NATIONAL Public Relations
NATIONAL Public Relations is Canada's largest full-service public relations and strategic communications consultancy, employing 300 professionals across nine offices from Vancouver to St. John's. Founded in 1976, it serves enterprise and government clients across healthcare, energy, financial services, transportation, manufacturing, and technology sectors.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1976
- HeadquartersMontréal, Canada
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What NATIONAL Public Relations does
NATIONAL Public Relations is Canada's largest full-service public relations and strategic communications consultancy, headquartered in Montreal and operating through nine offices spanning Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, Saint John, Halifax, and St. John's. Founded in 1976 by Luc Beauregard, the firm is a member of the privately-held AVENIR GLOBAL network (1,000 staff across 22 locations in Canada, the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East). The company serves enterprise and government clients across six primary verticals — healthcare, manufacturing, energy, financial services, transportation, and technology — with a service portfolio spanning corporate communications, public affairs and government relations, marketing and brand management, digital communications, integrated campaigns, financial communications, and crisis management. Notable methodology assets include a proprietary Belief-Based Behaviour Digital Ethnography research approach and a Values-Based Engagement Planning framework.
The firm employs approximately 300 professionals, with more than 60% women and language capabilities spanning over 40 languages. It is the only PR firm in Canada with a strong local presence from Newfoundland to Vancouver and the only firm offering services in the 14 Inuit communities of Nunavik. Its 50-year operating history includes long-tenured client relationships (many clients retained over 30 years), industry recognition including CPRS Agency Team of the Year (2024) and PRovoke Media Top 10 in Canada (2025), and an M&A expansion track record (SHIFT Communications 2016, Octane Strategies 2018, Time & Space 2023 via parent). The business model operates on retainer and project-based engagements delivered through Managing Partner-led teams in each local market, with cross-border referrals through the AVENIR GLOBAL network extending reach to 22 locations globally. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.
NATIONAL Public Relations firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- NATIONAL Public Relations
- Legal name
- National Public Relations Inc.
- Website
- https://national.ca
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1976
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- NATIONAL Public Relations is Canada's largest full-service public relations and strategic communications consultancy, employing 300 professionals across nine offices from Vancouver to St. John's. Founded in 1976, it serves enterprise and government clients across healthcare, energy, financial services, transportation, manufacturing, and technology sectors.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
NATIONAL Public Relations industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Relations Services
- NAICS
- Public Relations Agencies (54182), Public Relations Agencies (541820), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)
- SIC
- Communications Services, Nec (4899)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Public Affairs, Government Relations & Lobbying (BPAFADAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- PR, Corporate Communications & Crisis Management (BPAFAAAL), Public Affairs & Government Relations (MPAAADAE), Media Relations & Press Office Services (BPAFADAF)
Keywords
Where NATIONAL Public Relations is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Montréal
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices9 records
Markets served
NATIONAL Public Relations business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Professional Communications and Public Relations Services: NATIONAL generates revenue through professional communications consulting services including corporate communications, public affairs and government relations, marketing and brand management, digital communications, crisis management, and integrated campaign services. The firm serves clients across healthcare, manufacturing, energy, financial services, transportation, technology, and other sectors. Revenue is derived from retainer agreements and project-based engagements with enterprise clients.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Enterprise consulting and communications advisory services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
NATIONAL Public Relations product offering
Product offeringCore offering
NATIONAL Public Relations is Canada's leading public relations and strategic communications consultancy, delivering corporate communications, public affairs and government relations, marketing and brand management, digital communications, financial communications, and crisis management services to enterprise and government clients. The firm operates across nine Canadian offices from Vancouver to St. John's, serving clients in healthcare, manufacturing, energy, financial services, transportation, and technology sectors through retainer and project-based engagements.
Product overview
NATIONAL Public Relations operates as a full-service public relations and strategic communications consultancy, not a software platform. The firm offers a comprehensive suite of professional services organized around five core areas: Internal and External Communications (corporate, crisis, cybersecurity, media relations), Stakeholder Relations (government relations, advocacy, Indigenous relations), Marketing and Brand Management (B2B, consumer, branding, events), Integrated Communications (digital, content, social media, research), and Financial Communications (capital markets, investor relations, transactions). Sectoral expertise spans healthcare, manufacturing, energy, financial services, transportation, and technology. The firm also provides training programs. Services are delivered through nine Canadian offices (Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, Saint John, Halifax, St. John's) as part of the AVENIR GLOBAL network.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Internal and External Communications
- Stakeholder Relations and Public Affairs
- Marketing and Brand Management
- Integrated Communications
- Financial Communications
- Training Programs
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 9 million earned media impressions generated for metastatic breast cancer awareness campaign 'It's About mBC Time' for Pfizer Canada
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use NATIONAL Public Relations
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments9 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
NATIONAL Public Relations technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
NATIONAL Public Relations partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Time & Space (Halifax-based media agency)coreAVENIR GLOBAL acquired Halifax-based media agency Time & Space in October 2023. Time & Space operates as part of the AVENIR GLOBAL network alongside NATIONAL, extending the group's media and communications capabilities in Atlantic Canada.
- AVENIR GLOBALcoreAVENIR GLOBAL is the parent holding company of NATIONAL Public Relations. It is a privately-held, Canadian-owned and based agency holding company with 1,000 staff in 22 locations across Canada, the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East. NATIONAL operates as a member firm within this network, contributing to and benefiting from the broader group's capabilities and client relationships.
- Canadian Council of Public Relations Firms (CCPRF)minorNational Public Relations is a member of the Canadian Council of Public Relations Firms (CCPRF), the national industry association representing Canada's leading PR firms.
- Alliance des cabinets de relations publiques du Québec (ACRPQ)minorNational is a member of the Alliance des cabinets de relations publiques du Québec (ACRPQ), the Quebec provincial industry association for public relations firms.
- Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS)minorNATIONAL is a proud partner of the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS), participating in CPRS Awards of Excellence and industry events.
- Société québécoise des professionnels en relations publiques (SQPRP)minorNATIONAL is a partner of the SQPRP, Quebec's professional public relations society, and participates in its annual awards gala.
- Public Relations Without Borders (RPWB)minorNATIONAL is a partner of Public Relations Without Borders (RPWB / Relations publiques sans frontières), an international network of PR professionals.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
NATIONAL Public Relations competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Edelman Canada: Canadian arm of Edelman, the world's largest independent PR firm, providing corporate communications, public affairs, health, and marketing services to enterprise clients competing for the same large mandates as NATIONAL.
- Weber Shandwick (Inizio Evoke) Canada: Canadian presence of global IPG-owned network offering PR, public affairs, and integrated communications to multinational and Canadian enterprise clients with deeper international scale.
- Burson (formerly BCW) Canada: Canadian arm of the WPP-owned global PR network offering corporate communications, public affairs, and healthcare communications — overlapping sector mandate with NATIONAL, particularly in healthcare and financial services.
- Hill & Knowlton Strategies Canada: Canadian arm of the global WPP-owned consultancy specializing in public affairs, government relations, crisis, and corporate communications — close comparable on government relations and regulated-sector work.
- FleishmanHillard Canada: Canadian operations of global Omnicom-owned PR network offering public affairs, corporate comms, and integrated marketing to enterprise and government clients — competes head-to-head on large mandates.
Direct peers
- MSL Canada: Canadian PR and public affairs agency within Publicis Groupe offering corporate communications, public affairs, and marketing services to enterprise clients in comparable verticals.
- Strategic Communications Inc. Independent Canadian public affairs and communications consultancy with comparable government relations, public engagement, and corporate communications offerings serving enterprise and government clients across Canada.
- Argyle Communications: Canadian independent public relations and public affairs agency offering integrated communications services to enterprise, association, and government clients — directly comparable mid-market Canadian competitor.
Others
- Cossette (dentsu) Canada: Major Canadian-owned marketing communications network serving similar enterprise clients with broader advertising/marketing mix; adjacent rather than direct overlap given more marketing-ad focus.
Regional players
- DDB Public Relations Canada: Omnicom-owned creative and PR network operating in Canada offering PR and marketing communications; comparable on marketing and brand services but lighter on public affairs specialization.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
NATIONAL Public Relations social profiles
Digital presenceNATIONAL Public Relations compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
NATIONAL Public Relations financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
NATIONAL Public Relations leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
NATIONAL Public Relations subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
NATIONAL Public Relations funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
NATIONAL Public Relations M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about NATIONAL Public Relations
What does NATIONAL Public Relations do?
NATIONAL Public Relations is Canada's leading public relations and strategic communications consultancy, delivering corporate communications, public affairs and government relations, marketing and brand management, digital communications, financial communications, and crisis management services to enterprise and government clients. The firm operates across nine Canadian offices from Vancouver to St. John's, serving clients in healthcare, manufacturing, energy, financial services, transportation, and technology sectors through retainer and project-based engagements.
Is NATIONAL Public Relations a public or private company?
NATIONAL Public Relations is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was NATIONAL Public Relations founded?
NATIONAL Public Relations was founded in 1976. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is NATIONAL Public Relations based?
NATIONAL Public Relations is headquartered in Montréal, Canada, in the North America region.
How does NATIONAL Public Relations make money?
One revenue line is on record: professional Communications and Public Relations Services.
Who are NATIONAL Public Relations's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Edelman Canada, Weber Shandwick (Inizio Evoke) Canada, Burson (formerly BCW) Canada, Hill & Knowlton Strategies Canada and FleishmanHillard Canada. Direct peers are MSL Canada, Strategic Communications Inc. and Argyle Communications. Cossette (dentsu) Canada is listed as an others. DDB Public Relations Canada is listed as a regional player.
Does NATIONAL Public Relations have an API?
No public API is recorded for NATIONAL Public Relations.
What industry is NATIONAL Public Relations in?
NATIONAL Public Relations's product category is Public Relations Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFADAB, Public Affairs, Government Relations & Lobbying, with a secondary code of BPAFAAAL, PR, Corporate Communications & Crisis Management. Its NAICS code is 54182 and its SIC code is 4899.