PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Steven R Okun, the Director of Public
Affairs at leading global investment firm KKR in Asia Pacific, is
today named as Chairman of The PublicAffairsAsia Gold Standard
Awards 2011 programme. Okun, a leading member of the global public
affairs community and Chairman of APCAC, which comprises 25 member
American Chambers of Commerce across Asia Pacific, will head the
PAA judging panel and lead the 2011 promotion for the awards.
Commenting on the role, Steven R. Okun said: "Today, companies
face a host of new challenges which result from a combination of
megatrends connected to globalisation, the environment and the
proliferation of news and information. The best public affairs and
communications professionals are on the cutting-edge, taking all
these factors into account - and at the same time making business
more profitable, sustainable and socially responsible. The
PublicAffairsAsia Gold Standard Awards identify excellence and
achievement in these important areas."
Okun will lead a panel of judges which includes over 40 senior
practitioners from public affairs and corporate communications
across business, government and the NGO community. They will judge
categories including public affairs and public relations
consultancy of the year, in-house public affairs team, diplomatic
and NGO engagement, government and stakeholder relations and social
media innovation.
Commenting on Okun's selection as Chairman, PublicAffairsAsia's,
Executive Director, Craig Hoy, said: "Steve Okun is one of the most
respected senior public affairs practitioners in the region.
Selecting Steve as chairman for the 2011 awards programme
underlines that these unique awards are both practitioner-led and
industry focused. Led by Steve, the Gold Standard Awards are
distinctive because of the quality and quantity of our judging team
and this year nearly 50 leading global public affairs and
communications professionals will determine who secures the Gold
Standard accolade."
The categories and sponsors for the 2011 awards programme are
set to be announced on August 1, with nominations for the 2011
contest invited in September and October ahead of the presentation
of the awards at The Fullerton Hotel in Singapore in January
2012.
Encouraging entries for the awards programme, Steven R. Okun
added: "By nominating, or being nominated, you can promote the
important work carried out by professional communicators, business,
diplomats, governments and NGOs across Asia Pacific. Whether for
your work in government relations, issues management, social media,
trade promotion or good governance, we encourage you to become
involved."
To watch Steven R Okun introduce the 2011 Awards Programme
Visit: www.goldstandardawards2011.com
For more information contact: [email protected]
ABOUT THE GOLD STANDARD AWARDS:
The Gold Standard Awards, operated by PublicAffairsAsia, the
magazine and network for senior communications and corporate public
affairs professionals, operate across the Asia Pacific region.
Nominations are invited from consultancies, corporations,
government agencies, the diplomatic and trade communities and NGOs
across a wide range of categories. Confirmed sponsors and partners
for the 2011 programme include Weber Shandwick, News Corporation,
eBay, Eon, Prospect, Henry Hale Maguire, The American Chamber of
Commerce in China, The Hong Kong Council for Public Relations Firms
and the US ASEAN Business Council.
ABOUT STEVEN R. OKUN:
Steven R. Okun joined KKR in February 2011 as Director of Asia
Pacific Public Affairs. Mr. Okun oversees public affairs, corporate
citizenship and external communications and assists in those
efforts for KKR's portfolio companies in the region. In addition,
he serves as the Chairman of the Chairman of the Asia-Pacific
Council of American Chambers of Commerce, which comprises 25 member
Chambers from across the entire Asia Pacific region. Mr. Okun
served as Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore
from 2008-2011, a position for which he won three consecutive
elections. From 2003 - 2010, he was Vice President for Public
Affairs for UPS in Asia Pacific. Mr. Okun served in the
Administration of President Bill Clinton as Deputy General Counsel
at the Department of Transportation.
Media Contact:
Mark O'Brien
PublicAffairsAsia
+852-2251-1511
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+852-2251-1511