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PR industry body elects South Australia team following last week’s resignations

Leila-Henderson

Henderson

The South Australian division of the Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA) has elected Leila Henderson as its new state president, following the resignation of Leigh McClusky last week. 

McClusky was one of a number of PRIA national board members who resigned en masse last week following the ousting of Terri-Helen Gaynor, in favour of new PRIA national president Mike Watson.

While Henderson takes the state presidency, the new South Australian PRIA national board representative will be Cait Tynan.

Henderson is the CEO of PR technology company Newsmaker, and formerly worked as a journalist with the Australian Women’s Weekly and The Australian, while Tynan has 20 years experience in public relations and is currently working in-house with Leighton Contractors on national communication strategies as well as the new Royal Adelaide Hospital.“It’s a great privilege to lead PRIA in South Australia during a time of rapid change that has brought new vibrancy to the profession,” said Henderson, in a statement.

“Traditional forms of communication are giving way to new technologies, and we are seeing more people enter the PR industry from a variety of backgrounds. Practitioners want to be connected to a wider PR community to stay in touch with new trends and for professional support.

“PRIA is at the centre of this energy, and I look forward to engaging with our members to find out howPRIA can best help them.”

SA PRIA national board member Tynan said she looked forward to working with the rest of the national board. “Communications practitioners want the support of an industry body which understands strategy, market dynamics and the importance of professional development, and can pitch this proposition to a range of audiences,” said Tynan.

“I am excited to be joining a new Board, fresh with ideas and enthusiasm, and to working collaboratively with all of my colleagues nationally as well as my divisional council colleagues here, to steer PRIA into a productive, compelling future.”

It is understood PRIA is currently looking for a number of board representative and state presidents in states and territories including News South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory.

Last week new national president Mike Watson said a national board meeting scheduled for tomorrow might have to be delayed by a week because certain states had been “dumped” by their state presidents.

“I have to give state and territory divisions time to transition their membership, said Watson. “I mean some of them have been dumped without a state president. They now have to find a new state president and a new state representative for the national board and that takes a little bit of time.”

“At this stage (the board meeting) might move out a week, I’m not really sure,” he said.

Nic Christensen 

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