The 34th President of PRGN, Frédéric François is Founder and Managing Partner of Two cents in Belgium and the Netherlands. Frédéric had his first job as a PR-assistant of Belgian Prime Minister Wilfried Martens. The PM got fired, Fred also. After this inspiring period he discovered the world of trade fairs at Brussels Expo for nearly 10 years, focusing on sales and PR. In 2001 he created Advanced Fair to be in touch with various sectors and people, serving them with PR services and logistic support at trade fairs. “Advanced Fair’s PR department developed so well that we decided to brand it separately. This is how Two cents was born,” says Fred.
Bill Southard is Founder and CEO of Southard Communications in New York. Bill launched Southard Communications in 1994 and has since experienced consistent and considerable growth and today represents a broad range of clients across a myriad of industries. In his day-to-day role at the agency, Bill drives the creative process, provides ongoing strategic counsel and manages all crisis communications on behalf of agency clients. With more than 35 years of communications experience, Bill has counseled some of the country's leading Fortune 500 firms and prior to founding Southard has held top positions at Earle Palmer Brown Public Relations and Dorf & Stanton Communications.
Natacha Clarac is general director of Brussels-based public affairs consultancy Athenora Consulting, which counsels leading European companies on impacts of new policies developed by European Union institutions. Athenora Consulting works with companies in the fields of banking, insurance and financial services, energy and utilities, tech and digital, healthcare, transport, environment and trade. A French native, Natacha builds strategies that help clients participate in the EU decision-making process.
Marisa Toro is co-founder and partner of Marlow Insight, a consultancy firm that specializes in corporate influence and go-to-market strategies to strengthen business and reputation, based in Madrid, Spain. Marisa’s extensive background in communications and public affairs include communications leadership positions at Spanish and multinational companies and directing communication and public affairs for Google in Southern Europe.
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Natalie Ghidotti established her agency, Ghidotti, in 2007 and has developed it into a respected partner for prominent brands in the Southern region of the U.S. She is also serving as PRSA’s Chairman of Counselors Academy, a section for agency owners. Prior to her career in PR, she was a journalist for 11 years, working as a reporter and editor for The Business Press in Fort Worth, Texas, and Arkansas Business Publishing Group in Little Rock, Arkansas.
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Shawn Jiang Xiaofeng is Founder and General Manager of China Advocate, an agency based in Beijing with coverage to major Chinese cities. He has 20 years of experience in communications, strategic marketing and crisis management throughout Asia. At China Advocate he has developed a leading consultancy of corporate reputation and strategic marketing, serving international clients such as Boston Scientific, LinkedIn, Thermo Fisher and Byte Dance
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Brad Kostka is President of Rococo in Cleveland, Ohio. He leads agency management and business development at Roopco. For more than two decades, he has provided strategic communication counsel to organizations ranging from global publicly traded corporations to local startups. His expertise includes brand strategy, integrated communications, investor relations, digital marketing and corporate event planning. Brad is past president of the Cleveland chapters of the Public Relations Society of America and International Association of Business Communicators. He also serves on the boards of local non-profits.
Macey Binner is a powerhouse in public relations and a partner at REED in Nashville, Tennessee. She leads the charge in business development and marketing, shaping the firm’s future with her strategic vision and talent for building meaningful client relationships. Macey’s leadership shines in account management while consistently expanding REED’s impressive portfolio. Her career is marked by orchestrating major media placements and securing high-profile opportunities for clients across various sectors. Notable achievements include helping THE TENNESSEAN Hotel earn the title of the South’s Best Hotel in Southern Living.
Owen Cullen is Managing Director of Cullen Communications in Dublin, Ireland. Owen has been running family-business Cullen Communications since 2013 when he took the helm from his father, Founder Frank Cullen. Prior to that he spent six years with Newspaper Licensing Ireland and represented NLI as a founding member of the Press Database & Licensing Network of which he was elected to the executive board in 2011. Most recently, he served for two years as Chair of the Public Relations Consultants Association of Ireland, representing the interests of top PR consultancies.
Loreley Maldonado is Founder and CEO of Eje Comunicación in Mexico City. With more than 20 years of experience in strategic communication, public affairs and corporate reputation and crisis management in Mexico and in various countries across the American continent, Loreley is also a columnist and has been an academic speaker on Corporate Reputation and Strategic Communication. At Eje Comunicación she has led communication and reputation programs for companies and organizations including Coca-Cola FEMSA, Genomma Lab, Coca-Cola Company, Medix, Grupo IMU, Asofarma, WWF, EGADE, Latina Desarrollos Energéticas, CoRe, Diri, Stryker, Viasat and Lafayette.
Nick Leighton is Owner and CEO of NettResults Middle East, based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Besides running NettResults, Nick is the author of best-selling book, Exactly Where You Want to Be: A business owners guide to passion, profit and happiness, and an Adjunct Professor at Chapman University in California, where he lectures to graduate and post-graduate classes in strategic communication.
Abbie S. Fink is president of HMA Public Relations in Phoenix, Arizona. She has been with the firm since 1993, most recently serving as vice president/general manager. Under her leadership, the agency was awarded a 2025 Silver Anvil Award of Excellence for Boutique Agency of the Year from the Public Relations Society of America and was inducted as a member of the Class of 2025 Arizona State University Sun Devil 100. Abbie is the host of Copper State of Mind and PRGN Presents, podcasts for executives and directors of marketing and communications. She is often called upon to present to a wide variety of business and civic organizations on such topics as media relations, social media and digital communications strategies, issues/crisis communications and special events management.
Chuck Norman is Owner and Principal of S&A Communications in Raleigh Durham, North Carolina. Chuck has wide-ranging experience in public relations, marketing, crisis communication, and branding. His experience spans a variety of industries including automotive, commercial real estate, technology, healthcare, government and municipal, associations, professional services, economic development, and chambers of commerce.
Gabor Jelinek is the Executive Director of Public Relations Global Network. In that capacity, Gabor is the center of action, supporting the work of the President and the Executive Committee to grow and develop the global communications network. Working closely with PRGN’s Business, Marketing and Membership committees, Gabor is the driver of global business development, self-marketing, and membership retention and recruitment.
Contact usFormed in 1992 by a group of visionary public relations leaders, PRGN is fueled by a simple mission: combine the expertise of the finest in-market communications specialists in a connected network capable of providing best-in-class communications services around the world.
Now comprised of 50 agencies, PRGN provides top-level PR, communications and marketing services to an always-expanding spectrum of industries. Our sector specific experience includes automotive, consumer, business-to-business, education, financial services, government, healthcare, not-for-profit, retail, science, technology and travel / hospitality – among many more.
Each member agency operates independently, guided by entrepreneurial leaders who are personally engaged with their PRGN counterparts around the world. Each agency also offers its own areas of unique specialization.
PRGN adheres to the strict code of ethics established by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). By limiting new membership to an invitation-only basis, the network maintains the highest possible standards of performance and expertise to offer clients across-the-board confidence in both the quality and consistency of our work.
How does it work? PRGN customizes its approach based on the needs of the client. In most cases, one agency oversees the work of others throughout the globe. In some cases, an organization may select to work individually with local market leaders. In the most recent years, Johnson & Johnson, Bar Louie, LYFE Kitchen, Carrington College, Domino’s Pizza, Providence Health & Services, Clipper Vacations, and many others have selected PRGN’s agencies to service their global needs.
The experience and talent of 50 top agencies combine to give our clients an unparalleled level of flexibility and service. Working with PRGN will ensure you receive:
Custom “curation” to match the ideal set of services and strategies to your business and communication needs
Hands-on, senior-level agency attention backed by global PR power in the markets or industry sectors you truly need
The scale, insights and expertise to give your messaging and initiatives the reach you require – whether you’re targeting one market or 50
More than 25 years of experience in clockwork-precise network coordination throughout the globe
Unmatched local market knowledge on a global scale
Expertise in almost every industry – from automotive to healthcare and consumer / lifestyle to professional services and much more
