The Public Relations Institute of Ireland (PRII) has elected ESB senior press officer Paul Hand as its new president. Hands has over 20 years of experience in media relations. At the ESB, he has helped developing and implement media strategies, with a strong focus on sustainability. His career includes roles in public institutions both in Ireland and abroad, such as the Houses of the Oireachtas and the Department of An Taoiseach.
He has been an active member of the PRII national council for the past two years, most recently as treasurer. As well as Hand’s election, Joan Mulvihill, digitalisation and sustainability lead at Siemens Ireland, was elected vice-president. She has expertise in digital communications, business development, and relationship building. Nicola Cooke, corporate account director, Murray Consultants, was elected to the national council.
The AGM also approved the awarding of life fellowship to Carmel Doyle, CEO of the Oesophageal Cancer Fund. She previously served on the national council and was PRII president in 2000. Fellowships were awarded to Sharon Murphy, CEO of Wilson Hartnell, and Eoin Kennedy, content strategist at Novartis. The fellowship is awarded in recognition of exceptional skill and dedication to the development of the PR profession and institute goals.
Murphy (above) has over two decades of experience and has played a pivotal role in WHPR’s leadership, spearheading consistent growth and solidifying the WPP agency’s position as a market leader. She championed initiatives such as the Awards for Excellence in PR and has contributed to the PRII National Conference. She is also involved with a number of industry bodies promoting the integration of public relations within the marketing sector.
Initiatives
Kennedy has extensive experience advising multinational clients such as Microsoft and Allianz. In his current role, he leads initiatives that align with Novartis’s global communication goals. He previously served on the PRII national council and as chair of the PRII education sub-committee, helping to develop the institute’s continuous professional development strategy. He was on the judging panel for the Awards for Excellence in PR.
