May 16 2022
Returning to the Phoenix area where the group was founded 30 years ago, the Public Relations Global Network (PRGN) recently elected a new slate of officers to guide one of the world’s largest networks of independent PR and communications agencies.
The appointments were announced at PRGN’s recent bi-annual Spring member conference, held in Scottsdale, Arizona, as the first in-person meeting of the global group since autumn of 2019.
David A. Fuscus, CEO and president of Xenophon Strategies, of Washington, DC, USA, accepted the gavel to lead PRGN, the worldwide network of 53 independently owned firms, as its president for the next 12 months.
As the 32nd president of PRGN, Fuscus succeeds former president Alexandra Diniță, general manager of Free Communication in Bucharest, Romania, who now assumes the duties of immediate past president and chair of PRGN’s Advisory Board.
“PRGN is more than just firms around the globe linked by a website, it is a community of professionals dedicated to the highest standards of communications,” said Fuscus. “PRGN gives member firms global reach, but it is also the vehicle by which best practices and new communications techniques flow to members worldwide. I’m honored to have been elected as PRGN’s President for 2022 and look forward to working with all of our member agencies.
Andy See Teong Leng, Principal Partner and Managing Director of Perspective Strategies, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, was confirmed as President-elect and Secretary of PRGN. He has been serving on PRGN’s Executive Committee since 2019 as Secretary and also as Regional Vice President for the Asia-Pacific region since 2020.
Continuing on in the second year of her two-year term as Treasurer for PRGN is Amanda Hill, Principal of Three Box Strategic Communications in Dallas, Texas.
More than 45 people from 39 PR agencies around the world attended the gathering, held near the site where the group was founded back in 1992, when members of 11 Edelman Affiliate PR firms in the United States joined forces to form the Phoenix Network, which later became PRGN.
The bi-annual conference hosted three days of sharing knowledge and best practices on a wide range of PR and agency owner topics including building trust; diversity, equity and inclusion; digitalization; creativity; data analytics; sustainability; succession planning; and employee retention.
Members also shared fellowship at social activities, including a special 30th anniversary gala held at Western Spirit Scottsdale’s Museum of the West, which included a Q&A session with PRGN founding members Anne Buchanan, Scott Hanson and Edward Stevens.
Also at the event, PRGN launched its special eBook – 30 PR Tips You Can Apply Today – a free collection of PR insights from PRGN members around the world. Targeted to help managers and executives at companies, nonprofit organizations, PR firms and independent practitioners, the eBook is available for free at the PRGN homepage and also in a flipbook format.
Founded in 1992 by a group of visionary public relations leaders, with approximately 1,000 professionals in 55 locations in 33 countries, PRGN is one of the world’s largest networks of independent public relations agencies.
PRGN partners are independent, local, owner-operated public relations and marketing communications firms that share expertise and resources, while providing broad-based comprehensive communications strategies to clients worldwide.
Companies or organizations interested in the services of PRGN’s local agency network can visit the Agency Directory or contact PRGN’s executive director Gábor Jelinek at gabor.jelinek@prgn.com for more information.
Independent agencies interested in joining the network can visit the member recruitment section of the PRGN website for more information or email its membership chair, David Wills, Senior Vice President of Media Profile at david.wills@mediaprofile.com
Interested parties can connect with PRGN online at https://www.prgn.com, on Twitter at @PRGN and on Instagram at @publicrelationsglobalnetwork
