NATIONAL Public Relations and its parent company, AVENIR GLOBAL, are celebrating 50 years since the Montreal-based communications firm was founded, the companies announced this week.
NATIONAL was established in Montreal in 1976 by Luc Beauregard. Over the following five decades, the firm expanded its presence across Canada, while the broader group that eventually formed under AVENIR GLOBAL grew into an international operation. AVENIR GLOBAL now comprises nine brands and employs close to 1,000 people across 22 cities in Canada, the United States, Europe and the Middle East.
According to the companies, NATIONAL’s teams have spent the past 50 years advising organizations across multiple sectors on economic, social and institutional matters affecting Quebec and Canada.
Anniversary Events Throughout the Year
NATIONAL and AVENIR GLOBAL said they have been marking the milestone through a series of initiatives since the start of 2026 involving employees, clients and partners. One of the highlights took place on April 29, when several hundred clients, partners, employees and friends of the firm gathered at the company’s Montreal head office to mark the occasion together.
Martin Daraiche, President of NATIONAL and Managing Partner of the Montreal office, said the anniversary is a moment to express gratitude to clients, partners and teams for their trust over five decades. He said the milestone also serves as an opportunity to reaffirm the firm’s commitment to helping organizations navigate change, adding that the same ambition will guide the company into its next 50 years.
Jean-Pierre Vasseur, President and Chief Executive Officer of AVENIR GLOBAL, said the anniversary demonstrates that a company rooted in Quebec can extend its influence well beyond the province. He said the firm’s combination of local roots, entrepreneurial approach and long-term planning has helped build what he described as a global communications group, and that the company intends to keep growing by investing in talent and expertise for its clients.
A Network Spanning Multiple Continents
AVENIR GLOBAL is described as a Montreal-based holding and management company that takes an active, hands-on approach to its investments. The group ranks among the top 25 largest communications firms in the world and includes brands such as NATIONAL Public Relations and media strategy firm Time & Space in Canada; SHIFT Communications and Padilla, which includes brand consultancy Joe Smith and food and nutrition affairs group FoodMinds, in the United States; and in Europe and the Middle East, strategic communications firms Madano and Thinks, both based in London, along with Hanover, which operates in London, Brussels, Dublin, Dubai and Riyadh. The network also includes healthcare communications agencies AXON and Cherry.
NATIONAL itself employs a team of 300 professionals and operates nine offices across Canada, located in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, Saint John, Halifax and St. John’s. The firm describes itself as Canada’s leading communications company and is positioned within AVENIR GLOBAL, which the companies describe as the largest Canadian-owned global communications firm.
AVENIR GLOBAL and NATIONAL by the Numbers
The companies said the anniversary reflects five decades of growth from a single Montreal firm into an international network spanning Canada, the United States, Europe and the Middle East.
This article references reporting from:
