Download new thinking
Professor Jim Macnamara PhD, Professor of Public Communication, University of Technology, Sydney, presented new thinking at the International Summit in Amsterdam.
Download his Paper:
“A New Paradigm and Model for Measurement and Evaluation” - a new approach to “Up The Game”.Return on Engagement
Chris Foster, Vice President, Booz Allen Hamilton showed how media and metrics go hand in hand with a visual showing the Evolution of Communications Measurement, presented as part of his Summit paper on Return on Engagement.Summit Pictures
See pictures from the AMEC International Summit in Amsterdam. View the Gallery.
Speakers – we have a great line-up!
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Alex Aiken
Executive Director of Government Communications, HM Government UK
Alex Aiken is the Executive Director of Government Communications. Based in Downing Street and the Cabinet Office, Alex is the most senior communications professional in the Civil Service. His role covers government communications strategy, management of the Cabinet Office and No.10 operation and leadership of the profession.
He was Director of Communications & Strategy at Westminster City Council, 2000-13. At Westminster he built a team that was recognised to be the best in local government and a created a successful consultancy operation providing services to other organisations.
Before joining Westminster he held senior posts at Conservative Central Office, leading the Party’s Campaigns Unit from 1999-2000 and the Press Office between 1995 and 1999. He has trained politicians and officials in newly democratic states around the world in communications techniques.
He lives in Pimlico, London with his family.
Richard Bagnall
CEO, PRIME Research UK
Richard has 20 years’ experience in PR measurement. He co-founded and led Metrica as its Managing Director, developing the company from a start up to one of the world’s most formidable international specialists before selling it to Gorkana in 2009. He spent the next four years as Gorkana’s MD of global insights integrating Metrica’s measurement services into the organisation.
One of the world’s most experienced media analysis consultants Richard is now the CEO of PRIME Research UK and SVP of PRIME Research Europe. At PRIME Research Richard’s focus in on helping clients to get most value from their insights in both traditional and social media measurement. He believes passionately in the importance of education for the industry and is a board director of AMEC and chairs its social media measurement committee. As part of this work he was instrumental in driving the industry towards using credible standardised metrics and focussing on analysing the things that matter rather. He is a member of the CIPR’s social media panel with whom he has published two books on digital PR writing the chapters on social media measurement in both books.
Richard is a member of the UK Government’s Cabinet Office Evaluation Council which meets every 6 weeks to guide Government Departments and Arm’s Length Bodies on how best to measure their communications. In addition to this work, Richard was one of three external specialist reviewers that completed a full analysis of the UK Government’s Digital Communications Capabilities co-authoring a report on which findings all Government digital communications strategy for the future will be based.
Sara Blázquez
Managing Director, Burson-Marsteller Spain
Sara Blázquez is Managing Director in Burson-Marsteller Spain. With 24 years of experience in communication consultancy, she is responsible for the Specialized Communication business unit of the firm in Spain and client leader of Telefónica since 2008. After the development of specific methodologies on measurement based on the Evidence-Based culture of Burson Marsteller, she leads the Strategic Evaluation specialized area for Burson Marsteller Spain.
She is also leader of the practice of Crisis Communication for the company in Spain and an active member of the BM European Crisis Response Network. She evaluates the media image of Telefónica worldwide and gives on-going advice to the Communication Strategy. Other clients which are part of her professional experience are BBVA, CBRE, Brewers of Spain, Brewers of Europe, Atento, Shell, SCA, AENA (airports network of Spain), Bosch, McCain, Costa, HP, Leroy Merlin, Siemens, Roche, BP Oil, Unilever, Coca-Cola, ONCE, Aventis, CEPSA, Astra Zeneca, VIPS or Johnson & Johnson
Giselle Bodie
Global CEO, Salience
Giselle Bodie is the global CEO of Salience, the media insight division of News Group International, a global provider of business intelligence and media resource services. Salience’s services range from the quantitative and qualitative analysis of earned media content appearing in social media, broadcast, traditional & online media channels, through to consultative partnering with clients to develop research-based approaches which improve the targeting and efficiency of their communications.
Giselle has a 20 year track record of leading and managing large and small companies in the media intelligence industry and has previously held the posts of COO Europe, Kantar Media Intelligence, Managing Director, Cision UK and Managing Director, Echo Research. Giselle is passionate about the role of research and media evaluation within the corporate environment and believes it should be seen as a strategic resource that delivers both business-critical insights and drives action plans for change.
Paul Braun
Owner & President, Braun Research
Braun Research, Inc. (BRI) is a privately owned Marketing and Public Opinion Research firm headquartered in Princeton, NJ. With the vision of Paul Braun, Owner and President, Braun Research opened its doors in 1995, and has been a rapidly growing company offering a wide range of alternatives individually tailored to meet the needs of its ever-expanding clientele. Braun Research and its experienced, dedicated staff ensure timely, accurate, and professional CATI and internet fielding services as well as data/post-processing capabilities.
Braun Research caters to an array of clientele, including academic organizations, government agencies, religious organizations, foundations and as well as advertising agencies. These clients have looked to Braun for precise telephone and internet data collection that often extends internationally.
Now with over 33 years of industry-leading experience in research and data collection, Paul Braun continues to lead Braun Research in its commitment to delivering fast, accurate and high quality results.
Melanie Brooks
Head of Global Communications, CARE International
Melanie Brooks is the Head of Global Communications for CARE International, one of the world’s largest humanitarian aid agencies. With 13 years’ experience in journalism, media relations and international communications, Ms. Brooks is responsible for leading and building the capacity of a multicultural, multilingual global network of 80 communications professionals in CARE offices worldwide in order to raise awareness of CARE’s work and critical humanitarian and development issues.
As part of CARE’s senior management team, Ms. Brooks develops and implements an annual global communications plan, including the coordination of global communications initiatives, development of communications training modules, implementation of communications procedures and standards, and monitoring and evaluation of communications and media work. Ms. Brooks has lived and worked in many countries around the world and has deployed to crises as part of CARE’s emergency response team to major emergencies such as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and the Horn of Africa food crisis in 2011. Ms. Brooks has a Bachelor of Journalism from Carleton University in Canada and is completing her Msc in Public Policy and Management at the University of London in the UK.
Johna Burke
Executive Vice President of Marketing and Sales, BurrellesLuce
A PR practitioner for over 20 years, I use my expertise in media relations, public relations, measurement, and analysis to act as an advocate for PR professionals and the PR profession. I joined the BurrellesLuce team in 2000, after 12 years as a BurrellesLuce client when I was Director of Public Relations and Investor Relations at U-Haul.
Now as Executive Vice President of Marketing and Sales at BurrellesLuce, my PR approach is “Truth first, details second.” I’m a member of PRSA, AMEC Social Media Work Group, Measurement Conclave, and IABC, where I was also the Southern Region Chair in 2009.
Dawn Conway
COO, Cision US and Chair, AMEC Content & Copyright Committee
As Cision’s Chief Operating Officer, Dawn leads Cision’s sales, marketing, finance, analysis, research and content acquisition teams to drive the overall strategic vision for the U.S. business. Prior to joining Cision in 2012, Dawn held key leadership positions within LexisNexis in global licensing, business development, sales and marketing.
She is an attorney, current member of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, National Association of Women Lawyers, and a member of the American Bar Association Anti Human Trafficking Task Force. She is currently the Chair of AMEC’s Content Committee and past board member of the Content Division of the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) which provides a forum for companies that publish and distribute online content or facilitate the licensing, presentation, and distribution of digital information products.
She is the recipient of the 2011 Nomi Network Corporate Social Responsibility Award, founding member of the Global Business Coalition against Human Trafficking and a frequent speaker on the role of business in combatting human trafficking.
Karen Crawford
CEO. Mediaverse Pty Ltd
Karen Crawford is CEO of Mediaverse Pty Ltd, a leading media intelligence agency providing bespoke media evaluation services to major corporations and government departments. She oversees the communications measurement frameworks for many iconic Australian brands. Karen is at the forefront of innovation in communications evaluation and is passionate about shaping the way communicators view their media evaluation.
Karen holds a Bachelor of Business and is a Chartered Accountant. A former partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Karen’s 25 year career in global professional services including 9 years as a Partner in PwC’s Private Clients, means she brings a wealth of top-tier business experience to the communications measurement field.
Christophe Dickes
Global Copyright Director, Kantar Media
Christophe Dickès is in charge of copyrights at Kantar Media News Intelligence across Europe. He works with the publishers and the RRO at an international level. He was the Clipping Production Director at Press Index during 6 years (2006-2012).
Today, he also collaborates with the marketing team in developing a vision of the monitoring business, locally and globally. Christophe holds a doctorate in Contemporary History and a master degree in Politics and Media. He is a contributor to several media and publications.
Sam Flemming
Founder and CEO, CIC
CIC is China’s first and foremost provider of social business intelligence. For over 15 years Sam has been at the forefront of China’s digital (r)evolution. Sam founded CIC in 2004
CIC’s tools and professional services help businesses convert the ‘chatter’ from the world’s largest, most active digital market, into superior business performance. Sam has a keen understanding of the landscape’s leading players and the evolving relationship between advertisers and consumers. Extensively referenced and interviewed by media sources worldwide, Sam is highly respected amongst industry experts. CIC is part of Kantar Media, a WPP company, which recently acquired Fisheye Analytics, enabling CIC to expand its coverage to 190 countries and 67 languages.
Christophe Folschette
Co-Founder and Sales Director, Talkwalker
Christophe is co-founder and sales director at Talkwalker. He left business consulting at Accenture to follow his entrepreneurial spirit and firm belief in the value of social media intelligence for businesses. From years of meeting with clients and developing Talkwalker, Christophe has become a cross-functional specialist in understanding the data and analytics requirements for clients’ business needs.
Christophe holds an MSc degree in computer science and economics from the Munich University of Technology. During this time he created two tech startups and won an innovation and entrepreneurship competition.
Christian Foster
Vice President, Booz Allen Hamilton
Christian is a leader in the firm’s Strategy and Organization capability, focused on strategic communications within the healthcare business. His professional experience includes a broad knowledge of public health, managed care, healthcare provider groups, media relations, and pharmaceutical marketing, as well as brand communications and reputation management. He has worked in a variety of environments ranging from global public relations agencies and trade associations to national political campaigns and health insurance companies.
Christian led many national and global public awareness and communications campaigns for companies including Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Amgen and Novartis. He specializes in working with the federal government and private healthcare companies on brand and reputation management, stakeholder engagement and public education campaigns. In addition to leading and implementing global communications campaigns, he has extensive experience in crisis and litigation communications.
In the public health arena, he has led communications, marketing, and grassroots campaigns for the US Department of Health and Human Services (Office of the Secretary), Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Office of Minority Health.
Prior to joining Booz Allen Hamilton, Mr. Foster served as Chairman of the US Healthcare Practice for Burson-Marsteller. In addition to healthcare, Mr. Foster’s background includes working in sports and entertainment, travel and tourism, financial services, and consumer products.
Ambassador Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic
Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy, NATO
Ambassador Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović took up her position as NATO’s Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy on 4 July 2011. Having previously served as Croatia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration and, more recently, as Ambassador of Croatia to the United States (2008 – 2011), Ambassador Grabar-Kitarović is well-versed in Euro-Atlantic diplomacy and security issues.
Born in Rijeka, Croatia, Ambassador Grabar-Kitarović holds a master’s degree in international relations from the Faculty of Political Science, University of Zagreb. She was also a Fulbright Scholar at the George Washington University, a Luksic Fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and a visiting scholar at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) of the Johns Hopkins University in Washington, D.C. She began her career in 1992 as an advisor to the International Cooperation Department of Croatia’s Ministry of Science and Technology, moving on to become an advisor in the Foreign Ministry.
In 1995, Ambassador Grabar-Kitarović became director of the Foreign Ministry’s North American Department, and from 1997 to 2000, she worked as a diplomatic counsellor and DCM at the Croatian Embassy in Canada. She then returned to the Foreign Ministry as Minister-Counsellor.
In November 2003, Ambassador Grabar-Kitarović was elected to the Croatian Parliament and in December 2003, she became the Minister of European Integration. She was sworn in as Croatia’s Foreign Minister in February 2005, her central task being to guide the country into the European Union and NATO.Ambassador Grabar-Kitarović is the first woman ever to be appointed Assistant Secretary General of NATO.
David Gribnau
President, VPRA
Since 2006 David Gribnau has been the owner of Gribnau Communications, a no nonsence PR Agency. Before David was working as a spokesperson of Randstad and working as a consultant for Hill and Knowlton. Since 2010 he has been a member of the board of VPRA and since 2012 VPRA’s President.
Since he has been member of the VPRA board the organisation has grown from 19 members up to 60.
Paul Holmes
CEO, Holmes Group
Paul Holmes has spent more than 25 years writing about public relations. He currently serves as chief executive of The Holmes Group.
Founded in 2000, The Holmes Group produces several products, all designed to share news, analysis and commentary of the global public relations industry. The group’s activities include:
Holmes plays a leadership role in all of The Holmes Group activities, serving as editor of The Holmes Report and the Report Cards; chairman of the judges of the SABRE Awards; and chair of the Global Summit.
Prior to launching The Holmes Group, Holmes served as editor and publisher of Inside PR and Reputation Management magazine, both of which provided coverage of the US public relations business. Before that, he was news editor of PR Week in the UK and launch editor of PR Week in the US. He also worked briefly with Adweek and Adweek’s Marketing Week in the late 80s.
He has also consulted with corporations and public relations agencies around the world, and is a frequent speaker on issues related to corporate reputation, corporate responsibility, social media, and related topics.
Allyson Hugley
Executive Vice President, Measurement, Analytics and Insights, Weber Shandwick & Chair, AMEC European Chapter
Allyson Hugley has more than 16 years of experience in consumer trends analysis and communications research. Since joining Weber Shandwick in 2011, she has worked on communications evaluation and audience insights projects for a variety of key clients including the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, Verizon, Novartis, Stratasys, Electrolux, Unilever and Pepsi.
Prior to Weber Shandwick, Allyson was the senior vice president of insight creation at MSLGROUP, where she was responsible for leading research and measurement initiatives for the Americas.
Allyson is the co-chair of the North American chapter of the International Association for the Measurement and Evaluation of Communications (AMEC), a member of the AMEC board and a member of the Market Research Council. In 2012, she was recognized among PRWeek’s Top 40 Under 40 and a finalist for the PRNews 2012 Measurement Person of the Year.
Allyson has a Master of Business Administration degree with a concentration in international marketing, from CUNY Baruch Zicklin School of Business and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Hispanic Studies from Connecticut College.
Francis Ingham
Director General, PRCA and Chief Executive, ICCO
Francis Ingham is Director General of the PRCA, the largest PR association in Europe, representing over 12,000 practitioners. He is also Chief Executive of the International Communication Consultancy Organization (ICCO), the global PR body which represents over 1,700 agencies through 29 national associations in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas and Australasia. He is a Director of the Speakers’ Corner Trust, and sits on the Council of the London Chamber of Commerce, and on the Court of the PR Guild. He is a visiting lecturer at the University of Westminster, for its Public Relations degree.
Prior to joining the PRCA in 2007, he worked at the CIPR as Assistant Director General and Head of Public Affairs. Before those roles, he worked for the CBI and the Conservative Party. Francis has also been Vice Chairman of an NHS Trust, a London Councillor, and served on various Local Government Association Executives, including its Reputation Taskforce.
Ann-Sofie Krol
Analysis Manager Nordic Region, Opoint
Ann-Sofie Krol has a background in Communications and Management. During her time in the analysis market her focus has always been on how to bring value and insight to her customers on a strategic, tactical and operational level.
With a strong understanding of communication organisations and processes, she and her co-workers at Opoint deliver KPI-driven analysis and measurement to the Nordic market.
Julian Lambertin
Head of Strategy & Analytics, Weber Shandwick
Julian is Weber Shandwick’s Head of Strategy & Analytics in Germany and part of the analytics leadership team within the EMEA region. He is an expert on strategy as well as measurement and evaluation. He is responsible for Weber Shandwick’s offer in the areas of market research, strategy consulting as well as measurement & evaluation. Julian is based in Cologne but works across offices within the EMEA region.
Before joining Weber Shandwick he has been a Teaching Fellow at Bond University, Australia, where he did research and gave classes on undergraduate and graduate level. Julian also holds a Master of Communication from Bond. Prior migrating to Australia, Julian was awarded a Master of Arts in Communication Science as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Science & Philosophy at the University of Erfurt, Germany. He also lectured in Public Relations & Event Management during his time in Erfurt.
Evgeniy Larionov
CEO, Ex Libris and Chair, Professional Development Committee, AMEC
Mr. Larionov graduated from the applied mathematics department of Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia with a master’s degree. He also holds an Executive MBA degree from the SKOLKOVO Moscow School of Management.
His career started in 1998 when IBS Group Holding Ltd.’s IBS hired him as media editing specialist to its e-media distribution department. Later he headed the company’s sales.
In 2005 he joined the media analysis/measurement industry by taking the Chief Commercial Officer position in Ex Libris Agency. In 2007 he became the company’s managing director. Over the years, Ex Libris has reinforced its firm foothold as a leading market player, having gained the reputation of a reliable and highly qualified partner with expertise in the evaluation and creation of information strategies. Ex Libris has also built up solid contacts with Russia’s leading PR companies and with media market players across the globe.
Barry Leggetter
CEO, AMEC
Barry Leggetter is CEO of the international Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication (AMEC).
He has been responsible for driving initiatives which have turned AMEC into an international body, enjoying rapid growth with members in over 40 countries.
He previously spent 25 years in PR consultancy and was UK Managing Director for three major public relations networks, Porter Novelli, Fleishman-Hillard and Golin/Harris, climaxing his PR career in the role of international Chairman of Bite Communications.
Ben Levine
Research Director, Global Research & Analytics, Ketchum
Ben first joined Ketchum’s Global Research & Analytics team in 2005, and has spent the last three years leading and growing Ketchum London’s research and measurement team.
As a member of KGRA, Ben counsels, designs and leads research, measurement and evaluation projects with a focus on PR and communications. Ben has worked with a variety of clients from different sectors including banking, consumer electronics, lifestyle, corporate, and bio-technology including Philips, Bank of America, Geek Squad, Premier Foods, P&G, Pfizer, MasterCard and DSM.Ben’s research experience covers both qualitative and quantitative methods and approaches, including surveys used to drive and analyze messaging, online focus groups used to shape brand positioning, media analyses used to gauge corporate reputation, and brand tracking surveys used to measure and understand communication’s impact on audience outcomes
Christina Liao
SVP and Senior Partner, Global Director, Research & Analytics, FleishmanHillard
Christina leads FleishmanHillard’s Global Research & Analytics team. In her role, she’s responsible for strategic direction of the team, talent development, and guiding the firm’s research offerings for clients globally.
Most recently, she was Group Director, Knowledge & Insights at The Coca-Cola Company, where she worked extensively on determining ROI across the Owned, Earned, Shared, Paid media channels for marketing and communication campaigns.
Christina is a frequent speaker at research and industry conferences. She is the proven leader and expert in consulting with industries on the appropriate use of data, analytics, measurement and metrics. She has been called upon to design and conduct multi-brand studies in different areas such as brand positioning, campaign effectiveness, and Return on Investment. Her work help shape the direction of brand investment, media buy, communication strategy, etc. During her nearly two decades in the measurement and analytics field, Christina has worked in both the private and public sectors and served clients in a variety of industries, from consumer packaged goods to pharmaceuticals, hospitality to insurance and financial services.
Philip Lynch
Director of Media Evaluation, Kantar Media News Intelligence
Philip is Director of Media Evaluation for Kantar Media News Intelligence, the media analytics arm of WPP’s Kantar research group. He has 17 years’ experience of media analysis and is Kantar Media News Intelligence’s lead consultant on client reputation and media management.
Philip has worked with Kantar partners to develop measurement methodologies for both mainstream and social media. More recently he has focused on the development of cross-platform analytics for paid, owned and earned media. He is also working to create new ROI models through the integration of media measurement and market research.
Vanessa Lynch
Senior Analyst, Kantar Media Ireland
As Senior Analyst, Vanessa oversees the delivery of all Kantar Media’s evaluation services. She has almost 15 years experience in the media analysis arena across both the UK and Ireland and is an active member of the international Association for the Measurement and Evaluation of Communication (AMEC), sitting on both the Professional Development and Membership committees.
Vanessa has conducted media evaluation reports clients across a broad spectrum of industry sectors, and indeed, has won numerous awards for her work. Her remit ensures that Kantar Media’s standards of evaluation and measurement are maintained to a high quality standard.
Professor Jim Macnamara PhD, FAMI, CPM, FPRIA, FAMEC
Professor of Public Communications, University of Technology, Sydney
Jim Macnamara took up the position of Professor of Public Communication in 2007 after a distinguished 30-year career in professional communication practice spanning journalism, public relations, and media and communication research. He was named inaugural ‘Educator of the Year’ at the World Public Relations Forum in 2012.
Jim’s involvement in measurement and evaluation goes back to the early 1990s when he completed a Master of Arts degree by research into measuring the impact of PR on the media and he was one of the authors of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA) Gold Paper on Evaluation published in 1994. The following year he established the Asia Pacific franchise of media analysis firm CARMA International, which he headed for more than a decade before selling it to iSentia in 2006.
He is the author of numerous papers and articles and 13 books including Public Relations Theories, Practices, Critiques (2012); The 21st Century Media (R)evolution, which is a comprehensive global analysis of social media (2nd edition released in November 2013); and Journalism and PR: Unpacking ‘Spin’, Stereotypes and Media Myths (2014).
Andre Manning
Global Head of Public Affairs & PR, Booking.com
Andre recently joined the online booking platform Booking.com after 19 years with Royal Philips Electronics, latterly as Vice President and Global Head of External Communications, Royal Philips.
Manning is an experienced and results oriented communications leader who has held various international communications leadership positions and has lived and worked in the Netherlands, Czech Republic and the United States.
At Philips he worked closely together with the Philips Executive Committee while he improved the efficiency, effectiveness and accountability of the communications function and introduced a new company wide PR agency model, including an award winning and industry leading PR measurement system. In 2011 Andre was the winner of the Sabre award for individual achievement. He was included in the 2011 and 2012 Holmes Report 100 list of the World’s Most Influential Communicators while at the end of 2012 he was awarded PR measurement expert of the year by PR News.
Andre strongly believes that individuals make less of a difference than the whole team and the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. During the weekends he coaches the sports teams of his children, loves to listen to music or reading literature.
Marion McDonald
Managing Director, Strategy & Effectiveness, Ogilvy Public Relations, Asia Pacific Region Chair, Asia Pacific Chapter, International Association for Measurement & Evaluation of Communications (AMEC)
Well known for her “show me the money!” approach, Marion draws on two decades of client-side experience supporting marketing investments to CFOs, coupled with training as a Deloitte auditor. With a proven track record of profitably increasing sales and market share at Allergan, Procter & Gamble, Revlon and Reckitt Benckiser, her approach is founded on a strong desire to see marketing connect to the bottom line.
Joining Ogilvy PR in 2008, Marion led global PR strategy for Unilever’s Pond’s and Lux, partnered with Team WPP/Ford team on lifestyle PR and lead a cross-discipline Unilever global agency team.
In addition to driving the quality of strategy & insight across Asia Pacific region, Marion has served on regional award juries for Spikes, SABRE, Campaign PR Week and AMEC globally. She leads effectiveness measurement and co-developed Ogilvy’s global PR activation tool for holistic consumer brand PR.
Kevin Murray
Chairman, Good Relations Group
Kevin Murray is author of a best-selling book entitled: “The Language of Leaders.” The book examines how top leaders communicate to inspire, influence and achieve results, and is the result of more than 70 in depth interviews with the Chairmen and CEO’s of some of the world’s leading businesses, charities and public sector organisations. His second book, Communicate to Inspire – a guide for leaders, is to be published in early 2014.
Kevin is also Chairman of the Good Relations Group, the Public Relations Division of Chime Communications.
As a consultant, Kevin specialises in the field of strategic communications and reputation management, and leadership communications coaching. He has years of experience advising chairmen and chief executives, as well as directors of communication and marketing. He also has considerable experience in managing complex and global communications projects and departments.
His own leadership journey started when he had to lead a newsroom full of highly independent journalists on The Star newspaper, in Johannesburg. Since then, he has led teams and businesses for more than three decades.
Previously he was the director of communications for British Airways and, before that, Director of Corporate Affairs for AEA Technology. Prior to AEA, Kevin was Group Public Relations Manager for Bayer companies in the UK.
Matt Neale
President, GolinHarris
Matt Neale is President of GolinHarris’s international operations in charge of the agency’s offices in EMEA. A 16 year veteran of the Interpublic Group, Matt has launched brands and products around the world.
On his watch, GolinHarris was named ‘Consultancy of the Year’ 3 times in the UK in 2012.
Matt specialises in international brand and product communications and has been fortunate to work with some of the world’s leading CEOs, designers, photographers and artists. He currently advises Unilever, Orange and Kraft.
Matt is passionate about transforming the PR industry into one that operates in all four media channels: earned, owned, shared and bought. His agency has undertaken a global restructure transforming all staff from being ‘PR generalists’ to members of four communities: creatives, strategists, connectors and catalysts.
Matt was elected the youngest board member of the Public Relations Consultancy Association (PRCA) and currently chairs its Best Practice Committee.
François Nicolon
Global CMO, Kantar Media
François is a marketing professional with extensive experience in the media and communications industry. He was appointed Global CMO of Kantar Media│News Intelligence in 2013.
François co-ordinates the news monitoring and PR research businesses for global market research leader Kantar, with operational hubs across Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific regions. He oversees Kantar Media’s range of products and services in the content monitoring area, for brand exposure measurement, media impact analysis, PR and social evaluation, media reputation tracking.
He has more than 15 years of international media practice, with past experience including media giant RTL Group and leading newswire AFP.
Dr. Olivier Oullier
Professor of Behavioral and Brain Sciences Aix-Marseille University France
Olivier Oullier is a consultant for public and private organizations, he designs and implements evidence-informed behavior change and engagement strategies. Currently, Olivier is on France’s High Council for Strategic Education and Research and works with the French Parliamentary Office for the Evaluation of Scientific and Technological Choices.
Previously, he was an adviser at the Centre for Strategic Analysis of the French Prime Minister where he was in charge of the neuroscience and public policy program. Olivier is a Member of the Steering Committee of the Presidential Obesity Plan and the Virtual Brain Project. He is also Vice-Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Neuroscience and Behavior and Founding Curator of the Marseille Global Shapers Hub.
Olivier is a columnist and author of several publications, including “Improving public health prevention with behavioral and brain sciences” and “The Science of Engagement”.
“The Science of Engagement” is a project driven by Olivier and Weber Shandwick to more thoroughly understand how engagement affects behavior and how this can be applied to communication strategies to improve planning and sharpen evaluation. Olivier acts as a scientific consultant to Weber Shandwick.
Adam Parker
Founder, Lissted
Adam brings a unique perspective to PR and measurement. A chartered accountant and a Fellow of the ICAEW, he started his career with PwC spending over nine years in its audit, corporate finance and consultancy practices.
In 2000 he helped start RealWire, the UK’s first dedicated online news release distribution company and has operated as its CEO for the past seven years. RealWire was the first European company to offer a social media news release service in 2007 and is used by many of the UK’s top PR agencies and their blue chip clients.
Adam is a member of the CIPR’s Social Media Panel and contributed chapters to the CIPR’s Share This books on the need to incorporate Twitter into a modern media relations strategy and how to understand and measure social capital online.
His latest venture, Lissted, takes a radical superhuman approach to social listening and influencer discovery that uses real world authority to identify and predict who matters, and the conversations that matter.
Cindy Penders
Manager of External Communications, ING Netherlands
Cindy Penders is Manager of External Communications at ING Netherlands. She is an advisor on media- PR and stakeholder activities for the company in the Netherlands, which includes media relations, PR events, crisis communications, stakeholder dialogues and social media activities aimed at improving the ING reputation.
Prior to working for ING she was responsible for the communication strategy and activities of the Dutch branded goods manufacturer’s association and worked as a financial journalist for different Dutch media.
Dr David B. Rockland
Partner / CEO and Managing Director Ketchum Change and Global Research and Chairman, International Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication (AMEC)
Dr. David Rockland leads Ketchum’s research, measurement, analytics and insights services. In addition, he is CEO for Ketchum Change, the firm’s change communications consulting enterprise. He manages approximately 160 people across the two business units in about 20 offices globally. He also formed Ketchum Interactive, now known as Ketchum Digital.
David took over as international Chair of AMEC in January after serving on the Board and being inaugural chair of AMEC’s North American Chapter. He led the development and implementation of the first-ever industry standards for PR measurement in 2010, the Barcelona Principles, as well as the setting of a 2020 agenda for measurement and evaluation of communication. In part for that effort, he was inducted into the PRNews Measurement Hall of Fame in April, 2012. He regularly lectures at various conferences and other events around the world about the Barcelona Principles and other aspects of communications measurement, and writes a monthly column on measurement for the Public Relations Society of America. He is an emeritus member of the IPR Commission on PR Measurement and Evaluation, and was its Chairman for 2007 and 2008.
Prior to joining Ketchum, David was Senior Vice President and Managing Director for Roper Starch Worldwide where he managed the company’s environmental and public relations practice areas. David previously owned his own firm, The Rockland Group, specialized in environmental issues management and marketing, which he sold to Roper Starch in 1998. Clients included the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, BHP Copper, International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, and Public Lands Foundation. He has also held the top corporate communications role at two large global corporations.
Arturo Romboli
Strategic Planning Specialist, Division of Communication UNICEF HQ (New York)
Arturo is responsible for organizational and strategic planning for the Division of Communication (DOC), UNICEF HQ in New York. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) provides long-term humanitarian and developmental assistance to children and mothers in developing countries. In his position, Arturo coordinates demand management for communication support and oversees monitoring and evaluation of various initiatives. Arturo is currently involved in the development of a Global Communication Strategy for UNICEF that includes the implementation of a global integrated media monitoring and impact analysis programme.
Prior to join the Office of the Director, Arturo co-led the Social and Civic Media team in the Digital Section. In that position he contributed to conceptualizing, designing and executing social media and civic engagement initiatives for UNICEF’s key audiences.
David T. Senay
President and Chief Executive Officer, FleishmanHillard
Senay, joined FleishmanHillard’s St. Louis headquarters staff in 1984 as an account executive focused on consumer marketing. In the 30 years since, he has taken on increasing responsibilities, serving at various times as a group leader; as general manager of the St. Louis headquarters office; as regional president for the Central U.S., for Canada, and for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He also has played a key role in the firm’s long-term planning process. He became president and chief executive officer of the firm in July 2006, the third in its
68-year history.In his role as CEO, Senay is transforming the agency to respond to major trends such as the convergence of social media with traditional communication channels; the need to integrate communications across paid, earned, shared and owned media; and the growing globalization of client communications needs.
In June 2011, Senay served as Jury President of the PR program judging of the Cannes Festival of Creativity, chairing a panel of 16 judges from 14 countries, reviewing 819 entries from around the world. That same year, he was inducted in the PRNews Hall of Fame.
Eileen Sheil
Executive Director, Corporate Communications, Cleveland Clinic
Eileen M. Sheil, MPA is the Executive Director of Corporate Communications for the Cleveland Clinic, one of the largest academic medical centers in the United States. Sheil oversees internal and external strategic communications, crisis and issues management, media relations and serves as the chief spokesperson for the health system locally, nationally, and internationally.
Sheil’s expertise is in crisis communications and is a part of the executive leadership team. She is intimately involved in protecting and promoting the reputation of the Cleveland Clinic and highlighting the clinical, institutional, and business priorities of the organization. She also serves as a voting member of the Innovation Management & Conflict of Interest Committee.
As one of Ohio’s largest employers with nearly 42,000 employees across Northeast Ohio, Florida, Nevada, Canada, and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, Sheil’s team is also responsible for employee and physician communication that drives employee engagement, behavioral and cultural changes, and leadership communication down to the frontline employees.
Peter Sigrist
Digital Director, Hotwire PR
Peter’s life in communications has been varied. He started out in PR with clients ranging from heart surgeons, head masters and regulators to fund managers, debt collectors and blue chip corporate marketeers.
From an early stage, he embraced digital communications and has advised organisations such as the Financial Times, Microsoft, Shell, the Mayor of London, Penguin, Audi, Red Bull, Hotels.com, Pearson and Channel 4. Each has faced a similar challenge: to adapt to digital media trends; to build and protect their reputation, while establishing a more integrated, measurable approach to communication.
Peter is currently the managing director of 33 Digital, one of Europe’s leading digital and social media PR agencies and part of Hotwire PR. Nothing excites him more than Mad Men, martinis and measurement.
Aseem Sood
Chief Executive Officer and Director Impact Research & Measurement Pvt. Ltd.
Aseem Sood is a technology enthusiast. He loves to evaluate and apply technology solutions to solve business problems. He believes that companies offering news analysis services can help PR professionals demonstrate the importance/ attention that communication, as a function, deserves in the corporate boardroom.
Aseem is currently the Chief Executive Officer at Impact Research & Measurement Pvt. Ltd. He is also a Director at The International Association of Measurement and Evaluation of Communication, UK (AMEC). He also plays the role of Vice President in the Executive Committee of International Association – FIBEP. Prior to Impact, Aseem worked with McKinsey & Co. as an analyst. At McKinsey he worked with clients in Europe, US and China, helping them improve their operations’ effectivesness in the domain of purchasing and supply management. He also worked in McKinsey & Co.’s Business Technolgy Office (BTO) practice, a special initiative of McKinsey & Co. that offers technolgy consulting services. Aseem started his career as a PR professional, helping clients plan and execute their external communication programmes.
Kelly Stepno
Lead Associate, Booz Allen Hamilton
Kelly Stepno has more than 15 years of experience in strategic counsel and reputation management. Since joining Booz Allen Hamilton in 2011 she has been supporting government clients responsible for implementing reform driven by provisions of the Affordable Care Act. Her focus has been on developing implementation strategies, identifying and engaging stakeholders, as well as measuring the impact of outreach efforts. She has also managed global qualitative and quantitative research efforts on topics including brand loyalty and measuring the value of public relations.
Prior to joining Booz Allen Hamilton, she was a senior manager and client advisor at TMG Strategies where she directed a team focused on the global pharmaceutical and health care industries. She managed several multi-year engagements with pharmaceutical companies providing counsel on issues including reimbursement, disease awareness, patent issues, FDA regulation, and litigation. Ms. Stepno also launched the company’s media tracking and analysis capability establishing a team and developing new client deliverables. In addition, she regularly supported qualitative and quantitative research efforts focused on capturing consumer feedback on reputation and brand loyalty.
Rod Strother
Director, Lenovo Center of Social and Digital Excellence, Singapore
Rod is a marketing professional with over 25 years in Client and Agency management roles. He spent over 16 years in Asia and originally set up Grey Direct InterActive for Grey Group in Malaysia. Rod moved to New Zealand to lead an independent RM agency before coming to Singapore to lead Proximity, the data, digital & direct arm of BBDO.
He currently heads up Lenovo’s Digital & Social Media Centre of Excellence in Singapore with global responsibility for Social Media Marketing. He has experience working with clients such as British American Tobacco, Shell, Tiger Beer, Oracle, Visa, Citibank and HP.
Jeremy Thompson
Chief Executive, Gorkana Group
Jeremy is Chief Executive of Gorkana Group, the market leading media intelligence business based in London and New York. Jeremy has spent a career in business information, first at Thomson Reuters, then UBM, and latterly in the media intelligence space with Xtreme, Durrants, and now Gorkana. Gorkana Group is used by the majority of PRs and Communicators in the FTSE250, Government and PR150, and is increasingly making a name for itself in Europe and the US. It focuses on delivering the very best data, analysis and insight to a community which it connects through news, alerts, interviews, events and careers.
Jeremy worked his way through most customer facing functions before turning to general management 12 years ago. He has led a number of mergers and acquisitions to build a £50m Group and his vision is to build a global business. Jeremy enjoys windsurfing and climbing and harbours ambitions to go to Everest, one day.
Sariah Toronto
Senior Communications Officer, Strategy, Planning & Management Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Sariah Toronto is Senior Communications Officer, Strategy, Planning & Management, at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world’s largest private foundation. Sariah leads on measurement and reporting and business performance management across the foundation’s communications team. Prior to joining the Gates Foundation, Sariah spent nearly a decade at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and at Citibank in roles focused on market and policy analysis; customer and stakeholder communications; metrics and reporting; website development and management; and business process improvement.
Sariah has a Master of Business Administration degree with an emphasis on international business from the University of South Carolina, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations and Latin American Literature from Brigham Young University.
Francois van Dyk
Operations Manager, Ornico Group
Francois van Dyk heads up Operations at Ornico, the South African-based Brand Intelligence research company. He studied and taught public relations in the early 1990’s and worked in some challenging corporate communications environments during South Africa’s transition to a democracy.
Being passionate about both the advertising and public relations fields, he grabbed the opportunity to join Ornico in 2002 where he now oversees all advertising, editorial and social media monitoring and analysis functions. He is also closely involved in Ornico’s expansion into the rest of Africa to establish measurement standards.
A closet journalist, he regularly contributes articles to both South African and Kenyan media where he discusses issues ranging from public relations, marketing and measurement trends through to company values, recruitment and corporate social responsibility.
Annie Weber
Executive Vice President, General Manager, GfK Public Affairs & Corporate Communications
Annie has been with GfK for 15 years – currently managing GfK’s Public Affairs & Corporate Communications practice – which conducts research to inform and support strategic communications and public relations, issues management, reputation measurement and evaluation. Annie has a particular expertise in research to support client’s thought leadership and external communications. Annie has worked on research for clients ranging from AARP, Allianz, and Avon, to the Associated Press, Fidelity, Lilly, Monster, the New York Times, Oprah magazine, Pfizer, Walmart and the US State Department.
Annie came to GfK from the CBS News Election & Survey Unit in 1998. Prior to joining CBS, Annie was a Research Assistant in the Social and Behavioral Unit at Cornell University, where she was working toward a Ph.D. in Communication. Before pursuing a career in opinion research, Annie was an award-winning investigative reporter for KMIZ-TV, an ABC affiliate in Missouri.
Richard Wergan
Executive Vice President, Global Head of Brand, Communications & Digital, Philips
Richard Wergan joined Philips in 2013 with more than 15 years business-to business marketing experience. He has developed and implemented global marketing strategies for well-known brands such as IBM and Xerox, and has also worked across a number of global markets for companies such as Unilever and Young & Rubicam.
Richard served as the Vice President, Worldwide Brand Marketing and Advertising of Xerox Corporation, where he was responsible for globally rebranding Xerox and repositioning it as a business services organization. Prior to joining Philips, he served as the Marketing Director of Global Business Solutions Division at Barclaycard.
Richard has served as a Director of The Advertising Council, Inc. since May 2009 and holds an International Business degree from the University of Nottingham.
Andy West
Group Chief Development Officer, Hotwire
Andy West is Hotwire’s group chief development officer and sits on the global board of directors with responsibility for marketing, business development, product development and client services. In his client facing capacity, Andy provides senior counsel to many of Hotwire’s major clients, drawing on his 25+ years of experience advising businesses from across the technology sector. A specialist in messaging, measurement, communication strategy and international campaigns, Andy has led Hotwire’s measurement initiative and is the architect of the Group’s measurement thinking and subsequent deployment worldwide.
Andy joined Hotwire in 2008 after a stint as an entrepreneur co-founding the video debating website, Friction.tv. Prior to this, he had a long career with Text 100 where he left as managing director, EMEA. His client experience includes working with both challenger and blue chip technology brands in Europe and the US.
Helen Widmark
Media Analysis Manager, Retriever
Helen Widmark is a member of the Management Team for Retriever in Sweden. Based in Sweden, Norway and Denmark, Retriever is the leading company in the Nordic countries for media evaluation and media monitoring, serving clients in the private and public sector across all business segments with publicity in the Nordic countries as well as in the rest of the world.
Helen has worked within the media intelligence industry for 15 years and is today the Head of Retriever’s fast growing Analysis department in Sweden with almost 30 media analysts. One of Helen’s priorities is meeting clients as she is passionate about the continuous development of media evaluation services to meet new needs arising from clients. One area of expertise is her vast experience working with international clients in a number of different sectors.
