PRIA NSW Appoints New President And Council At AGM

The Public Relations Institute of Australia’s NSW Council has announced the appointment of a new NSW President and council members at the NSW Annual General Meeting.

Brian Chase Olson (right in main photo), Director of Blend Public Relations, was elected as NSW President, succeeding Shane Allison (left), CEO of Public Address, who stepped down to focus on his role as Honorary Treasurer of the PRIA.

Eight new council members were elected, bringing passion and expertise from corporates, agencies, not-for-profit and government bodies, positioning the council for further growth following a record year of membership engagement.

“I’m thrilled with the range of expertise and experience of the new council members joining our already exceptional leadership group. Each brings a fresh perspective to how the council can better serve our members and a range of ideas to grow the PRIA community in NSW,” said Olson.

“I’m honoured to take up the role of President and thank Shane and the outgoing council members for their hard work in setting the foundations for an exciting year ahead for the NSW chapter.”

The eight new members joining the PRIA NSW Council include:

Soraya Calavassy, Director & Co-Founder, Neon Black
Louise Hall, Consultant, John Connolly & Partners
Kylie Cochrane, Managing Principal, Communication & Stakeholder Engagement, ANZ, Aurecon
Lisa Brown, Head of PR and Communications, Menulog
Scott Walker, Principal, Walkerlab
Stephanie Pirrie, Public Relations Manager, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia
Taylor Blackburn, PR Manager, Finder
Michelle Squire, Manager Communications, Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority

The new council inductees join the incumbent council from 2019/2020 and include:

Shane Allison, Immediate Past President, CEO, Public Address
Anastassia Keltchina, Account Manager, Howorth, part of opr Agency
Rashmi Punjabi, Senior Account Manager, Honner
Rachel King, Co-Chair PRIA NSW Young Guns Committee, PR & Events Consultant
Maya Ivanovic, Co-Chair PRIA NSW Young Guns Committee, Senior Account Manager, Palin Communications

“I extend a warm welcome to our members who have joined the NSW Council at this year’s AGM and am excited at the passion they bring to our association. Brian brings a clear and enthusiastic vision to the NSW Council, and will build upon the hard work of the previous council,” said Leigh McClusky, PRIA National President.

“The PRIA Nationally is committed to continuing to bring amazing educational opportunities, such as the revamped virtual conference, member engagement, like our recent virtual networking events, and advocacy for what matters, such as the continued lobbying against the unfair changes to university funding, and I’m confident the new NSW Council will provide an amazing contribution to this effort,” she concluded.

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