Who has been awarded the MEPRA Fellowship?

The MEPRA Fellowship is awarded to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the PR industry in the Middle East and for commitment to adhering to the highest professional standards.

This year’s Fellowship was awarded during the fourth annual MEPRA Leadership Majlis held in Abu Dhabi, which brought together almost 200 industry professionals from more than 40 organizations.

Ray Eglington, MEPRA Chair awarded the fellowship to Sunil John, founder and CEO of ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller and President – Middle East of Burson Cohn & Wolfe (BCW).

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Eglington said: “Sunil has been at the heart of PR in the Middle East for more than two decades. His agency, ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller, recently appeared in the PR Week league table as the largest agency in the Middle East. He is a founding member of MEPRA and has received huge international recognition – he was the first person in the Middle East to receive the Outstanding Individual Achievement SABRE Award (EMEA) and was awarded with the MEPRA Chairman’s Award in 2016.”

“Sunil is also responsible for a defining piece of thought leadership in the region – the Arab Youth Survey, which launched its tenth edition last week and further demonstrates Sunil’s impact on the industry and his commitment to better understanding our market,” he added.

During his acceptance speech, John recounted the story that led him to be a founding member of MEPRA back in 2001 and congratulated the attendees for their active participation in MEPRA.

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“MEPRA was born out of my agency ASDA’A in 2001 – it was one of the first things we did. My colleagues and I recognized the requirement for an agency body that could bring about high industry standards. We started MEPRA with 12 other public relations agency members and held our first meeting in Dubai Press Club in Deira,” he said.

John was recognized alongside Sconaid McGeachin, senior vice-president EMEA & CEO Africa, H+K Strategies, based on a unanimous vote from MEPRA Board members.