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Renee Wilson named PR Council President

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

ICCO appoints Elise Mitchell as ICCO Vice President

The International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO), the global umbrella body for PR trade associations, has appointed Elise Mitchell, CEO Mitchell Communications Group & Dentsu Aegis PR Network, as its new Vice President.

Mitchell is an accomplished strategic communications professional and business leader with more than 25 years of experience in both agency and corporate settings. Under her leadership Mitchell Communications grew more than 500% in five years to become a top 35 PR firm in the US. At the end of 2012 she sold the company and today it is the leading PR agency brand to Dentsu Aegis Network, one of the world’s largest marketing communications companies. In recognition of her accomplishments, Mitchell has received numerous awards including PRWeek Agency Public Relations Professional of the Year and was included in the Top 50 Power Player in PR.

Mitchell will work with ICCO on behalf of the US PR Council. Its membership represents the premier global, mid-size, regional and speciality firms across every discipline and practice area. She is also former PR Council Board Member. 

Mitchell said:

“As our profession continues to evolve, it is critical we remain globally connected to continue creating new communications solutions for some of the world’s biggest challenges. I’m honoured to serve on the ICCO Board representing the PR Council and our U.S.-based member firms, but also to help our member associations worldwide as they drive innovation and share best practices across borders.

“Together we will continue to expand our impact and elevate the public relations industry.”

Maxim Behar, ICCO President, said:

“We are very happy to have Elise on board, not only as the PR Council and US representative, but also as a knowledgeable professional. Her experience, energy and enthusiasm will be valuable for our association, which is the largest PR community in the world. Our business nowadays is changing literary every minute and this is impetus behind ICCO’s extremely ambitious plans for the near future.

“Enlargement of our community and constant innovations in PR are now our priorities and I am absolutely inpatient to start working with professional like Elise in that projects.”

The ICCO Board of Management brings together outstanding public relations practitioners from 33 ICCO member associations around the world. Their job is to give ICCO strategic guidance and oversee the work of ICCO Secretariat in London. The Board is headed by Behar.

About ICCO
The International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) is the voice of public relations consultancies around the world. The ICCO membership comprises national trade associations in 32 countries across the globe in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. Collectively, these associations represent some 2,500 PR firms.
www.iccopr.com