Across perhaps the strangest few years many of us can remember, we’ve gotten good at being alone. Social distancing and lockdowns in 2020 turned into closed offices through 2021 and shifted to a growing demand for long-term remote work solutions in 2022.  

Through myriad iterations of isolation, we were relieved — and then surprised, and then motivated — by how closely we still worked together. 

I’ve been thinking a lot about why, when we’re further away from one another than ever, our agency is the best and strongest it’s ever been. It helps, I think, that we look at things a little differently. While some companies have resisted the inevitable shift to virtual work, even as it has become more and more obviously essential, PAN is leaning further into a policy we’ve long championed — people can work wherever they work best. HyFlex is here to stay at PAN. 

When we brought the entire staff together in July for an in-person summer retreat in Boston, it was clear that our physical distance from one another had done nothing but strengthen our connections. Whether people were reuniting with old friends after years apart or meeting colleagues for the first time after months of virtual meetings, our bonds, our work and our dedication were unshaken. We were finally together again — and it felt so right. Since our Retreat I’ve visited almost all of the PAN offices, creating mini meet-up opportunities; seeing the impact it has on team members is astounding. 

It would be dishonest to suggest that we saw this moment coming — who could have? — but as an agency and as leaders, we’ve always tried to stay ahead of the curve, making choices that aren’t just about what’s best right now, but what will also position us for success in the future.  

I’m proud of what we accomplished this past year and wanted to take a moment to celebrate all the ways we’ve continued to move forward together in 2022. 

Earlier this year, we announced a leadership realignment that better positioned the agency to meet the evolving needs of our clients. In addition to DEI and virtual leadership roles, we also promoted three tenured directors to vice president positions and strengthened the leadership bench further with three new executive vice presidents. In a critical step toward ongoing growth, we also formally created the PAN C-suite. 

But leadership is of course nothing without the people it leads. Our expanded hiring team and flexible work model have proven critical in our ability to support the strategic direction of the firm. It also enabled us to continue innovating and stay one step ahead of our fast-moving industry. 

The results speak for themselves. In 2022, we exceeded $30 million in global revenue, a 19% increase year over year, and provided new and improved service offerings to our clients, including our Strategic Consulting Group, the PAN CyberPulse dashboard and the bolstering of our healthcare practice leadership with the promotions of two senior vice presidents. 

None of these things would have been possible without the ongoing collaboration of our entire team. Once again, we moved the agency forward together.  

This year, as we saw our organization spread to every corner of the US and across the UK, it was clearer than ever that we are one team, and that no part of our ongoing success happens on its own.

Maybe we couldn’t have guessed five or ten years ago that this is what business would look like today. But our momentum this year into next is no coincidence. PAN moves with purpose. Whether we’re establishing a new policy or promoting a deserving VP, our actions are intentional. 

I’ve made a point to ensure that as an agency, our goals are always bigger than ourselves. Over the past year, we continued to work toward building a community of integrated marketing and PR professionals of all levels and backgrounds. Whether we were hiring industry veterans to help lead our team, partnering with influencers across our practice areas, building relationships with our media counterparts or sharing stories with peers at conferences, 2022 was a year in which we redefined what it means to move together.  

I have always subscribed to the idea that good leaders — and by extension good organizations — should lift as we rise. This year, as we saw our organization spread to every corner of the US and across the UK, it was clearer than ever that we are one team, and that no part of our ongoing success happens on its own. Great people build a strong business which supports a growing community that in turn attracts new great people.   

I am so proud of the work we have done together this year, so honored to share PAN’s success with such a fantastic group of people, and so excited for all that is still to come.  

Onward together!