LONDON — The Public Relations & Communications Association has named James Hewes, former president and CEO of global media and publishing industry trade body FIPP, as its new chief executive. He will take up the role in January 2024.

Hewes joined FIPP in 2017 in the leadership role. He previously worked in the publishing industry, including as publishing director of Gulf News in Dubai and publishing director of BBC magazines where he was responsible for developing international brands such as Top Gear, Good Food and Lonely Planet. He was also director of BBC Haymarket Exhibitions, the joint venture between BBC Worldwide and Haymarket publishing.

The appointment is the latest element of an extensive overhaul of the PRCA’s structure, policy and processes, as a result of a governance review which started towards the end of last year. The organisation recently announced a new slimmed-down interim board and elected former chair Sarah Scholefield – who was last week promoted from Grayling global CEO to global CEO of Accordience – as its first honorary president.

It is the first time the PRCA has had a chief executive. Since its founding in 1969 the organisation has been led by a director general; the last director general, Francis Ingham, died in March this year.

PRCA interim board chair Ray Eglington said Hewes was appointed after a four-stage process that included best practice in equality, diversity and inclusion, with measures to minimise unconscious bias and increase accessibility. Separate panels of PRCA board representatives reviewed CVs and conducted three rounds of interviews.

Eglington said: “There were many excellent candidates to lead PRCA through its next chapter, but James was the unanimous choice of our final selection panel. We were impressed by his strategic thinking and operational experience in trade association and media industry roles.

"James’ mandate is to strengthen our value proposition for members, in the UK and in our key markets around the world. We are confident he will deliver.”

The PRCA has recently been run on an interim basis by managing director, Renna Markson, who remains in post, as does the rest of the senior leadership team. Markson said: “We look forward to working with James to continue to build PRCA and deliver value for our members.”

Hewes added: “PRCA has a reputation for being responsive, innovative, and for serving its members. In today’s market, it is needed more than ever to provide insight, support, training and networking opportunities. I can’t wait to start work with the team and begin the process of adding even more value to the services we offer the PRCA community.

“I’d like to thank Renna and the PRCA team for the fantastic work they do on behalf of our members and I’m really looking forward to working with them.”