The Institute for Public Relations announced today that Stephen A. Greyser, Ph.D., professor emeritus at Harvard Business School, will receive its 2009 Pathfinder Award and will join Jon Iwata, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications at IBM, and Al Golin, Chairman of GolinHarris, at the Institute’s Annual Distinguished Lecture & Awards Dinner on Wednesday, November 4, at the Yale Club in New York City.
The Pathfinder Award recognizes significant contribution to the body of knowledge and practice of corporate communications and public relations through scholarly research.
In his lecture, Iwata, who is widely recognized as an inspiring and forward-thinking leader in the public relations profession, will explore how historic changes in business are altering the ways in which organizations communicate, challenging many fundamental assumptions in the field of corporate communications. He will discuss the changing nature of work in public relations and point the way toward a new kind of communications profession, and professional.
Iwata leads IBM’s marketing, communications and citizenship organization. This global team manages an integrated system that encompasses communications, corporate affairs, market intelligence, demand generation for IBM products and services, workforce enablement, and stewardship of the IBM brand, recognized as one of the most valuable in the world.
Also at the Nov. 4 event, the Institute for Public Relations will present awards for outstanding public relations achievement, education and research.
The Alexander Hamilton Medal for lifetime achievement in public relations will be presented to Al Golin, Chairman of Chicago-based GolinHarris. Over the past 50-plus years, Golin has created a rich legacy filled with remarkable anecdotes. Today, Golin remains active in his global organization and serves as a model of success to colleagues throughout the public relations profession.
The Alexander Hamilton Medal is a tribute to the carefully planned strategies that Hamilton used to gain acceptance and adoption of the U.S. Constitution. Noted scholars cite Hamilton’s techniques of persuasion, his compelling debates and his authorship of most of the 85 Federalist Papers and their carefully timed release, the finest use of public relations in history.
In that same spirit, the Institute’s Hamilton medal honors Golin’s exemplary efforts to demonstrate the power of effective public relations.
Dr. Greyser, the Pathfinder Award winner, has been active in research and teaching at Harvard Business School since 1958. He specializes in brand marketing, advertising, corporate communications, sports management and non-profit management. He is responsible for 16 books and monographs, is a frequent contributor to scholarly journals and has published some 300 Harvard case studies.
“It’s no coincidence that all three of our distinguished guests at the Nov. 4 gala are proponents of integrated communication,” said Robert W. Grupp, President and CEO of the Institute for Public Relations. “Today, more than ever before, public relations professionals must ensure that their work is tightly linked to overall business strategies and directed less at organizational publicity. Jon Iwata, Al Golin and Stephen Greyser demonstrate how senior communicators become trusted counsellors in globally integrated organizations.”
The Distinguished Lecture and Awards Dinner, an unbroken tradition dating back to 1961, attracts 300 leaders in public relations and corporate communications to New York City each fall. The event begins at 6:00 p.m. with a reception and concludes at 9:30 p.m. at the Yale Club, 50 Vanderbilt Avenue in New York City. Tickets and tables for the event can be purchased by visiting the Institute’s website, instituteforpr.org, or by calling +1-352-392-0280. Seating is limited and tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Institute for Public Relations is an independent non-profit foundation headquartered at the University of Florida. It bridges the academic and professional fields, supporting public relations research and mainstreaming this knowledge into practice.
