Mike Van Soelen

As Managing Principal, Mike helps leading organizations reach and engage their most important audiences.

Mike helps lead the Navigator team by providing clients with honest counsel on strategic and crisis communications, public affairs and research. His track record speaks to his unique understanding of how messages properly delivered can facilitate concrete, measurable outcomes.

Before joining Navigator, Mike founded and ran a successful boutique public affairs and communications firm with offices in Toronto and Ottawa that served leading organizations across Canada. Mike sold his firm to Navigator in 2015 and brought his unique insights and results-focused style to the Navigator team.

Prior to running his own company, Mike worked in journalism, communications and government. He began his career in the grassroots of Canadian journalism at two regional daily newspapers, winning several awards for his writing. He moved from journalism to politics, where he served on countless political campaigns. His posts in government have included Chief of Staff to an Ontario Minister and Director of Communications in Ottawa. Mike also worked at one of the country’s largest public relations agencies, supporting clients in the finance, health and technology sectors.

Mike appears regularly as a commentator for media outlets such as Global TV, AM 640, CP24 and Newstalk 1010. He also serves as an executive on the board of the Empire Club of Canada.