Michelle Prak has been appointed president of the Public Relations Institute of Australia’s (PRIA) South Australian Division.
Prak succeeds Leila Henderson, who is standing down to focus on her business interests, including NewsMaker and startup Jingsu, which recently won a Micro Finance Fund grant from the South Australian Government.
Prak is a PR consultant with more than 20 years’ experience in the communications sector. She said she was excited about the role and keen for the SA Council to continue to deliver a program of training and networking events, which advanced the profession.
“Public relations is a thriving field and whether you call it communication, public affairs, corporate affairs or similar, we play an integral role in our employers’ and clients’ business success,” Prak said. “PRIA SA has delivered some creative, popular events this year and we intend to continue to generate these opportunities for the sector to network, learn and progress the industry.”
The PRIA Council members include: University of SA lecturer in public relations, Kim Groves; Fuller senior consultant, Marcus LaForgia; consultant, Beth Scott; Hughes and PR consultant, Cait Tynan (National Board Member). Adelaide Oval Communications Coordinator Minnie McCreanor is President of the New and Emerging Practitioners Group.
“I’ve greatly enjoyed working with such a talented group of strategic communicators,” Henderson said. “I’m also extremely pleased to be handing the role of SA President over to Michelle, who is a highly regarded professional and is already well known in the communication sector.”
PRIA SA has also appointed Cait Tynan as National PRIA Board representative. The positions will be in place until the state AGM in October. In addition, Cara Milanese has won the role of new Local Support Officer, responsible for the coordination of events and membership initiatives.
