NEW YORK – December 3, 2015 – The PR Council, the trade association representing the US public relations agency industry, has selected Renee Wilson as its new president. Wilson will succeed Kathy Cripps, who is stepping down after serving as the association’s president since 2002.

Wilson joins the PR Council from MSLGroup, where she currently serves as Chief Client Officer. Formerly, she led MSLGROUP in North America as its President and as a member of the agency’s global management board. She served twice on the PR jury for the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, including as its president in 2014. Prior to MSLGroup, she worked for eight years at Hill & Knowlton.

“We are thrilled to get such a high-caliber leader who will represent our industry so well across so many fronts,” said Christopher Graves, chair of the PR Council. “I worked with Renee firsthand in Cannes,” Graves added, “and experienced her ability to convene rivals and competitors, while articulating a firm, clear and considered point of view.”

Wilson brings decades of agency experience and deep understanding of both internal and external, operational and client issues, something PR Council members said is crucial to have in their industry leadership.

Wilson is a regularly featured speaker at various international conferences and most recently presented at the United Nations International Women’s Day Conference and the SxSw Social Good Hub, 2015. She serves on the leadership council for the Young Women’s Leadership Network and is a member of the NY Women in Communications.

A committee composed of PR Council Board members led the six-month search process: Chris Graves (Ogilvy PR), Dave Senay (FleishmanHillard), Matt Harrington (Edelman), Maureen Lippe (Lippe Taylor) and Renzi Stone (Saxum). They worked closely with executive recruiter Donna Renella to identify and interview more than 100 potential candidates. “The search committee pursued candidates with an array of experiences, geographies, gender and ethnic backgrounds,” according to Kathy Cripps. We are very pleased with the selection of Renee as the incoming president; she’ll do a great job.”

Wilson will join the PR Council in mid-January.

The PR Council is a trade association designed to connect the present and next generation of PR professionals, industry innovators and business leaders through education, events and industry resources.

Article from PR Council