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Board of directors

PRIA's board continues its commitment to strong governance, sound decision making and national strategic leadership. The board of Directors consists of a President, Deputy President, Secretary, Treasurer, the Immediate Past President and eight Directors.

President

Nicolas Turner, MPRIA MAICD
Nicolas is Managing Director of Corporate Communications (Tas) Pty Ltd. He has 22 years experience as a journalist and public relations practitioner in Tasmania. He has been a PRIA Director since November 2001, was PRIA's Treasurer for six years until 2009 and elected President in October 2011.

Deputy President

Adam Thomson, BA (Journ), MA COMM, MPRIA
Adam has more than 15 years experience in government and media liaison, stakeholder engagement, marketing, project and change management, strategic planning, public relations and corporate communications. He has worked within Federal, State and Local government departments, private industry on a national and international scale and as a graded journalist - offering a proven history of positively dealing with a broad range of diverse people/groups on a wide range of strategic, operational and advocacy issues. Based in South Australia he is currently the General Manager of O’Rourke PR.

Honorary Secretary

James Mahoney, FPRIA, BA, MA Comm
James is Senior Lecturer and Course Convenor, Public Relations, University of Canberra. He is former public relations director for a number of national organisations and government agencies. He has been a PRIA Director and Company Secretary since April 2003.

Treasurer

Tracy Jones, FPRIA, MIPRA, FAMI, MAICD, GradCert Pub Sect Mgmt
Tracy has 28 years in journalism and public relations, working in government and universities before starting her own consultancy Creative Territory in 2006. She has won four Golden Target Awards and 11 State Awards for Excellence. Tracy was PRIA's President from 2007-2009 and has been a Director since June 2004.

Other Directors

Robina Xavier FPRIA, BBus(Comn), GradDip Applied Finance and Investment, MBus (Research)
Since 2008, Robina has been Head, School of Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations at Queensland University of Technology. She has worked in academia for more than 14 years and has previous experience in corporate consulting, particularly in the area of investor relations. Robina was a Director from October 2000 to October 2003 and again a PRIA Director since 2007. She was elected President in October 2009 and returned in 2010.

David Van, B App Sci, Dip Inv Rel, MPRIA, MAICD
David Van is the founder and managing director of The De Wintern Group, a corporate communications consultancy with offices in Sydney and Melbourne. Recently elected to the board of the PRIA, David has 20 years’ experience as a communications professional and has been called upon to manage some of Australia’s biggest issues and crises over the past fifteen years including three Royal Commissions: Esso Longford (1999), HIH Insurance (2002) and the Victorian Bushfires (2010). David regularly speaks and writes on reputation management, issues and crisis management, litigation PR and sustainability communications.

Ingrid Harrison, FPRIA, MAICD
Ingrid has 39 years experience in journalism (newspapers and television in Australia (Tasmania) and public relations. She was in charge of public relations at the University of Tasmania from 1980-84 and the public affairs manager for ABC Radio Tasmania from 1985-87. She been a director and part owner of Corporate Communications (Tas) Pty Ltd since 1990. Ingrid has been a PRIA Director since November 2003.

Ingrid Larkin, MPRIA, BComm (Bus), MBA
Ingrid has more than 15 years experience in public relations practice across not for profit, corporate and consultancy environments. Since 2004, Ingrid has been in a full time academic role in the Faculty of Business at QUT. She has been a Director since September 2008.

Jeannette Button, FPRIA BA Indonesian and Politics, Post Grad Dip Professional Writing
With more than 20 years experience in the government, retail and corporate sections, Jeannette's fields of expertise include public relations strategic planning, media liaison and issues management. Jeannette is also a Board Member of Corrugated Iron Youth Theatre.

Gareth Lloyd MPRIA
Gareth has over 20 years experience drawn from the corporate, agency and not for profit sectors. He spent ten years as Director of Communications for a leading Anglo American energy company, National Grid which was one of the first to develop a comprehensive approach to sustainability. Before joining eWater as Director of Communications he was Head of Communications for BBC English Regions. Prior to that he spent three years in the not for profit sector where he ran one of the UK’s most successful sustainability campaigns.

Jack Walden, MPRIA
Jack Walden is Managing Director of The C Word Communications Agency, a company he started in 2008. Previously, Jack’s career spanned education, health, sustainability, technology, law and the arts. This broad experience developed his affinity for strategic-thinking and a talent for fresh, stand-out ideas bringing measurable return on investment. The C Word currently services government, environment and arts-sector clients, providing professional support in internal and external communications (social media and social networking), community engagement, events and sponsorship. Jack is the president of PRIA's Victorian division and is also the Victorian appointee to the national board.

Katharina Wolf MPRIA, MCIPR MA (PR), GradCertTertiaryEd, BA(Hons)
Director since August 2011, Katharina is a lecturer in public relations at Curtin University, Perth, expertise Western Australia. Katharina has fifteen years of communications and media experience as an educator and practitioner. Her industry experience encompasses communications and research roles in Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom and Australia. She is the current president of the PRIA WA Division and a former Chairperson of PRIA Young Guns.

Jeffrey Naqvi MPRIA
Jeffrey has worked across the private and public sector for nearly 15 years, specialising in all disciplines of communications, as well as change management, project management and strategy formulation. Having worked in leadership roles in Australia, United Kingdom, Belgium and Canada, Jeffrey brings a strategic and pragmatic perspective to the table. Leading PR and communications programs and projects across numerous sectors including government, banking and finance, professional services and FMCG, Jeffrey also has a specific passion for the world of online, launching the first blog for a CEO in the UK accounting sector, and devising award-winning online campaigns for the ever-competitive recruitment market. Published both in print and online, and a regular provider of analysis on significant brand and communications initiatives, Jeffrey is also the Managing Director of Pier Advisory (www.pieradvisory.com). Outside of work, he spends his time searching for historical world maps to add to his collection, putting his young family through the weekly emotional rollercoaster of watching online streaming of the English Premier League, and contributing to his local community. Jeffrey Naqvi is President of the PRIA State Council in South Australia.

Last Updated: December 22, 2011