Melissa Cullen, co-founder and director of Res Publica, has been appointed chair of The Public Relations Council (PRC) in place of Stuart Gregor, CEO and Founder of Liquid Ideas, who has stepped down after two years in the role.

Since founding the PRC in 2012, Stuart has helped grow the PRC to a member base of 25 agencies across NSW, VIC, QLD and WA. Under his leadership the group has launched a number of successful initiatives, including a series of professional development seminars and conversation evenings, as well as tackling key industry issues such as the measurement of PR and the culture of anonymous and malicious commentary on trade publication sites.

Stuart said: “I’ve had plenty of fun leading the PRC for two years and it’s with great delight I hand over the reins to Mel Cullen. Mel has been a fantastic committee member, she is a true believer in the PRC and the value we can add to the industry and she will handle the role with aplomb.”

Melissa, who has held a seat on the PRC committee since inception, said: “I’m really looking forward to taking on the role of Chair of the PRC and want to thank Stu for the work he has done in establishing the PRC and driving things forward over the past couple of years. In 2015, we’ll continue our focus of championing earned media and representing the interests of consumer PR agencies to the broader marketing communications industry. Our members are creating campaigns recognised at a global level and it’s important we find ways to showcase the commercial creativity and effectiveness of PR.”

Sharing plans for 2015, Melissa continued: “We have some new initiatives in the coming year that are aimed at connecting the industry by providing opportunities to share learnings, particularly at a senior level – and we’ll continue to offer a range of other opportunities such as our highly successful forum series to all members.”