“I love change, I love people and ideas, and I think it’s even better when they overlap.”
Throughout Sarah Young’s career in public relations, she hasn’t just led communications strategies for a range of companies, governments and non-profit organizations, she has helped to ignite movements.
Young became a partner in NATIONAL, one of Canada’s largest public-relations firms, in December 2012, when the company acquired a majority interest in MT&L Public Relations, a firm she and her partners owned for more than a decade.
“Most of our clients are facing some form of transformational, disruptive change, and look to us to help them problem-solve,” said Young, who is responsible for leading NATIONAL’s business in Atlantic Canada.
“We are helping connect the people in organizations not only within the region, but also to the rest of the world. We’re either helping with really complex issues or helping accomplish really exciting big things on the horizon.”
Best part of her work
“I’m surrounded by really smart, creative and thoughtful people. That includes not only my team, but we partner with really great clients in the community.
“A lot of our work has a lot to do with growing the region and how to attract newcomers, helping set them up to thrive in the communities they choose.”
Influence of Concordia
“It really helped me shape my sense of critical analysis. When I look back, the time I spent on my graduate studies was really built around how to assess what is happening around you. When I look at the work I’m doing now, it is all about how you critically analyze what’s happening in the world.”
Making an impact
“I love change, I love people and ideas, and I think it’s even better when they overlap.
“I’m very committed to community. And so currently I’m involved with the board of Mount Allison University, a seed-stage program for scalable, science-based companies called The Creative Destruction Lab Atlantic, Develop Nova Scotia, and I'm in the midst of starting a women’s investment fund in Atlantic Canada.”