulators, investors, and customers now see cyber resilience as a measure of leadership credibility. When communication breaks down, trust follows. But when organizations respond with clarity, coordination, and transparency, sentiment recovers faster and more completely. The lesson for leaders is simple: cyber risk isn’t just a systems issue. It’s a reputational one. The next incident will test not only your defences but your ability to lead under pressure.

Cyber risk isn’t just a technical issue – it’s a reputational one. New Penta analysis shows stakeholder trust in cybersecurity is collapsing across industries, and the way leaders respond now will define tomorrow’s reputations. Our latest whitepaper explores over 4.8 million global mentions and stakeholder sentiment across key sectors, revealing why: - Stakeholder trust around cybersecurity is trending downward. - State-linked attacks are turning cyber into a geopolitical flashpoint. - Rapid, transparent communications are the key to recovery. From retail to financial services, the takeaway is clear: your cyber preparedness is the first step in protecting your brand. With the right planning, companies can rebound from a reputational hit if they understand stakeholder visibility and act with clarity and speed.

Cybersecurity has entered the geopolitical arena. New research from Penta shows that state-linked attacks, including those from Salt Typhoon and APT31, are transforming cyber exposure into a matter of national security. What once lived in the IT department is now a topic for government briefings. For global businesses, the impact of a cyber event doesn’t stop at the firewall. It shapes regulatory relationships, investor confidence, and public perception. Leaders need to navigate this new landscape with both technical and diplomatic awareness. Those that prepare across policy, communications, and governance will be better equipped to withstand what comes next.