THE SENIOR
MARKET REPORT:
IN-HOUSE
COMMUNICATIONS
& INVESTOR
RELATIONS
2025
www.commssearch.com
© 2025 Comms Search & Selection Ltd. All rights reserved.
Market Report
Dear Members of the In-House Communications & Investor Relations Industry,
Here we are — January 2025, marking nearly two years since I founded Comms
Search & Selection and the release of our inaugural salary survey and market
report. It’s also a striking coincidence that I’m writing this letter on Monday, 20th
January, the same day as Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 47th president of
the United States. Whether that’s a good or bad omen is anyone’s guess, but what
is certain is that this report represents a landmark moment: to my knowledge, it
is the first of its kind to focus exclusively on the in-house communications and
investor relations sectors across both the UK and the US.
When I established Comms Search & Selection, I made a deliberate decision to
specialise exclusively in executive search and recruitment for in-house teams,
avoiding service to comms, PR, or IR agencies. While the two sides of the industry
share some similarities, the differences in roles, skills, and experience required
are far more pronounced. This focus has become our USP, and we’re proud to
recruit for the functions that serve as the eyes, ears, and voices of leading
businesses across industries.
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FOUNDER’S LETTER
Market Report
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03
To the report itself — first and foremost, thank you to the 1,024 in-house
professionals who generously contributed their insights. Your input has been
anonymised, with results presented in aggregate, and your participation has
been invaluable in creating this report.
Secondly, despite the challenges posed by a tough macroeconomic environment,
I am pleased to report that the in-house communications and investor relations
industry has remained remarkably resilient. Heading into 2025, 26% of function
leaders plan to grow headcount, while 51% will maintain their current team sizes,
replacing leavers. These numbers underscore a positive outlook for job seekers,
hiring companies, and function leaders alike.
Opportunities abound for those navigating this space — and for us as your
executive search and recruitment partner.
Finally, I would like to close this letter on an optimistic tone. This report provides
detailed insights into demographics, salaries, skills development, market
confidence, and outlooks for 2025. It is my hope that you find it both informative
and actionable as you plan for the year ahead.
Without further ado, I invite you to explore the report.
Max Forsyth
Managing Director & Founder
Comms Search & Selection
Market Report
SETTING THE SCENE
One of the things we admire about the in-house communications and investor
relations profession is the diversity of specialisms it encompasses. However, to
ensure this report remains focused and relevant to the senior end of the market,
we grouped questions, answers, and data into the following key specialisms:
Change and Transformation, Content and Thought Leadership, Corporate
Communications, Internal Communications, Investor Relations, and Public
Relations. To account for the breadth of responsibilities at senior levels, we also
provided an option for function leaders to answer as being responsible for
multiple functions.
Similarly, we refined the scope of industries to reflect our key markets:
Consumer/Retail, Energy & Utilities, Financial Services, Healthcare & Life
Sciences, Industrial & Manufacturing, Media & Entertainment, Professional
Services, Real Estate, Technology, and Telecommunications.
This survey focused exclusively on experienced professionals, covering levels
from Manager through to the C-Suite, ensuring our insights are tailored to those
operating at the highest levels of leadership and decision-making.
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Market Report
San Francisco
3.1k
Washington DC
3.6k
Los Angeles
4.5k
No data to…
THE BIG PICTURE
According to LinkedIn’s Talent Insights Data, as of January 2025, approximately
76,000 senior in-house communications and investor relations professionals are
working across our key markets in the UK and the US. It is probably of little
surprise that the largest talent tools are located around major financial, business
and political hubs.
New York
10k
London
8.1k
Interestingly, the gender diversity split is
weighted towards females, who make up 61%
of the talent pool, compared to males, who
make up 39%.
A 2.8-year median tenure strongly suggests
that senior professionals strike a balance
between advancing their careers and having
enough time in each role to deliver their
strategy.
2.8 years
median tenure
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Market Report
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10 Largest Comms & IR Teams (Ranked
1-10 by largest team size)
Top 10 Retainers of Talent
(Ranked 1-10 by attrition rate)
AT&T
Procter & Gamble
JPMorganChase
bp
Microsoft
McKinsey & Company
Fidelity Investments
Eli Lilly and Company
AstraZeneca
Fidelity Investments
Bank of America
Kaiser Permanente
Comcast
Audible
Wells Fargo
KPMG US
Citi
Hilton
Bristol Myers Squibb
ESPN
Whilst the size of these teams reflects the scale and complexity of their global
operations, it is encouraging that companies like JPMorgan Chase, Microsoft, and
Procter & Gamble recognise and exemplify the critical role of robust in-house
teams in managing corporate reputation, engaging with stakeholders, and
driving strategic narratives across diverse markets.
High retention rates in these organisations indicate a focus on employee
satisfaction and career progression. For senior leaders, this underscores the
importance of creating a workplace culture that values growth, diversity, and
innovation.
Market Report
Freezing/Reducing
Maintaining
Growing
Unsure (please specify)
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
19.00%
51.00%
26.00%
4.00%
MARKET CONFIDENCE AND
OUTLOOK
Despite economic headwinds and uncertainty, the market has demonstrated
resilience going into 2025. 26% of function leaders plan to grow their teams
this year, while 51% will maintain headcount, ensuring stability in their
functions.
While some industries, such as Technology and Healthcare, remain strong in
hiring intentions, others, including Consumer/Retail, are showing signs of
caution due to inflationary pressures and subdued consumer confidence.
Leaders expressed optimism about opportunities to enhance corporate
reputation and maintain stakeholder trust, underscoring the critical role
communications professionals play during periods of change.
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Market Report
Personal career prospects
Industry growth
Company performance
Team expansion
10
20
30
40
50
12
43
29
19
39
27
11
13
33
36
10
28
31
26
13
Optimism in Company Performance vs. Broader Market Trends:
Respondents are more confident in their own organisations’ performance than in
the broader industry or market. This suggests a sense of control at the
organisational level, even amidst macroeconomic challenges.
Career Prospects and Industry Growth Are Interlinked:
Moderate confidence in personal career prospects (38.66% high) mirrors
confidence in industry growth (38% high). This correlation suggests that broader
market health plays a critical role in shaping individual perceptions of career
opportunities.
Rate your confidence in each market trend below (1=Very Low, 5=Very High)
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Market Report
Strategic Planning
23.3%
Leadership
21.1%
AI
18.9%
Data
16.4%
Digital/Social
11.6%
Technical Skills
8.7%
In terms of trends for 2025, crisis preparedness (3.48) and digital transformation
(3.41) are seen as the most important, indicating a proactive focus on resilience
and modernisation. While AI/automation (3.4) is gaining traction, mixed
confidence levels suggest it is still in the exploratory phase for many
organisations. ESG communications (3.05) and stakeholder capitalism (3.07) are
moderately prioritised, reflecting their ongoing integration into corporate
strategies, while employee activism (2.81) is viewed as less urgent.
AI/Automation
ESG Communications
Crisis Preparedness
Digital Transformation
Stakeholder Capitalism
Employee Activism
0.00
0.50
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
3.00
3.50
Weighted importance of each trend below (1=Least Important, 5=Most Important)
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The survey also highlights a clear focus
on strategic planning and leadership (as
top priorities reflecting the continued
importance of core skills emerging areas
such as AI and data analytics also feature
prominently, signalling the growing need
for technological proficiency and data-
driven decision-making at the senior
level.
Skill development priorities
Market Report
COMPENSATION TRENDS
Base Salary Distribution
The largest group of respondents fell into the £100k–£150k (UK) and $200k-$300k
(US) salary bands, which highlights this as the benchmark for senior-level in-
house communications and IR roles.
However, 43.36% of UK respondents’ base salary is less than £100,001, compared
to just 11.12% of US respondents under $100,001. Whilst there is an exchange rate
to account for, this confirms and mirrors the trend where UK salaries are
increasingly lagging behind their US equivalents.
At the top end, 12.39% earn £150,001–£200,000, 10.62% earn base salaries over
£200,000 in the UK, and 11.11% earn base salaries over $300k in the US.
Bonuses
81.4% of respondents in the UK and 86.1% in the US report receiving a bonus,
highlighting the critical role of performance-linked incentives in compensation.
Among those receiving bonuses:
Up to 10% of salary: The most common range in the UK received by 26%
of respondents.
21–30% of salary: The most common range in the US received by 27% of
respondents.
Benefits Variances:
In the US, benefits like medical, dental, and vision insurance are nearly universal,
whereas in the UK, there is a wider spread of benefits such as season ticket loans,
cycle-to-work schemes and car allowances.
Annual Leave Entitlement:
The majority of respondents in the UK report annual leave entitlements of 26–30
days (45%), excluding public holidays. In the US, 16–20 days of PTO (Paid Time
Off) is the most common, reflecting differences in labour laws and cultural
expectations.
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