ICCO President Receives PRSA’s Atlas Award

As featured on PRSA.com:

NEW YORK, Oct. 7, 2014 – The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) announced today that the Atlas Award for Achievement in International Public Relations will be presented to David Gallagher, senior partner and CEO of Ketchum’s European operations and chairman of Ketchum London. The award will be presented at the PRSA 2014 International Conference during the opening general session on Oct. 12 in Washington, D.C.

The Atlas Award for Lifetime Achievement in International Public Relations is given annually to a public relations practitioner who has made extraordinary contributions to the global practice of public relations over the span of his or her career.

“David is a great ambassador for the public relations profession around the world,” said Joe Cohen, APR, 2014 PRSA National Chair. “For the past twenty years he has passionately helped promote the transformative power of public relations while bridging communications and fostering collaboration across many countries and cultures.”

Gallagher currently oversees Ketchum’s nine European offices and their specialist services, which include consumer public relations, healthcare communications, corporate affairs and social responsibility, public affairs, change management, and clinical trial recruitment.

He is a member of Ketchum’s global Executive Committee and chairs the company’s corporate social responsibility initiatives. Globally, Gallagher is heavily involved in public relations industry organizations. He is president of the International Communications Consultancy Organization, the global umbrella network of 30 national PR agency trade associations, and a fellow and past chairman of the U.K. Public Relations Consultants Association. He chairs the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on the Future of Media, and was the 2013 PR Jury President for the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

“I’m deeply honored to receive this recognition, and humbled by the list of previous recipients, who truly have shaped what is now a worldwide community of professionals,” said Gallagher. “I’m a beneficiary of their important work which helps guide us at a time when a global conversation is stirring, more inclusive and urgent than ever before, about our collective and interconnected future. As communicators we are privileged to serve as stewards and architects of this conversation. It is a great responsibility, as well as a real opportunity to use communications as a force for good. I’m grateful to the PRSA community for its continued leadership and delighted to accept this award.”

The Conference will be held at Washington Marriott Wardman Park. A full lineup of speakers and registration information can be found at the Conference website. Discounted hotel and travel rates are also available.

About the Public Relations Society of AmericaPRSA is the largest professional organization serving the U.S. public relations community. With a mission to “advance the profession and the professional,” PRSA provides news and information, thought leadership, continuing education and networking opportunities; sets standards of professional excellence and ethical conduct; and advocates for the business value of public relations and greater diversity among public relations professionals. Based in New York, PRSA comprises 112 local Chapters; 14 Professional Interest Sections that focus on specific industries and practice areas; and the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), which is active at more than 340 colleges and universities.