Cumberland Strategies spins off from public affairs firm Maple Leaf Strategies
Cumberland Strategies, a Toronto-based provider of government relations, public affairs, and communications consulting, has spun off from Maple Leaf Strategies, an Ottawa-based public affairs consultancy.
Maple Leaf Strategies will maintain its offices in Ottawa, Calgary, and Vancouver. The company’s former Toronto office will now provide the core of Cumberland Strategies, which is headed by founder and chairman Bliss Baker.
Cumberland’s team of 15 professionals have decades of experience at City Hall, Queen’s Park, and Parliament Hill. They have helped corporations, charities, and trade associations navigate every level of government and launch effective campaigns.
The new firm has three core offerings: strategic government relations, public affairs campaigns, and communications. Cumberland helps clients understand the contours of different jurisdictions and competing political agendas and build positive relationships with all levels of government – including federal, provincial, municipal, and First Nations.
The firm’s consultants also help clients create communications strategies with clear messaging, supporting a diverse range of industries with media campaigns, crisis communications, and integrated digital marketing.
"Strategy is at the heart of everything we do. I'm a passionate believer in the idea that the right message, delivered to the right people and told in a simple and emotive way can have a transformative impact on a company's prospects," said Baker.
"We've seen the importance of effective government relations more than ever during the pandemic, which has simultaneously placed a huge strain on government time and resources while increasing the private sector's need to engage productively with government. We are helping our clients navigate this new world, make their case to government successfully and strengthen their business's bottom line."
Baker has more than 25 years of experience in the public affairs arena, both domestically and internationally. He has served as an advisor to two prime ministers, as well as to cabinet ministers and MPs. Baker has also held senior executive roles in the banking and oil and gas industries.
