Dear colleagues,
The Global Alliance is growing. Please join me in warmly welcoming new members from all corners of the world: In Asia we have recently been joined by the Institute of Public Relations Malaysia; in the Middle East by the Middle East Public Relations Association; in Europe by the Lithuanian professional bodyLRVS, and in Latin America by the Chilean association FOCCO.
On top of these associations, two of our field’s premier academic institutions have joined: the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, and the College of Journalism and Communications at the University of Florida.
Our work in the Global Alliance is always as aspirational as our members want it to be, so it is heartening to see more voices joining our search for professional standards and the global projects that we can best implement collaboratively. The first results of one such global collaboration were presented recently: The Global Communications Report, a world-spanning survey of our industry conducted by the USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations in partnership with the Holmes Report, the Global Alliance, our members PRSA and IPR, and others. Together we revealed the scale of change disrupting our industry. Growth will be driven by content and technology, but a fundamental challenge appears to be the recruitment and retention of diverse talent that can sustain such growth. Fred Cook of USC Annenberg will discuss the results of the Global Communications Report at a special panel during the World Public Relations Forum next month.
Now that the GA unites 38 professional bodies and 7 academic institutions, the World Public Relations Forum in Toronto is set to be the most global gathering of our industry ever. I very much look forward to seeing you there from May 29 to 31.
Gregor Halff
Chair of the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management
