Corporate Affairs has strategic influence but lacks metrics to prove it and formal C-suite power, new Medianet report reveals
Medianet
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Inaugural 'Medianet State of Australian Corporate Affairs' finds a gap between CA function’s growing responsibilities and their authority within the business, compounded by a widespread struggle to measure ROI.
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Over 60% of Corporate Affairs leaders are not confident in their ability to measure ROI, which hinders their efforts to prove their value to the organisation.
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The report also reveals discrepancies in the way CA professionals and journalists view their relationship with the media.
Medianet's inaugural State of Australian Corporate Affairs report, released today, uncovered Corporate Affairs (CA) leaders are increasingly being made responsible for high-level strategy and critical business functions, yet they often lack the formal C-suite authority to match their influence.
The report, which surveyed senior CA professionals and journalists, found that while an overwhelming 81% of respondents feel they have a voice on the strategic direction of their organisation, a significant 42% are not formally part of the C-suite function.
The report also highlights the vast portfolio being managed by CA professionals which ranges from government relations and ESG to internal culture and external media. Despite the expanding remit of responsibility, CA leaders do not often report directly to the CEO. The report suggests this disconnect is a primary driver of the top internal challenges such as increase in workload (29%) and career progression and stagnation (19%).
"Our report reveals a clear structural bottleneck. CA leaders are trusted with the strategic vision but aren't always given the formal authority that matches that responsibility," said Amrita Sidhu, Managing Director of Medianet.
The measurement hurdle
In addition to this structural gap the report reveals a challenge in quantifying the value of the CA function. While 93% of respondents agree on the importance of measuring ROI, a combined 64% are neutral or not confident in their team's ability to do so effectively.
This measurement challenge makes it difficult for CA leaders to "prove" their value in concrete business terms and make the case for a formal C-suite seat.
"The report highlights a function that is powerful but misunderstood," said Sally Chadwick, Head of Media Intelligence at Medianet. "CA leaders are tasked with managing the most complex, intangible risks like government engagement and public trust, but are struggling to find the hard metrics to justify their resources. This lack of standardised measurement is the final piece that keeps them influencing from the sidelines rather than sitting at the executive leadership table."
Relationship with the media
The report also includes responses from 117 journalists who answered questions about their experience with CA professionals. While 61% of CA professionals believe direct engagement with key journalists is their "most effective" channel, journalists tell a different story. Almost half (45%) of journalist respondents rated the responsiveness of CA teams as merely "neutral" (a 3 out of 5). Responsiveness (45%) and trust (13%) were the leading challenges for journalists when dealing with CA units.
Both CA professionals and journalists agreed that cyberattacks/data breaches are a top reputational risk for organisations. This was followed by "trust, disinformation, and regulation."
The full State of Australian Corporate Affairs 2025 report is available for download here.
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Key Findings from the State of Australian Corporate Affairs 2025 Report:
The report confirms the CA function is highly influential but also under pressure.
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81% of CA leaders feel they have a voice in their organisation's strategic direction, even though only 58% formally sit in the C-Suite.
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The leading challenge for CA professionals is an "increase in workload" (29%).
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Both CA pros (68%) and journalists (57%) agreed that cyberattacks/data breaches are a top reputational risk. This was followed by "trust, disinformation, and regulation."
A critical finding is the disconnect in perception between CA teams and the media.
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While 61% of CA professionals believe direct engagement with key journalists is their "most effective" channel, journalists tell a different story.
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Almost half (45%) of journalist respondents rated the responsiveness of CA teams as merely "neutral" (a 3 out of 5).
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For journalists, responsiveness (45%) and trust (13%) were the biggest challenges in dealing with CA units.
CA teams have rapidly adopted artificial intelligence, but remain wary of its risks.
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77% of CA respondents said their team uses Generative AI tools (like ChatGPT or Gemini).
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The top uses are summarising reports (74%), drafting initial content (68%), and brainstorming (65%).
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Despite high usage, 68% flagged the risk of factual inaccuracies ("hallucinations") as a key concern, followed by data privacy (48%) and undermining critical thinking (45%).
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Journalists ranked AI & technology issues (51%) as a top-three reputational risk for companies, a threat CA professionals ranked lower.
About us:
Medianet is a leading service provider to Australia's corporate affairs and communications industry. As the only Australian owned and a media owned solution, Medianet provides professionals with unique access to media outlets and journalists, offering unparalleled insights and distribution solutions that bridge the gap between organisations and newsrooms.
Contact details:
Sally Chadwick
Head of Media Intelligence, Medianet
+61 416 115 413 [email protected]
Amrita Sidhu
Managing Director, Medianet
+61 481 177 686 [email protected]
Mercedes Carrin
Head of Marketing, Medianet
+61 430 729 397
[email protected]
