Nearly 300 leaders of the PR industry will gather at the Yale Club in New York tonight for the annual Institute for PR dinner which will feature an address by Kate James, who is moving from the Gates Foundation to Pearson after the first of the year.
James will deliver the 52nd annual Distinguished Lecture to the IPR. Title of her speech is “The Business of Changing the World.” Pearson is the largest book publisher and largest education company in the world, according to Wikipedia.
 Murray |
Murray is in Basel, Switzerland, for the 14th annual symposium of the .Harbourclub., a group of European PR executives who “exchange personal experiences” involving “new and future challenges to corporate communication.”
A goal is to “professionalize and strengthen the corporate communications function.”
.Harbourclub. is a member of the Global Alliance for PR and Communications Management.
Theme of today’s meeting is “Calm in the storm. Communications in the spirit of the emotions.”
Murray Chaired New Awards
Murray, who is Global Alliance treasurer, chaired the working group that developed the COMM PRIX Awards program that made its debut this year.
The awards were announced Nov. 18 at the meeting of the GA in Lugano, Switzerland.
Said Murray: “The awards have attracted a wide array of entrants from across the world. COMM PRIX offers another level of credibility and recognition, rewarding those who have reached the very highest levels of professional achievement worldwide.”
Mark Schuman, GA board member and marketing communications VP at Western Connecticut Health Network, led the awards judging panel, “an elite group of international PR professionals and academics.”
The winners are from ten countries and are the “first to be recognized on a global level,” said Schumann. They will be presented with their awards in their home countries in coming weeks.
Murray’s titles with the GA are not on the PR Society website.
COMM PRIX Winners:
Academic Case Studies
Gas Natural Fenosa, “The Role of Communications in a Merger”
Crisis Communication
Livestrong Foundation, “From the Crisis Trenches: Blazing a New Trail in Communications”
Global Communications
Bacardi-Martini Inc., “Bacardi Celebrates 150 Years of Bringing People Together” Siemens AG with MSL Germany and Publicis Munich, “Future Influencers - A virtual think tank community initiated by Siemens” – Award of Distinction
Integrated Communications
Nanyang Technological University, “HEY! It's NTU” Atmosphere Communications, “Johnnie Walker One Bottle Store” – Award of Distinction
Internal Communications
Guardian Holdings Ltd and AKADREM, Inc “One Group One Team: Guardian Group's Internal Rebranding” Bacardi-Martini Inc., “Bacardi Celebrates 150 Years of Bringing People Together/ONE Bacardi story” – Award of Distinction
Issues Management
NZ Transport Agency, “Manawatu Gorge project”
Media Relations
Broad Reach Communications, “Creating Eminence for Deloitte Canada by Leveraging Its Technology, Media & Telecommunications Predictions”
Public Affairs
Tahdon 2013, “Tahdon 2013”
Public Service
Argyle Communications, “New Transit for Toronto: Involving the Community in the Crosstown”
Reputation/Brand Management
ANZ New Zealand, “The New ANZ” Nanyang Technological University, “A global university on the rise”
Full list at: globalalliancepr.com.
The leadership of Public Relations Society of America is backing a move to change the current “must-have” APR accreditation to “strongly preferred” as a requirement for a seat on its board of directors.
Public Relations Society of American today named Linda Thomas Brooks CEO, succeeding CFO Phil Bonaventura, interim chief since July 2019.
Public Relations Society of America has named Maureen Walsh chief marketing & sales officer. She was CEO of Winn Feline Foundation, which supports research into medical conditions affecting cats.
Public Relations Society of America reported a 15 percent jump in 2018 revenues to $13.8M, sparked by a sharp rise investment income, according to its recently released Form 990.
Have a comment? Send it to 
No comments have been submitted for this story yet.