Executive Board 2007

The Global Alliance Executive Board for 2007/2008 includes:

• Colin Farrington, Chairman (CIPR) UK
• Sejamothopo Motau FPRISA, immediate past chairman (PRISA) South Africa
• Ajit Pathak, company secretary (PRSI) India
• Jean Valin APR, Fellow CPRS, past chairman (CPRS) Canada
• Furio Garbagnati, treasurer (FERPI) Italy
• Rhoda Weiss (PRSA) USA
• Gigi de Mier, APR, Fellow PRSA, (PRSPR) Puerto Rico
• John Paluszek, Global Alliance Ambassador at Large, USA

Global Alliance Chair 2007
Colin Farrington, Director General, Chartered Institute of Public Relations

Colin Farrington was inducted into UK PRWeek’s ‘Hall of Fame’ in October 2005, after seven years as Director-General of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR). He also features in PRWeek’s ‘Power Book’ of top UK PR people published in March 2007

The PRWeek accolade referred to ‘his tireless work in promoting public relations as a creditable and professional industry, a cause that culminated in the award of Chartered status to the Institute…’

PRWeek said: ‘Colin Farrington is never afraid to speak his mind…he famously criticised Alastair Campbell [Tony Blair’s communications maestro] for bringing aggression and a macho confidence to PR... Farrington vigorously defends the profession… since joining as D-G, CIPR membership has grown by 40% and PR has been transformed from a career people fall into to a job they actively want to pursue.’

Colin Farrington is principal advisor to the Institute’s Council and is responsible for the delivery of the Institute's modernisation strategy. The CIPR is now regarded as one of the world’s leading public relations and communications organisations. CIPR members cover the whole gamut of communicators, in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors, both in-house and consultancy, corporate communications, internal communications etc, with specialist groups covering the main sectors. CIPR members include most leading figures in the industry.

Colin Farrington regards his main achievements as the improvement of communications with members, including the launch of ‘Profile’ magazine in October 1999 and the award-winning website www.cipr.co.uk, now achieving over three million page downloads annually and with over one thousand pages of information. Colin has also led on strategic reviews of professional practice and membership arrangements; in forging new international alliances; and revitalising the Institute’s regional and sectoral groups.

Colin is Secretary General and Board member of the European Confederation of Public Relations Associations (CERP), and is Chair of the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management (GA), which he helped found in 2000. The GA has 60 member associations. The GA’s World Festival will be held in London in 2008, the CIPR’s 60th anniversary.

Colin chairs the CIPR PRide Awards in the regions and organises the CIPR Excellence Awards nationally.

Colin is also a regular strategic communications commentator in the business section of the Telegraph - http://www.telegraphbusinessclub.co.uk.

A fuller personal biography is to be found in Debrett’s ‘People of Today’ 2007.

Speaker opportunities

Members of the Executive Board are available to speak at national conferences or other important venues organised by the GA partners.

The members of the Executive are active professionals and can speak on a variety of topics including: state of the profession, ethics, diversity, regulation of the profession, overview of practices around the world etc. Please contact the chair with details of your event and we will do our utmost to fulfill your request for speakers.