Opening address by Justin Green, President, Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management at World Public Relations Forum, Chennai, India – 21 September 2023
Minister, friends, colleagues, distinguished guests and speakers, delegates from India and from across Asia, north and south America, Africa, Europe and Middle East.
My name is Justin Green and as President of Global Alliance, I am delighted to welcome you to the 11th World Public Relations Forum. For the first time ever, we assemble for WPRF here in India, and specifically in the city of Chennai.
Global Alliance is a diverse, multicultural organisation representing over 360,000 practitioners and academics from all genders, religions, cultures, societies and races across 126 countries worldwide. Last year, we supported members with over €3m worth of free educational, training and development activities.
Now, I am very aware that many of you have travelled long distances in the last 24 hours and I stand between you and lunch so I will try to keep my remarks as brief as possible – and definitely under an hour 😊
When the 10th WPRF was held in Oslo, Norway in 2018, we could never have guessed that it would be over five years before we would gather in-person again in this way.
None of us could have foreseen the impact of the global pandemic and I think we can all agree that it is brilliant to be able to meet face-to-face once more.
To me, countries like India and others across Asia and Africa are catalysts for global change and represent much of the exciting future of our great profession. You are the leaders taking the lead.
Over the next three days, we will have the opportunity to connect and share in ways that – for all the advances we have seen in technology – just aren’t possible through a screen and webcam.
Here in Chennai – a remarkable city in incredible India – we will hear from global leaders addressing vitally important topics such as diversity and reputation.
Later this afternoon, we will have insights from communications leaders at organizations as different as Bayer in life sciences and NPR in public service broadcasting.
This evening, we will have a wonderful chance to celebrate and recognise global excellence when we hold our first World Public Relations & Communication Awards in nearly 10 years.
Across the days, there is a great mix of real world, frontline case studies and the latest research and learning insights.
Our high-level theme this week is ‘Building Goodwill for Greater Good’ and we will have many chances to exchange insights from around the world on how our profession is evolving.
I encourage you to really stretch out of your comfort zone during the short time that we have together. Bring an open mind to the discussions and think about the part you play as a leader and how you can apply what you learn here when you return home.
For me, when I think about the importance of goodwill, I keep coming back to the core principles of truth and trust. I see goodwill as an intangible asset that we store and bank up through how we behave over time.
When we are truthful and honest in our dealings, we build up trust and goodwill that we benefit from later.
If – however – we allow our standards or the standards of those around us to slip below the line then we will very quickly erode people’s trust in us and deplete our stock of goodwill.
Like other aspects of their reputation, people who jeopardise trust and goodwill often realise that it is a lot more difficult to restore than to protect in the first place.
Their ability to positively influence others can soon slip away and a hard-earned reputation can be lost quickly.
If we needed a reminder of the importance of truth and trust, then we got it through the surge in disinformation and misinformation that we saw during the pandemic and more recently in the war in Ukraine.
These macro trends are not going away. Social media has been an accelerant here as people go in search of evidence and theories to support their existing prejudices rather than letting the evidence inform and shape their beliefs.
There is no way to put this genie back in the bottle, but it makes it ever more important that we as public relations and communication professionals uphold the highest ethical standards.
If we continue to act as honest brokers, we will serve those we represent, our profession and - ultimately – society well.
I mentioned the spread of dubious information and conspiracy theories during the pandemic.
It is important to say that many people across our profession did tremendous work at the height of the public health emergency – work that saved many lives.
I think here in particular of those working on communications for national and global health agencies who had responsibility for promoting safeguards against COVID-19 and, once they became available, encouraging high uptake of vaccines.
They did this – often under tremendous pressure – because they believed in science, they believed in truth and they believed in trust.
While we rightly applaud our healthcare professionals for their service at the frontline, I think those who helped spread reliable, science-based information during the crisis should also be recognised for a job well done. Crucially, the best of these leaders were always willing to acknowledge when there were things they didn’t know rather than claiming knowledge they didn’t have in a fast-moving situation.
So, if the pandemic proved the value and importance of a professional approach to public relations and communication, what’s next for those of us privileged to work in this great profession?
We hear more and more about Artificial Intelligence and A.I. is often cited as a looming threat to traditional ways of working.
For me, this and other emerging technologies should be approached with caution but also with an open mind so that we don’t miss any opportunities they present because we are blinded by the risks.
Something that I have focused on through my time as Global Alliance president has been how we elevate our profession and ensure we are represented in decision-making in the same way that other disciplines such as finance; legal and human resources typically are.
Never before has public relations and communications been more important. We have the power to change the world – you have the power to change the world! We are among the most powerful influencers, working alongside global leaders in every sector to help them create and deliver compelling messages to their audiences. We were a long time talking about getting to the table – at our best now, we are crafting the table!
We are often the ones who help provide a voice to those unable to speak out for themselves; we can bring a conscience and sound judgment to business and government; we are at the forefront of the battle to address the climate crisis and, around the world, we fight for equality and justice by applying our skills to highlight their absence.
If we needed any reminding of how fast the world is changing, we have been given it over the recent past by the Indian Space Research Organisation with their successful unmanned moon landing followed earlier this month by blast off for a voyage towards the centre of the solar system! Let’s try to tap into that spirit of ambition and adventure while we are here together and when we disperse afterwards.
Finally – and with a view to retaining your trust by keeping my earlier promise not to delay lunch a moment longer than I have to – I would like to sincerely thank our sponsors and partners, all the team here in India and at Global Alliance who have worked together to build this week’s tremendous programme.
The Global Alliance presidency is a great privilege for me to hold but I am always mindful that while I get the spotlight on days like today, I do so on behalf of very committed people who often stay behind the scenes. These leaders put in a huge amount of voluntary work to ensure we have maximum impact and deliver real value to members and our profession more widely.
Let me welcome and introduce you to some the Global Alliance family on stage:
From India, our chief host Amith;
our Vice President from France, Silvia;
from the United States of America, Philip;
from Portugal, Paula;
from Vietnam, My;
from Canada representing North America, Béatrice;
from Kenya, representing Africa Peter;
from Zambia, Irene;
from Nigeria, Prof. & Dr. Wolé;
from the Philippines, Ana and Norman;
from Bangladesh, Prof. & Dr. Jude;
from Spain, José;
from Brazil, Hamilton;
from New Zealand, Fiona;
from Malaysia, Jaffri;
from Peru, Dean, Prof. & Dr. Amybel;
from Indonesia, Boy
and, of course, our Global Alliance CAO, Mateus from Brazil.
So, honouring their work, let’s make the most of our time together and create a lasting legacy from this week’s opportunity to connect.
I also encourage you to take advantage of our exciting venue and explore Chennai and beyond if your schedule allows. We could not wish for more hospitable hosts or a more fascinating city and country.
As many of you will have seen, India surpassed China as the world’s most populous country this year. Those 1.4 billion people generate tremendous energy and vitality.
India, you have so much to teach all of us about seizing the moment and being so much stronger together.
Lastly, a reminder that our words have the power to make history…and today you are making history!
My name is Justin Green, I am so, so proud to be your President, of the Global Alliance.
Thank you!