The ICCO Next Gen Board was first constituted in 2022 with the winner of the PR Next-Gen World Cup Winners of 2021. Following a successful stint, the board was reconstituted with a new group of PR professionals amidst the winners and participants of the competition in 2022, who expressed interest in devoting time and energy in coming up with solutions for the industry at large.
The group closely works with the main ICCO PR board members, to identify possible opportunities and challenges faced by young professionals of the industry around the globe. The active aim of this group is to identify best practices across geographies and come up with standardised solutions.
Look out at the space for regular updates from the group.
Morten Vester Haldrup, Co-chair
Morten works as an advisor in PR and corporate communications at Advice, one of the largest communications agencies in Denmark.
With a love of languages and a keen interest in politics and media, he’s involved in all aspects of campaign planning – whether it concerns creating content or developing strategy. Or checking grammar, for that matter.
Morten won gold in the 2022 ICCO Next Gen PR World Cup with his partner Sofie. He has a master’s degree in rhetoric from the University of Copenhagen and a background as a military linguist and reserve officer in the Danish Army with three deployments to Afghanistan.
Get in touch with Morten on LinkedIn
Oeindrila Biswas, Co-chair
Oeindrila comes with 9+ years of experience and is associated as a Senior Account Director with Avian WE in India. With a background in English literature, she is driven towards helping brands build strong narratives. During her tenure she had worked across multiple verticals starting from lifestyle to aviation. Currently focused on policy communications she is working on building brand advocacy amongst stakeholders.
Oeindrila was a part of the 2022 ICCO Next Gen PR World Cup after winning the national chapter with her partner. She is also accredited with the local PR acknowledgement in India commonly known as AIPR.
Connect with Oeindrila on LinkedIn.
Fiona Baird, Board member
Fiona is an Account Director in the Consumer team at BCW London. Listed in PR Week’s 30 under 30 last year, she has driven some of BCW’s most impactful work during her tenure at the agency. She has a wealth of experience; from creative idea generation through to development of robust media strategies, media relations, and delivery of stand-out results.
Fiona took part in the 2022 ICCO Next Gen PR World Cup, after winning the national event with her partner. You can read more about Fiona’s advice for young PR professionals here, and connect with her on LinkedIn here.
Cherná Lutta, Board member
With over a decade in PR, Cherná is a distinguished member of PRCA Africa NextGen committee and ICCO Next Gen committee. As a proud alumnus of CPUT, she is deeply committed to nurturing future talent and imparts knowledge as a guest lecturer and PR industry advisor. She was named South Africa’s PR Practitioner of the Year at the Prism Awards in 2022. As PR Operations Director at Dialogue, Cherná has spearheaded multiple award-winning campaigns, having worked on a diverse portfolio of blue-chip clients in both consumer and business sector, her dedication to results-driven execution is evident, always ensuring exceptional outcomes for her team and clients.
Connect with Cherná on LinkedIn.
Giulia Polichetti, Board member
Giulia is Senior Client Executive in Omnicom PR Group Italy. After graduating in economics she chose to specialise in the field of PR and communication. She is involved in different projects and activities: event organisation, press office, and communication campaign ideation and management.
Giulia competed at the ICCO Next Gen PR World Cup in 2022 after winning the national competition organised by UNA PR Hub.
Connect with her on LinkedIn.
Mica Keeney, Board Member
Mica is the founder of Keeney + Co, a new age marketing and communications partner, built to support brands and the forces behind them. Originally from London, UK and having lived in New York for over eight years, Mica has global experience with a variety of clients and has worked with some of the top agencies.
Mica won gold in the 2021 Cannes Young Lions PR US Competition and is proud to be the US representative on the ICCO Next-Gen Youth Board. She has a first-class honours degree from the University of Cambridge and enjoys featuring on panels, mentoring young people in the industry, and recently graduated from the Digital Marketing program at Columbia Business School.
Get in touch with Mica on LinkedIn.
The ICCO Next Gen PR Report 2023-2024 is a pioneering initiative, driven by the ICCO Next Gen Board, to explore the key drivers, opportunities, and challenges faced by young professionals in the PR industry. This report provides valuable insights into how the next generation is shaping the future of PR, addressing critical concerns around career development, emerging trends, and the evolving needs of the workforce.
How to Get Involved
To know more about the ICCO Next Gen Board members and connect with them for a quick chat, you can write to ewa.grabek@iccopr.com
If you have any bright ideas which you feel will help current and future PR professionals, please write to us on the alias above.