Digging Deeper, Looking Further and Achieving More
Delivering and Supporting our Global Membership & Profession
When It Matters Most
Global Alliance President & CEO - AGM Report 2021
21 May 2022
When I wrote the equivalent message to this in the first half of 2021, we were all heavily focused on the COVID-19 global pandemic and the hope that mass vaccination held out. The outlook, however tentative, on that front has seldom been more favourable than it is today. However, we are now – of course – grappling with a new wave of global uncertainty arising from the war in Ukraine.
Whether it be mass casualties after explosions or the colossal displacement of people from their homes and even their country as they are forced to flee for their lives, the scenes that we have all witnessed over these recent months are almost unimaginable. If there can be any consolation or comfort to the Ukrainian people at this time, it may be in the compassionate and generous response shown by people in neighbouring and more distant countries who have taken refugees into their homes and communities.
For us as communications and public relations professionals, as with the pandemic, the war in Ukraine has again underlined the vital importance to our democratic societies of credible and trusted sources of information. There have been countless examples where disinformation has been used to skew perceptions of what is unfolding in Ukraine. This should concern all of us with an interest in freedom of speech and who wish to see trust in authority maintained. The more lies, half-truths and evasions are spread and believed, the more challenging becomes our work as trusted sources.
On my own behalf and that of Global Alliance, I can only express the hope that a speedy and lasting resolution is soon found to this awful conflict. The loss of life, the broader human impact and the economic cost mean that there can be no winners in this or any other war. We think in a special way of our fellow professionals in the war zone and wish them and their families safe passage through these turbulent times. That many have gone from media relations to military action in a matter of weeks underlines the enormous turmoil their country is enduring.
I mentioned the pandemic a moment ago and there has been tremendous work done by colleagues of ours in sharing reliable information about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines to protect us against the most severe outcomes of COVID-19. Public health communications professionals have also continued to excel in their wider work sharing advice to help people avoid infection. All of us owe them a debt of gratitude for their tireless and sometimes thankless efforts.
As President, I continue to take pride and satisfaction in how Global Alliance has adapted to the enormous changes brought about by the pandemic. We have shown huge agility to ensure that we continue to be relevant and reliable to our members.
The executive team and board deserve particular credit for how they have guided the Alliance through these uncharted waters. There is no template to guide an organisation like ours through a time like this but – just like our members and professionals around the world – we have responded well when tested and stretched as never before to continue to serve our great profession.
As I reported to you last year and indeed as you will have seen as members, we quickly and radically altered our programme of events and services to better reflect emerging realities. As the situation began to stabilise, our recovery roadmap helped steer our Alliance and profession back towards a stronger and more reassuring future.
I would particularly call out some of the work we have done around the health and wellbeing of professionals in our sector. All of us have seen our resilience tested since Q1 2020. It is vital that we don’t try to navigate all of this turbulence alone. For this reason, I would again encourage any member who feels they are struggling to avail of relevant supports. Simply speaking up and acknowledging things aren’t OK can be the key first step on the road back to full health.
On behalf of the board of Global Alliance – a board that I am privileged to lead and proud to be part of - I am delighted to report that 2021 saw the biggest single year growth ever in the history of Global Alliance in terms of services and benefits offered to our global members.
Some Membership Highlights from 2021
01. Global Ethics Month (February) - Global Alliance became the first world professional communications organisation to launch a truly global comprehensive month-long focused engagement on ethics. With more than 70 countries and thousands of professionals participating across the four weeks, this programme was led by Ethics & Standards Director Sarah Hanel (CPRS - Canadian Public Relations Society). With your continued support, we played a much stronger role in representing our profession and promoting ethical standards and professional development worldwide. We continue to lead the global profession and are fully committed to the Global Principles of Ethical Practice in Public Relations & Communication Management.
02. New for 2021 – Global Trends and Communication Transformation Month (March) –The growing importance of sustainability, governance, social responsibility and societal consciousness highlights our industry’s impact and – I would argue – play to our collective strengths. These issues, together with the development of technology and digital methods, are transforming our profession, its purpose, its place in organisations, and its methods. The communications and public relations sectors are key responders to the concerns of communities and can also be the spearhead initiating positive changes in business models and organisations. This new month long initiative was led and tracked by Silvia Arto, (COM-EMT - Communication & Enterprise).
03. Education & Training Months (April & May) – In continuing the largest undertaking ever to date, Global Alliance hosted and shared free of charge over €2m worth of education, training and resources to members from experts around the world, supporting thousands of fellow professionals worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic. This initiative was led by Chair Prita Kemal Gani, (LSPR – Communication & Business School). Meanwhile, members continue to have access to the world’s largest domestic membership organisation training and knowledge with the Public Relations Society of America (USA) Learning Platform.
04. Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Months (June & July) - At Global Alliance, diversity, equity and inclusion are part of our DNA. We draw our diverse membership from many races, cultures, ethnicities, age groups, abilities and sexual orientation. We are now more inclusive than ever before, working closer together worldwide and allowing our organisation to become stronger, richer and truer to our mission. We champion equality and justice and the months of June and July were dedicated to advocate and promote Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. This work was led by Hamilton dos Santos (ABERJE - Brazilian Association for Business Communication).
05. Health & Wellbeing Month (September) - Global Alliance launched our first global Health & Wellbeing Month in 2020. The impacts of the pandemic have changed social interaction between people all over the world and it is important to maintain a good mindset and behavioural balance. This initiative was supported by Fiona Cassidy (PRINZ - Public Relations Institute of New Zealand), Amith Prabhu (The Promise Foundation) and led by Paula Portugal Mendes, Global Alliance’s Membership Services Director (APCE - Portuguese Association of Corporate Communications) and chief editor of Global Alliance’s free monthly newsletter.
06. New for 2021 - World PR & Communications Month (October) – Celebrating everything that is great and wonderful about our own profession. A team from Global Alliance, chaired by Bonnie Caver (IABC – International Association of Business Communicators), launched the first ever World PR & Communications Month in September 2021. Global Alliance members showcased the accomplishments of fellow professionals and recognized research, curriculums, and certification programs across three key areas Recognition & Celebration, Advocacy and Credibility, that helps public relations and communications professionals play such key roles in their organisations.
07. New for 2021 - Student & Young Practitioner Month (November) - Global Alliance launched another first for a global communications organisation, celebrating and supporting Students and Young Practitioners with a global month dedicated to providing the opportunity to learn world-class PR practices from and share ideas and experiences free of charge, with our fellow members. Through this initiative, students and young practitioners had access to activities which helped expand their knowledge and their networks but also helped them develop a greater appreciation of the profession and a deeper understanding of the important role that they will play once they advance further within it. This new initiative was led by Ana Pista (PSPR - Public Relations Society of the Philippines).
08. The Best of Education & Training Month (December) - This was another opportunity for members to upskill and develop their training with access to a library of over 250 presentations and educational resources free-of-charge, as one of many increasing member benefits. These initiatives engaged thousands of communicators who created and shared content, supporting and endorsing it in what has been the largest online engagement in the history of Global Alliance. This success would not have been possible without our Global Alliance CAO Mateus Furlanetto and Jaffri Osman (IPRM - Institute Public Relations Malaysia).
09. Academic, Educational and Training Accreditation - Global Alliance’s Academic Council oversees our new accreditation programme providing global recognition and accreditation of our members’ qualifications, training and educational programmes, fulfilling our mission of raising professional standards worldwide. This enables Global Alliance to strengthen public relations standards, ethics, internationalisation and professionalism worldwide, as we are mandated to. This year will see recognition for over 6,000 students worldwide who will graduate with international accreditation, awarded by Global Alliance.
Continued success and congratulations to the Public Relations Society of America (USA), Chartered Institute of Public Relations (UK), Universidad San Martin de Porres (Peru), European Institute of Communications (Belgium/Ireland), LSPR Communication & Business Institute (Indonesia), School of Communications & Reputation (India), Peterson Integrated Communications Institute (Kenya) and University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (Bangladesh) who each received platinum standard accreditation for their local educational qualifications.
The Academic Council is chaired by Dean & Professor Doctor Amybel Sánchez de Walther (Universidad San Martin de Porres, Peru) along with members Professor Anthony D’Angelo (Newhouse School of Public Communications, Syracuse University, USA), Doctor Ángel Alloza (Corporate Excellence - Centre or Reputation Leadership, Spain), Doctor Wole Adamolekun (Elizade University, Nigeria) and Global Alliance President & CEO Justin Green (CPRE - Commission Public Relations Education USA & PRII - Public Relations Institute of Ireland).
10. Regional Councils – Going from strength to strength since they were established less than two years ago as a practical step towards getting closer to our membership, our six Regional Councils are led by the following Chairs: Africa (Peter Mutie, Public Relations Society of Kenya), Asia Pacific (Jaffri Osman, Institute Public Relations Malaysia), Europe (Silvia Arto, Communication & Enterprise), Middle East - South Asia (Amith Prabhu, The Promise Foundation), Latin America (Hamilton dos Santos, Brazilian Association for Business Communication) and North American (Béatrice Guay, Canadian Public Relations Society).
With this increased reach, Global Alliance has been able to participate in and host more programmes than ever before with engagements in Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Japan, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Lithuania, Malawi, Malaysia, New Zealand, Mexico, Myanmar, Norway, Nigeria, Philippines, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Rwanda, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tanzania, Turkey, UAE, UK, USA, Vietnam, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Along with our hardworking board of directors and members of our Regional Councils, we now have over 60 worldwide ambassadors, providing us with tremendous diversity and a truly innovative outlook.
In particular, I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank my other fellow Board colleagues Kia Haring, Pamela Yin Xiaodong, Gonca Karakas, Mandy Pearse, Patience Nyange, our Global Alliance CAO Mateus Furlanetto and mentor Past-Chair, José Manuel Velasco who all played a key strategic role in the advancement and success of Global Alliance during 2021.
11. New in 2021 Regional Offices – Three new regional offices opened in 2021, Nairobi, Kenya (Africa), Sao Paulo, Brazil (Latin America) and Gurugram, India (Middle East-South Asia) bringing to six Global Alliance offices across the world that also include Jakarta, Indonesia (Asia), New York, USA (North America), along with our existing head office in Lisbon, Portugal (Europe). Thank you to our local partners and associations whose continued support is greatly appreciated.
12. New in 2021 – Approaching the Future 2021: Trends in Reputation and Intangible Asset Management - After 12 months of research, the most important study on reputation and intangible assets went international thanks to Global Alliance as the worldwide partner.
It took place in Madrid in July 2021 with a participation of 173 attendants and, so far, it has received more than 5.900 downloads. Created by Corporate Excellence – Centre for Reputation Leadership (Spain), in partnership with Global Alliance, the report analyses the trends that will mark the business agenda globally, focus on reputation, brand, sustainability, ethics and transparency and based on analysis of relevant secondary sources, quantitative data, and the opinions and insights of a diverse range of experts in their respective fields.
A second analysis was launched with the vision from the regional perspectives from Europe, Latin America, North America and Asia-Pacific involving more than 44 countries: Top 15 Trends Worldwide: A Global Perspective. If your organisation would like to host a free presentation by Dr Ángel Alloza and Dr Clara Fontán, please contact our CAO Mateus Furlanetto cao@globalalliancepr.org
13. Global Alliance Public Relations and Communication Model - After over two years of intense research led by Dr Ángel Alloza and Dr Clara Fontán from Corporate Excellence - Centre for Reputation Leadership (Spain), the model launch continued across 2021 to widespread global acclaim. More than 1,400 practitioners participated in this action and global-consensus research from 47 countries and the participation of all the GA Regional Councils.
The model defines the roadmap and building blocks of the PR and Communications functions that contribute to the creation of differentiation, reputation, trust and social legitimacy for organisations. The model consolidates the Stockholm Accords and the Melbourne Mandate, and also integrates the Global Alliance Capability Framework. To date, the Model has been shared and presented to over 35,000 public relations and communication practitioners, academics, CEO’s and students across the world.
The Model has been presented in the 2021 EUPRERA congress. And it has been translated to 12 languages: Bahasa, Tagalog, Italian (already available) and Thai, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, Turkish, Polish, French and Malaysia (under construction). Once again, if your organisation would like to host a free members presentation by Dr Ángel Alloza and Dr Clara Fontán, please contact our CAO Mateus Furlanetto cao@globalalliancepr.org
14. Global Alliance Capability Framework - Our collaboration with the University of Huddersfield (UK) goes from strength to strength, as witnessed by the continued increase in use by our members over the last 12 months. The Framework has been adopted by Argentina, Canada, France, Finland, Kenya, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, UK and USA. A number of countries outside the initial research group are now conducting country studies, including Colombia, Ecuador, Indonesia, Qatar, Malaysia, Turkey and United Arab Emirates.
Global Alliance announced the extension of free access to the Framework until the end of 2023, as an enhanced benefit of your Global Alliance membership.
To celebrate, Global Alliance launched a special edition programme with a series of free training presentations with Professor Anne Gregory (University of Huddersfield UK), for member Educational Directors and CAOs/CEOs, along with a global promotional campaign celebrating the continuing success of the Framework.
15. Corporate Governance & Compliance - To exemplify the highest standards of corporate governance and compliance, we continually review our Bylaws and Policy Documents. A recent review of the Bylaws was undertaken with changes proposed to ensure they continue to be fit for purpose, reflecting the organisation’s strategic plan and the current and anticipated demands of a professional global membership organisation. We are continuing to improve our structures, offerings and business model. As a member organisation, accountability, transparency and sound corporate governance are vitally important to us.
16. Membership Growth & Financial Stability - Business activities increased substantially during 2021 as evidenced by the number of programmes, funding initiatives, and membership recruitment efforts implemented. As our membership has grown and diversified, so too has the importance of ensuring we operate on a sounder commercial footing so that we can continue to reinvest. Current membership stands at 79 which represents a huge 59% increase since January 2019. While our membership number is one important metric, the real measure for us is our member satisfaction and retention rate reflecting how we deliver for you.
Increased financial stability was achieved during 2021 thanks to our Treasurer and Certified Public Accountant Philip T. Bonaventura, with an operating surplus of CHF 51,572, up over 496% on 2020. Year on year increase for 2021 saw partnership funding raise by over 52% from global partners Banco Santander, Edelman, MCD & LLYC. Along with accreditation income up 424% to CHF 30,350.03 and increased membership income up 28% the total operating surplus was CHF 51,572.09 with Global Alliance net assets reaching an all-time 21-year high of CHF 120,891.74 and growing.
So, please for 2022, keep thinking global with your Global Alliance.
Together, we will continue to make the 2020s a decade of renewal and growth for our profession.
Finally, I wish to extend a heartfelt thanks to all my fellow board members and directors. Without their ongoing input, contribution and support (all of which they provide on a wholly voluntary basis), the above achievements would not be possible.
Thank you for your continued support and leadership – please stay safe and well.
And remember…Think Global, Go Global, Be Global with Global Alliance.
My very best wishes,
Justin Green, Hon. Life Fellow APRA, Hon. Life Fellow PRSK, Life Fellow PRII, Hon. Life Fellow ABERJE, Hon. Life Fellow ASEAN, Hon. Life Fellow PRGC, Hon. Life Fellow EIC, Hon. Life Fellow SCCECRL, Hon. Life Fellow APCE, Hon. Life Fellow PIC, Hon. Life Fellow TPRA, Hon. Life Fellow FERPI, Hon. Life Fellow ARPPR.
President & CEO, Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management