Penta Group

Penta is excited to announce that former Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will officially join our firm on April 10 as a Global Advisory Board member. A two-term Taoiseach (Prime Minister), Mr. Varadkar brings a wealth of global leadership and crisis management experience spanning the 2019 Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, social reforms in Ireland, as well as navigating the country through COVID-19. “[Varadkar’s] deep commitment to evidence-based policymaking and strategic leadership aligns seamlessly with Penta’s mission,” said Penta CEO Matt McDonald. “His experience at the highest levels of government will enhance our ability to provide data-driven advice and solutions to help clients navigate today’s increasingly complex global environment.” Read more about Mr. Varadkar’s future role with Penta here: https://lnkd.in/dBWSbnGz

The Penta Insiders team is pleased to present its latest report, California’s Most Pressing Issues: Addressing Homelessness, Public Safety, and Environmental Policy found here https://lnkd.in/dGa-7Dfh Based on findings from the 2024 California Insights Review, this research delivers direct insights from #California policymakers on the top challenges shaping the state’s agenda, and what’s top of mind for those driving #policy throughout California. If you are a California-based policymaker interested in contributing to Penta Insiders' 2025 research, please reach out to: research@pentainsiders.com, we’d love to hear from you!

“In times of high volatility, I think of scenario planning…Internally, we’ve been using ‘scenario A’, a more optimistic view of negotiations, in which not only do reciprocal tariffs go away, but there’s lower, non-tariff barriers to trade. The pessimistic scenario is that this is a permanent feature and tariffs will just keep going up. It’s taxes, it will incrementally hurt the economy, there are distortion effects at play. You look at these two scenarios, and what are the signals you expect to see over time to determine which scenario we’re in? Which version of the administration is winning the fight?” Penta CEO Matt McDonald comes onto the latest What’s at Stake podcast with Ylan Mui and Bryan DeAngelis to discuss strategies for interpreting the Trump administration's actions on #tariffs and frameworks for determining if and when companies should respond publicly. You can listen to the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/dynX4Q_n

Penta is excited to announce the addition of TJ Kelly as a new senior partner, based on the West Coast! A veteran of #communications agency leadership, he comes to Penta having most recently served as president of the West Region at Burson, where he specialized in clients across corporate affairs, brand and #technology. Prior to his time at Burson, Kelly spent 13 years at Edelman in various executive roles. "TJ is an ideal fit for our rapidly-growing team,” said Penta CEO Matt McDonald. "His track record of developing innovative, seamless client solutions mirrors the way we think about delivering value for our clients in our combined data and advisory capabilities.” Welcome TJ, we are ecstatic to have you! You can read the full release here: https://lnkd.in/ezT_aU_P

Today, Leo Varadkar officially joins the team at Penta. Throughout his career, he has fused the power of data with the human element, ensuring decisions took both into account. “I always tried to make decisions that were evidence-based, but also understanding that any decision ultimately is made by human beings with human intuition and values as the end.” And that’s why he describes Penta as a befitting next step: 📊 A data-first strategy to decision-making; 🌐 A global presence spanning Europe, Asia and North America; 🤝 A shared belief in blending rigorous analysis with a deep understanding of human values. From his time leading Ireland as Taoiseach (Prime Minister) to today, Varadkar’s philosophy perfectly complements Penta’s, creating a winning partnership for both. Read more about Leo Varadkar joining Penta here: https://lnkd.in/ddfKSqsx

Over the last two weeks, the three-day moving average of the Penta-CivicScience Economic Sentiment Index (ESI) oscillated in-line with fluctuating U.S. #tariff policy. The three-day average hit a low of 31.0 on April 8 on the eve of President Donald Trump's "reciprocal tariffs" taking effect. The overall ESI for the past two weeks fell by 0.3 points to 32.9, marking a fifth straight two-week period of decline. Three of the ESI’s five indicators decreased during this latest two-week period, as reflected below: Confidence in buying a new home decreased 1.6 points to 22.6 Confidence in finding a new job decreased 0.8 points to 30.5. Confidence in the overall U.S. economy decreased 0.4 points to 35.9. Confidence in making a major purchase increased 0.5 points to 24.3. Confidence in personal finances increased 0.6 points to 51.1. Read the latest ESI report in its entirety here: https://lnkd.in/djwjcd2F

Influence is no longer centralized. Audiences choose where they consume media, and organizations must use data to identify the most effective platforms to reach them. Trust now travels through emotionally resonant content, distributed by algorithms and amplified by niche networks. Case in point? Gavin Newsom's bold podcast strategy of hosting conservative influencers in order to grow his reach. Read Penta's new analysis on his stakeholder management and sentiment trade-off here: https://lnkd.in/d2zeC_u2 #media #communications #publicpolicy

Even with an influx of #AI technology, fair and fact-checked #media still has a critical value proposition, according to Sally Shin, venture partner at Comcast Ventures. “Where people are going to stick around is where they can trust the content,” she said on the latest What’s at Stake podcast episode with Penta’s Ylan Mui and Andrea Christianson found here: https://lnkd.in/e6WUF3ar The trio covered some of the most pressing topics at the intersection of AI and media including: - Guardrails to protect intellectual property and the accuracy of AI-generated content - Partnerships between publishers and AI companies - Opportunities to leverage AI within news organizations 🎧 Be sure to subscribe to What’s at Stake wherever you listen to your podcasts

The Penta-CivicScience Economic Sentiment Index (ESI) fell by 0.3 points to 33.2 from March 12 - 25, marking a fourth consecutive period of decline. Two of the ESI’s five indicators decreased during this latest two-week period, as reflected below: Confidence in personal finances decreased 2.9 points to 50.5 Confidence in the overall U.S. #economy decreased 0.8 points to 36.3 Confidence in making a major purchase increased 0.2 points to 23.8 Confidence in finding a new job increased 1.0 point to 31.3 Confidence in buying a new home increased 1.4 points to 24.2 Read the latest ESI report in its entirety here: https://lnkd.in/dzruwRP7

Penta Group collaborates with Oxford Economics, one of the world leaders in global forecasting and quantitative analysis, to provide trusted raw data to allow them to create novel and cutting edge models. Read more about more about those models and how they are exposing limitations in some more traditional sources of economic data by following the link - https://okt.to/lkeNIo