LONDON – Richard Bagnall will be honoured with the PRovoke Media Individual Achievement SABRE Award in London next month, at the EMEA SABRE Awards on 17 April.

Bagnall has worked in the PR and communications industry for 30 years, creating and building businesses in the critical media intelligence, data analytics, and measurement and evaluation sector. He is currently co-managing partner and UK/US chief executive of global media intelligence firm Carma; in his six years with the company, he has reshaped and driven the European and US business.

As chairman of AMEC, the global professional association for PR and communications measurement and evaluation, between 2016 and 2022, Bagnall was instrumental in putting industry education at the heart of AMEC’s purpose.

He led the development of the AMEC Integrated Evaluation Framework, which is acknowledged today as international best practice, and delivered other initiatives including the Social Media Measurement Frameworks, the Measurement Maturity Mapper and the PR Planning Guide.

AMEC global managing director Johna Burke told PRovoke Media: “Richard Bagnall is synonymous with measurement and evaluation. His dedication to the industry through his work and leadership in AMEC has led communication teams on their quest for ROI for nearly 30 years. His consultation, critical thinking and consummate curiosity challenge the norm and make us all better.

“His direct work with brands allows teams not only to demonstrate the value of their work but also ensures effective communication is at the heart of brand reputation locally and globally of organizations making an impact in our society. In a community where a rising tide lifts all boats, Richard is the tsunami.”

Bagnall began his career in-house and PR agencies before joining start-up media intelligence pioneer Metrica in 1996. As Metrica's co-owner and managing director, Bagnall built the business into the world's foremost PR measurement, data analytics and insight specialist.

In 2009, he led Metrica’s sale to private equity firm Exponent, the owner of monitoring company Durrants. Together, they bought Gorkana and created the Gorkana Group, offering market-leading journalist database, media monitoring and PR evaluation services in one place.

After he left Gorkana in 2013, the UK Cabinet Office appointed Bagnall to conduct a capability review into the Government’s digital communications; he has been a member of the Cabinet Office Strategy and Evaluation Council ever since.

He was also UK CEO and Europe SVP of Prime Research in the run-up to its acquisition by Cision in 2017, is a Lifetime Fellow of AMEC and Fellow of the PRCA, and has authored two social media handbooks for the CIPR.

Long-time friend and collaborator Stephen Waddington, the founder of independent consultancy Wadds Inc, told PRovoke Media: “Richard has dedicated his career to professionalising public relations and elevating its value in management. He’s spent more than 30 years driving standards and encouraging practitioners to recognise the value of their work through measurement and planning. Richard combines the rarest of qualities: intellectual wisdom, business savvy, and first-rate emotional intelligence. He’s a thinker, a doer, and an awesome human being.”