Growing Our Reach – Strengthening Our Profession in Turbulent Times
Justin Green, President & CEO, Global Alliance
Annual Report 2022
The saying ‘May You Live in Interesting Times’ has perhaps never seemed more like a curse than a blessing!
There can be no doubt that we continue to live through extraordinary times – times that challenge and stretch all of us as global citizens and as public relations and communications professionals.
At the time of writing, the war in Ukraine continues with terrible loss of life and livelihoods. So many people from that country are still displaced across Europe and beyond while others mourn the lives lost or changed forever since the invasion in early 2022. We also see terrible suffering in Sudan that again reminds us how fragile life is and how democracy and the settled rule of law are not things that everyone can take for granted.
In our own professional sphere, the volatility that we see in society is very much reflected and – in some cases – amplified on social media. The journey that Twitter has been on since its change of ownership in October last has been a colossal case study that academics will analyze for many years to come.
One of the risks during this period of ‘peak news’ is that we overlook slower-burning but no less urgent threats such as the climate emergency. In their March 2023 synthesis report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) painted a stark picture of where our shared planet is going without urgent action to address human-caused climate change. However, they also pointed the way and set out the actions that will reduce losses and damage.
The goal of keeping warming to 1.5°C will only be achieved through a tremendous global effort. We know that more than a century of burning fossil fuels and gobbling up the earth’s resources has led to global warming of 1.1°C above pre-industrial levels. This simply has to stop and we all have a part to play – as leaders, we are called to lead and I urge you to play your part in responding to this pressing issue. The world we pass on to our children and theirs depends on it.
All of this upheaval and uncertainty continues at a time when public trust in established media and public bodies has perhaps never been so frayed. In the arenas where trusted information sources were dominant, we instead now have an ever more fragmented landscape where commentary, facts, half-truths and downright lies all swirl around in an information maelstrom.
If I had a magic wand that worked at global scale, I would use it to roll out age-appropriate media literacy at all levels of education. This is in no way to try and put the genie back in the bottle. There have been many positives to the democratization of information and increased transparency – as the saying goes, sunlight is the best disinfectant. We do though all need to be mindful of the downsides and being frozen or sitting out the debate is not an option that serves society well.
In our professional but also in our personal lives, we are all starting to see Artificial Intelligence play a growing role. From a public relations and communications perspective, this presents definite opportunities but also challenges – the opportunities will be best met and the challenges best addressed by applying a balanced mix of sound judgment and human intelligence. What won’t serve us well is the ostrich position where we bury our heads in the sand and hope AI goes away!
In painting this picture of turbulent times, I am mindful that we are also a privileged generation who live in a time of unprecedented global wealth – albeit terribly unevenly distributed. Science and technology continue to reach new boundaries and breakthroughs in medicine bring the hope of better days for those living with currently untreatable illness and disease.
By our nature, those of us working in communications and public relations tend to be resilient and optimistic – those traits may have been tested through the pandemic years but we have not been found wanting so let us look forward and take the view that the glass is half-full rather than half-empty!
At Global Alliance, we continue to advocate and educate, to advise and nurture.
At our AGM in May 2023, we will gather in Zambia. Each time I go to Africa, I come away energized and clearer than ever that this is the continent with the most untapped potential of any. That is underlined by reflecting how by 2050, a quarter of the world’s population will be African and this will rise to half by 2100. With a median age of 20, it has the youngest and most vibrant population I have ever encountered and the challenges they have overcome in the past has strengthened their resolve to achieve their full potential.
Later in the year, there is a further great opportunity for communications and public relations professionals from around the world to come together in a fascinating location to share insights, hear global leaders and build deeper and more closely connected networks.
The World Public Relations Forum (WPRF) 2023 runs from 21-23 September in Chennai, India and you can find more information and register to attend by clicking here.
So, please - throughout 2023, keep thinking global with your Global Alliance.
Together, we can go further, learn from each other and make a real and lasting difference in this and future generations. During his recent visit to Ireland, U.S. President Joe Biden quoted the Irish poet Eavan Boland who said, “Our words have the power to make history,” while Seamus Heaney urged us to “Believe that further shore is reachable from here”. Let us channel and nourish that positive energy and carry it forward in our daily work!
In presenting the following report of our Global Alliance activity, I want to extend a heartfelt thanks to all Global Alliance board members and directors. Without their ongoing contribution and generous support (all of which they provide on a wholly voluntary basis) allied to our small but powerful professional team, our Alliance’s achievements would not be possible.
Thank you as Global Alliance members for your continued support and leadership. Again, nothing we achieve would be doable without you and please do continue to engage with and challenge us – the more often we hear from you, the better we can serve your organization and your members in turn.
And remember…Think Global, Go Global, Be Global with your 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, Hon. Life Fellow PERHUMAS, Hon. Life Fellow IPRM, Hon. Life Fellow VNPR, Hon. Life Fellow PRSP, Hon. Life Fellow ZIPRC.
President & CEO, Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management
16 Global Alliance Membership Highlights 2022
01. Global Ethics Month (February) - Thousands of public relations and communication professionals participated from Peru to Finland, Canada to Kenya and New Zealand to Germany in a series of webinars focusing on topics such as Trust in Media during the Covid-19 Pandemic; Ethics in Social Media – a Challenge for Brands; AI, Communications and Ethics; Student and Practitioners Online Conference on Ethics and How Lobbying can Serve Democracy. This programme was led by Ethics & Standards Director Kia Haring (ProCom – Finnish Association of Communication Professionals).
02. Global Trends and Communication Transformation Month (March) – As communication professionals, it is important to step back and analyse the main trends impacting the communications industry and how PR professionals are evolving. This year, the world’s PR professionals shared their thoughts on key trends transforming our industry and shaking up our old ways of working and thinking. For instance, the effects of the pandemic on the workforce, the influence of Artificial Intelligence and big data with digitalization and social media development, the impact of fake news and mis/disinformation and the evolving role of communications with the increasingly blurred lines between PR and marketing. This month-long initiative was led and tracked by Vice President Silvia Arto, (COM- EMT - Communication & Enterprise) and the European Regional Council.
03. Education, Training and Development Months (April & May) – Global Alliance hosted and shared free of charge more than €3m worth of education, training and resources to members from experts around the world. This year´s Education, Training and Development Month kicked-off with a global 24-hour marathon of PR & Education videos presented hourly around the clock. Exciting topics on PR and Artificial Intelligence; The Pandemic and Mental Health; Squid Game Impact; Effective Leadership; Trust; Measurement; Ethics in Social Media; ESG and Crisis Management were among the topics presented. This initiative was led by Jaffri Amin Osman, (IPRM – Institute Public Relations Malaysia).
04. Diversity, Equality & Inclusion Month (June) - Thanks to the collaboration of Global Alliance members and prestigious third parties, we gathered a total of 100 educational tools, comprised of articles, webinars, and podcasts about an array of relevant topics on diversity, equity and inclusion. It was also a privilege to have the support of 14 Diversity & Inclusion Champions who participated in dialogue sessions for us to benefit from their experiences, perspectives and insights. This work was led by Gladys Díaz (ARPPR – Puerto Rico Public Relations Association).
05. Health & Wellbeing Month (September) - Three years with a pandemic that no one could ever imagine would happen, wars, climate change, energy and economic crises have required a tremendous capacity for people and societies to adapt. But, unfortunately and despite that agility, we still suffer from a lack of work-life balance. This shows the relevance of Global Alliance’s Health & Wellbeing Month. As Public Relations and Communication advisors, we have a duty to air these concerns and promote change in our organisations, for a better society and, consequently, a better world. This initiative was supported 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. World PR & Communications Month (October) – Global Alliance again led the world in celebrating the world public relations and communications profession. Throughout the month, member organisations joined together to showcase and celebrate the critical work being done by public relations and communications professionals across three key areas: Recognition & Celebration, Advocacy and Credibility. This initiative was led by Bonnie Caver (IABC – International Association of Business Communicators).
07. Student & Young Practitioner Month (November) - Global Alliance promoted career activities aimed at stirring the hearts and minds of students and young practitioners looking to join the ranks of PR professionals. The main activities were Career World, a career orientation webinar for students aimed at building awareness about PR and the wide range of career opportunities that are available for them and Jobs World, a panel discussion where industry experts shared their experiences while working in PR-related fields like investor relations, media and marketing. This 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 free access to a library of over 350 presentations and educational resources - 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 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 educational qualifications.
The Academic Council is chaired by Dean & Prof Dr Amybel Sánchez de Walther (Universidad San Martin de Porres, Peru) along with members Prof Anthony D’Angelo (Newhouse School of Public Communications, Syracuse University, USA), Dr Ángel Alloza (Corporate Excellence - Centre or Reputation Leadership, Spain), Dr 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 three 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 America (Béatrice Guay, Canadian Public Relations Society).
This year, Global Alliance had the opportunity to host an in-person board meeting and AGM in Istanbul, Turkey, hosted by Gonca Karakas (Tühid – Turkish Public Relation Association). There was also an opportunity to speak at the APRA Annual Conference in Tanzania in May, and to engage in live events hosted by LSPR Communication and Business Institute in Indonesia; World Communications; ASEAN PR Network; IPRM – Institute Public Relations Malaysia and UiTM University in Malaysia and VNPR Vietnam PR Network and UEH University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.
Along with our hardworking board of directors and members of our Regional Councils, we have over 60 worldwide ambassadors, providing us with tremendous diversity and a truly innovative outlook.
In particular, thank you to Global Alliance board colleagues, Pamela Yin Xiaodong, Mandy Pearse, Boy Kelana Soebroto, our Global Alliance CAO Mateus Furlanetto and Past-Chair, José Manuel Velasco who all played a key strategic role in the advancement and success of Global Alliance during 2022.
11. Regional Offices – Global Alliance maintained the six regional offices operating in Nairobi, Kenya (Africa), São Paulo, Brazil (Latin America), Gurugram, India (Middle East-South Asia) 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. Approaching the Future 2022: Trends in Reputation and Intangible Asset Management - Companies play an increasingly important role in societies, and their evolution, priorities and decisions depend to a large extent on the socio-economic context. Faced with recent crises and uncertainty, citizens are demanding greater involvement, commitment, and social and environmental activism from organizations, and topics such as purpose, reputation and responsible leadership are taking on unprecedented dimensions, forcing companies to integrate them into their business management strategies. This was among the findings of the report Approaching the Future 2022: Trends in Reputation and Intangible Asset Management, produced by Corporate Excellence - Centre for Reputation Leadership, CANVAS Estrategias Sostenibles and Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management.
13. Global Alliance Public Relations and Communication Model - The Global Alliance PR and Communications Model was rolled out throughout 2022 and is available free for members to share among their membership. 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 organizations. 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 55,000 public relations and communication practitioners, academics, CEOs and students across the world. The model was led by Dr Ángel Alloza and Dr Clara Fontán from Corporate Excellence - Centre for Reputation Leadership (Spain).
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 across the world over the last 12 months. Free access to the Framework continues into 2024, as a benefit of your Global Alliance membership.
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 organization’s strategic plan and the current anticipated demands of a professional global membership organization. We are continuing to improve our structures, offerings and business model. As a member organization, accountability, transparency and sound corporate governance remain vitally important to us.
16. Membership Growth & Financial Stability - Business activities increased substantially during 2022 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 82, a huge 65% increase since January 2019.
Increased financial stability was achieved during 2022 thanks to our Treasurer and Certified Public Accountant, Philip T. Bonaventura. Total Net Assets increased by the total operating surplus generated in 2022 of 13,942, resulting in a Net Asset Balance of 135,216. This represents 201% of the 2022 budgeted operating expenses or 24.1 months of expenses in liquid reserves, which exceeds the industry benchmark of 50% or six months of operating expenses in reserves.
A strong balance sheet enables Global Alliance to plan for investments which will serve to improve and diversify membership offerings while providing a safety net in the event of unforeseen business challenges. Global Alliance’s net asset balance is at its highest level in the history of the Global Alliance, reflecting the focus on member value, innovative programming and diligent stewardship by the Global Alliance board and executive.
Ends.