CPRS Toronto: In conversation with Zandra Miljan
February is a great moment to pause and reflect on how the world of communications is evolving, from faster news cycles to higher expectations for trust and clarity. For this month’s In Conversation With blog series, we spoke with Zandra Miljan, Vice President at Crestview Strategy, about how the role of PR has expanded, what it takes to build trust under pressure, and why sound judgment remains at the heart of effective communications. With experience spanning journalism and strategic advising for leaders in high-stakes situations, Zandra brings a clear, disciplined perspective grounded in results, credibility, and long-term trust.
How has your role as a PR practitioner evolved in recent years?
My role has evolved from leading PR execution to owning how communications drives organizational outcomes.
Earlier in my career, I focused on the core disciplines of public relations: narrative development, media relations, and amplification across earned, owned, and paid channels. That foundation remains central to my work. What has changed is the context in which the work happens and the decisions it informs.
Today, I am accountable for ensuring communications is integrated into leadership decision-making from the outset. I advise executives on when to amplify, when to hold, and how to sequence communications so visibility strengthens credibility rather than undermining it. In an environment defined by constant scrutiny and compressed news cycles, amplification is not optional — but it must be deliberate, disciplined, and aligned with organizational readiness.
At this stage of my career, my role is to align strategic communications across operations, human resources, legal, and policy, and to build the frameworks that allow teams to execute consistently under pressure. That includes setting narrative direction, approving channel strategy, guiding spokespeople, and owning risk in high-stakes moments.
My background in journalism continues to shape this approach. It grounds my judgment in how stories actually move and how quickly momentum builds once a narrative takes hold. As a result, my focus is on ensuring PR is not just visible, but effective — protecting reputation, mobilizing stakeholders, and reinforcing trust over the long term.
What major shifts have you seen in the PR profession, and how are they shaping your work today?
Over the past two decades, public relations has been reshaped by technology, platform fragmentation, and the speed at which information now travels. News cycles have compressed from days to minutes, audiences are decentralized, and stories increasingly break and evolve in real time across digital channels rather than through traditional media alone. As a result, PR practitioners are expected to operate with greater fluency across platforms, stronger data awareness, and faster decision-making — often with incomplete information.
What has shifted more meaningfully, however, is how trust is built and lost. Audiences are more skeptical, less patient, and far more willing to challenge inconsistencies between what organizations say and what they do. Credibility is no longer earned through polished messaging alone, but through visible alignment between words, actions, and leadership behavior.
This has elevated the importance of coherence across the entire communications ecosystem. Internal communications now play a defining role in reputation, as employees are often the first audience, the most credible validators, and, increasingly, the most influential amplifiers. When internal understanding lags external messaging, gaps are exposed quickly and publicly. As a result, PR has become as much about alignment and clarity as it is about storytelling — ensuring organizations communicate in ways that are consistent, authentic, and defensible across every audience they serve.
Another defining shift is the emergence of Artificial Intelligence as both a tool and a risk factor. While AI has increased efficiency in monitoring, analysis, and content development, it has also heightened concerns around authenticity, misinformation, and credibility. This has reinforced the importance of human judgment, ethical standards, and disciplined voice in public relations.
Together, these shifts have made the profession more dynamic and more consequential, underscoring the importance of public relations and strategic communications in helping organizations navigate speed, scrutiny, and trust.
Looking ahead, what trends or changes do you think will define the role of PR practitioners in the future?
The role of PR practitioners will continue to expand beyond communications delivery into judgment, integration, and leadership support — particularly as information environments become more complex and harder to navigate.
Advances in technology, including AI and automation, will further accelerate the pace of communications and increase efficiency across monitoring, analysis, and content development. At the same time, they will heighten expectations around accuracy, authenticity, and responsible use. This will place greater emphasis on human judgment — ensuring tools are used to inform decisions, not replace them, and that organizational voice remains clear, credible, and consistent.
Another defining change will be the continued convergence of internal and external communications. As employees, stakeholders, and the public increasingly experience information simultaneously, PR practitioners will need to ensure alignment across leadership decisions, culture, and messaging. The ability to integrate communications across functions — and to surface risk early — will become even more critical.
Finally, PR will continue to move further upstream. Practitioners will be expected not only to communicate decisions, but to help shape them by bringing stakeholder insight, foresight, and reputational awareness into leadership conversations earlier and more consistently.
Together, these trends point to a future where PR is defined less by volume and velocity, and more by clarity, coherence, and trust — reinforcing its role as an essential leadership function.
What is your biggest piece of advice for PR practitioners moving forward?
Invest as much in thoughtful and strategic judgment as you do in skills.
The tools, platforms, and tactics of public relations will continue to evolve, but sound judgment — knowing what matters, what doesn’t, and when to act — remains the most valuable asset a PR practitioner can develop. That judgment is built through curiosity, ethical grounding, and a willingness to understand the broader context in which communications live.
Equally important is the courage to be honest with clients and leaders. The most effective practitioners are not those who amplify the loudest, but those who can ask better questions, challenge assumptions, and help organizations communicate in ways that are credible, coherent, and aligned with their values.
As the profession continues to change, practitioners who pair technical fluency with integrity, restraint, and empathy will be best positioned to build trust — and to sustain it over time.
About CPRS Toronto’s In Conversation With blog series
Once a month, the In Conversation With series spotlights voices from across the communications field, featuring leaders and rising professionals who share their perspectives on industry trends, the future of the profession, and their own career journeys. These conversations aim to inspire, inform, and highlight the diverse experiences shaping the future of public relations.
If you would like to share your story or nominate a colleague, please contact us at communications@cprstoronto.com.