Proof Strategies Named 2025 Large Agency Team of the Year by Canadian PR Society
Founder & Chair Bruce MacLellan Awarded Shield of Public Service
May 29, 2025 – Toronto, ON – Proof Strategies has been named Large Agency Team of the Year by the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS), marking the independent Canadian agency’s fourth agency team of the year win since 2020. The announcement was made at the 2025 CPRS National Conference gala in Banff, Alberta, this week. Proof also received four national awards for client campaigns in disciplines including marketing, digital, non-profit, and integrated communications. The honour caps a triumphant few weeks in which Proof also secured six CPRS Toronto Achieving Communications Excellence (ACE) Awards and was listed among PRovoke Media’s Best Canadian Agencies of 2025.
Bruce MacLellan Receives Shield of Public Service
In addition to Proof’s awards for client work, Founder and Chair Bruce MacLellan was awarded the CPRS Shield of Public Service, a lifetime achievement award recognizing distinguished and dedicated service in the public interest, apart from duties required by client or employer.
MacLellan brings more than 25 years of volunteer leadership in Canadian land-conservation, including board tenures with the Nature Conservancy of Canada, the Lake of Bays Heritage Foundation and the Centre for Land Conservation. He is also past-Chair of Canada’s History Society, past-Chair of the CPRS Foundation and currently a member of the National Advisory Council for The Walrus. In 2025, he was awarded The King Charles III Coronation Medal for significant contributions to Canada.
“On behalf of the firm, our alumni, and the many clients and causes that have been supported by Bruce over the years, I’m thrilled to congratulate him on this well-deserved honour,” said Vanessa Eaton, President of Proof Strategies. “Bruce has instilled in all of us the importance of giving back and supporting Canada, and this is one of the many ways he leads by example through his tireless volunteerism.”
Award-Winning Work
Proof’s four CPRS Awards of Excellence and earlier six CPRS ACE Awards celebrate the firm for a range of standout client campaigns, including:
- Electrical Safety Authority “Your EV Deserves Better”
Leveraging the human tendency to see faces in objects, the tongue-in-cheek creative campaign “guilted” EV owners into protecting their prized vehicles with chargers installed by Licensed Electrical Contractors.
(Award Categories: Digital Communications, Non-Profit, Marketing Communications, Integrated Communications)
- Electrical Safety Authority “Powerline Safety”
With the message “don’t die for a construction job,” the campaign used sequential storytelling, geo-targeted ads near high-risk construction sites and even porta-potty ad placements to reach workers.
(Award Categories: Marketing Communications, Cause Related/CSR)
- Electro-Federation Canada “Redefine Power”
In their quest for career stability, aspiring young professionals discovered the future-proof possibilities in Canada’s evolving electrical sector thanks to this campaign, which measurably elevated consideration and applications for careers in the electrical sector among the target cohort.
(Award Category: Digital Communications)
- Plan International Canada “International Day of the Girl”
To build awareness for Plan International Canada’s 2024 State of the World’s Girls Report and amplify International Day of the Girl, Proof developed an earned social media campaign, working with nearly 30 creators to capture attention on socials and drive audiences to the campaign landing page.
(Award Category: Social Media/Influencer)
“Our integrated communications approach brings audience insight, creativity and storytelling across multiple platforms to inspire action,” said Eaton. “These awards recognize the ingenuity of our people, the trust of our clients and the measurable, purposeful impact we are delivering.”
About Proof Strategies
Proof Strategies is a communications, public affairs and government-relations partner that Asks Better Questions™. Founded in 1994, the Canadian-owned, independent agency has earned 350+ awards for client work and industry leadership, including Best Workplace in Canada (Great Place to Work™, 2010) and CPRS Large Agency Team of the Year (2020, 2023, 2024, 2025). The Proof Strategies CanTrust Index™ is a leading source of insight on trust in Canada. Learn more at getproof.com and follow @get_proof on X, LinkedIn and Instagram.
Media Contact
Maddy Porter
Associate Account Director, Proof Strategies
mporter@getproof.com