State of Engagement Report 2026 reveals a widening gap between how organisations run engagement and how communities experience itOver half of respondents said they have never been directly invited or asked to take part in a consultation or community engagement activityOnly 30% of community members believe their views actually influence decisions, and just 15% are clearly told what happens after they participate

BRISBANE, Australia, July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — New research from community and stakeholder engagement platform Open Point has found that nearly half of Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) residents do not trust the organisations responsible for decisions affecting their communities, from infrastructure and planning to public services and local policy, to genuinely listen, act on their feedback, or be transparent about how those decisions are made. That scepticism runs deepest among people who have already tried to engage.

The State of Engagement Report 2026, based on a survey of 507 engagement professionals and 1,004 residents across Australia and New Zealand, reveals a persistent disconnect between how organisations assess the quality of their engagement and how communities experience it.

Only 30% of residents believe their views actually influence decisions. Just 15% said they were told what would happen next following their involvement. And 65% believe decisions are made before consultation even begins.

The findings point to a structural problem rather than a failure of intent. Engagement professionals are widely committed to meaningful participation, but the systems and practices supporting the function have not kept pace with its growing importance.

The participation gap

More than half of residents surveyed said it matters to them to help shape decisions in their local area but 49% say they have never been invited to take part. Of those who do participate, 62% say the same small group tends to dominate discussions. 58% percent of engagement professionals agree more needs to be done to reach under-represented groups.

The data challenges a common assumption that low participation reflects public disengagement. What it more often reflects is that the people who want to take part are not being reached, and those who do take part are not always representative of the communities being consulted.

A sector struggling with the weight of engagement needs

The research points to a widespread infrastructure gap that limits accountability and creates real project risk. Only 26% of organisations use a centralised engagement platform. Sixty-two percent report that engagement data is stored across multiple disconnected systems, and 67% report that institutional knowledge is lost when staff move on.

The impact of engagement challenges is significant, with 66% of stakeholder engagement professionals reporting project delays and 65% saying they’ve faced increased costs. Forty-one percent say engagement difficulties have led to delayed approvals or permits.

As engagement increasingly spans multi-year, multi-stakeholder projects, particularly in infrastructure, energy transition and regulated sectors, the absence of connected systems is compounding risk at scale.

Despite these challenges, the research shows practitioners are focussed on ensuring their work has real impact. When asked about the primary objectives of engagement, building trust in communities ranked higher than purely compliant or self-serving goals (like speeding up approvals or meeting base legal requirements). This highlights a genuine drive to create real value for communities, rather than just ticking a regulatory box.

The research also finds a strong appetite within the profession for more effective models. Ninety percent of practitioners say technology should play a greater role in supporting engagement, and 79% say centralisation of engagement data and activity would improve efficiency. Eighty-eight percent feel positive about the use of AI in community and stakeholder engagement, where they see a real opportunity for it to help them translate or improve the accessibility of materials, identify key themes or insights from large datasets, and draft communications or consultation content.

John Moss, CEO of Open Point, said: “What this research makes clear is that the gap between engagement effort and engagement outcome is not inevitable, it is structural. We are living in a moment of vast investment in digital and physical infrastructure, yet trust in the institutions implementing and building this infrastructure to serve communities is remarkably low. That contradiction sits at the heart of the engagement crisis. Communities want to participate, and the professionals serving them want to deliver meaningful engagement. What is often missing is the infrastructure to connect the two. That is exactly the challenge Open Point was built to address.”

About the research

The State of Engagement Report 2026 was produced by Open Point and conducted by Censuswide in March 2026. It surveyed 1,004 consumers aged 18+ and 507 professionals in organisations of 100 or more employees with decision-making responsibilities for community or stakeholder engagement, across Australia and New Zealand.

About Open Point

Open Point is the only engagement platform designed for all stakeholders, helping organisations move from input to insight to impact.

Through its community engagement and stakeholder relationship management products, Open Point supports high-volume participation while enabling transparent, connected, and accountable engagement so community and infrastructure projects can be delivered with confidence and trust.

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SOURCE Open Point

The award-winning, women-owned San Diego public relations and government affairs firm was recognized for exceptional client service that has fueled 14 years of growth

SAN DIEGO, July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Intesa Communications Group, a leading San Diego public relations and government affairs firm, has been named the “Customers First” winner in the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce’s 2026 Small Business Awards. Announced July 9 at the Chamber’s annual Small Business Awards event, the recognition honors the small business whose commitment to customer service most clearly sets it apart from the competition.

Founded in 2012, the certified women-owned San Diego firm has grown from a boutique agency into one of the region’s leading public relations and government affairs firms. Intesa has doubled its team over the past two years, sustained three consecutive years of double-digit revenue growth and expanded its client portfolio by 26% last year. Intesa provides public relations, strategic communications, and government affairs services for a wide range of organizations, including San Diego State University, SeaWorld San Diego, Expedia Group, H.G. Fenton Company, San Diego Foundation, San Diego Workforce Partnership, and SBCS.

“This award belongs to every member of our team and to the clients who trust us with their most valuable asset: their reputation,” said Margie Newman Tsay, founding partner of Intesa Communications Group. “Our clients stay with us for years because we show up prepared, fully invested and ready for the moments that matter most. Being recognized for putting customers first is the highest compliment our business community can pay us.”

Intesa’s client-first approach has produced measurable results across public relations and government affairs efforts throughout the region. For example, in its first month working with the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank, the firm helped reimagine the organization’s summer food drive messaging, generating more than 15 million impressions and helping deliver 489,026 pounds of food and $344,505 in donations — the equivalent of more than one million meals and a 175% increase from the previous year. Similarly, Logan Heights Community Development Corporation credits the firm with an 81:1 return on investment after Intesa parachuted in to help the nonprofit promote the California Mortgage Relief Program.

“Small businesses are the heart of our economy: fueling innovation, creating jobs and defining the character of communities across the San Diego region,” said Chris Cate, president and CEO of the Chamber. “We celebrate the resilience, ingenuity and community impact of our small business leaders. They are the very spirit behind our purpose to champion business and empower leaders.”

The Chamber award is as much a reflection of Intesa’s clients as it is the firm itself. The opportunity to partner with organizations doing meaningful work across the region is what makes recognition like this possible. True to form, the Intesa team plans to mark the win by thanking the clients behind the work.

“We call ourselves dot connectors, and this award is what that looks like in practice,” said Maddy Kilkenny, partner at Intesa Communications Group, who leads the firm’s government affairs practice. “Whether our team of 10 people is helping a client navigate a policy decision at City Hall or a story on the front page of the newspaper, we aim to leave them stronger and more confident than before. Hearing our clients say we deliver on that is the best win of all.”

According to the Chamber’s award requirements, businesses with 100 or fewer employees were eligible for nomination. They were voted on by a panel of chamber members, who reviewed the nominations and selected the winners of all four categories.

The recognition adds to more than 60 awards Intesa has earned for excellence in public relations, strategic communications, and public affairs, including honors from PR News, the Public Relations Society of America, PR Daily, the International Association of Business Communicators, the San Diego Business Journal (SDBJ), MARCOM, and the American Marketing Association, among others. It also comes on the heels of two Intesa team members, Emily Alvarenga and Margaret Lutz Chantung, recently receiving SDBJ’s “40 Under 40” and “Indispensable” awards, respectively.

For more information about Intesa Communications Group, visit www.intesacom.com.

About Intesa Communications Group
Intesa Communications Group is a certified women-owned San Diego public relations and government affairs firm that helps leaders communicate and advocate with confidence. Since 2012, Intesa has partnered with the region’s trusted leaders and organizations, providing strategic communications and public affairs counsel on high-stakes issues at the intersection of reputation, policy and public perception. The firm’s work has earned more than 60 industry awards across 53 recognized client campaigns, including the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce “Customers First” 2026 award. Learn more at www.intesacom.com.

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SOURCE Intesa Communications Group

HOUSTON, July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Prominently featured in The Inner Circle, Shankari Thiagarajan is acknowledged as a Pinnacle Professional of The Year for her contributions to Information Technology and Agile Delivery.     

Shankari Thiagarajan has established a distinguished career in information technology project and program management, recognized for her expertise in agile delivery, digital transformation, and cross functional leadership across multiple industries. Currently serving as project manager and scrum master at Astellas Pharma Inc., she oversees agile delivery initiatives supporting global life science programs.

With more than 15 years of experience spanning technology and pharmaceutical sectors, Ms. Thiagarajan has developed a reputation for leading complex implementations and driving operational efficiency. Her expertise includes agile methodologies, project and delivery management, product ownership, healthcare IT, telecom and network optimization, financial services modernization, retail technology upgrades, and GIS and digital mapping solutions.

Ms. Thiagarajan earned a Master of Business Administration in Organizational Leadership from Campbellsville University, a Master of Science in Information Systems from Virginia Tech, and a Bachelor of Engineering in Information Technology from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University College of Engineering Hyderabad.

Throughout her career, she has contributed to major organizations across a wide range of industries. Her accomplishments include leading agile transformations at Cigna, overseeing retail technology upgrades at Walmart, managing large scale telecom transformation initiatives at T Mobile and Verizon, and modernizing financial platforms at Security Finance. She also contributed to the early development of Google Maps during her tenure at Google India, advancing to team lead within a year.

In addition to her corporate achievements, Ms. Thiagarajan is the creator of the YouTube channel My Experiments with Life – #Positivity #Learning, launched in 2023. Through this platform, she shares motivational content and insights focused on personal growth, technology, spirituality, and lifelong learning.

Her professional accomplishments have been recognized through honors including Marquis Who’s Who 2026, a featured podcast interview with Jim Masters on Close Up TV hosted across Apple Radio, Spotify, and iHeart., recognition in The National Law Review & EIN Presswire, and a certificate of appreciation from Virginia Tech for academic excellence and community involvement.

Outside of her professional work, Ms. Thiagarajan enjoys creating motivational YouTube content, exploring technology and spirituality, listening to contemporary music, and pursuing philanthropic and educational interests. She credits her strong work ethic and determination to the example set by her parents.

Looking ahead, she plans to continue advancing her leadership capabilities and pursue executive level opportunities that allow her to make significant contributions within the information technology sector.

Guided by a philosophy rooted in courage, persistence, and continuous learning, Ms. Thiagarajan remains committed to professional growth while inspiring others to pursue excellence and self-improvement.

Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, editorialteam@continentalwhoswho.com

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SOURCE The Inner Circle