Judges

Alison has over 25 years‘ consultancy experience working with some of the world’s best known global corporations advising on reputation, the effective implementation of multi-market strategies, CEO counsel and crisis and issues management. Following a successful UK consultancy career Alison was appointed President of Weber Shandwick Asia Pacific where she was responsible for 12 markets across the region. Alison then joined Huntsworth PLC as Business Development Director where she worked in partnership with the Group CEO on an active period of M&A. Alison transferred to Huntsworth-owned  Grayling UK as CEO for four years. She now now runs her own consulting business working as NED,  board advisor and mentor to a range of companies helping them grow and develop a more successful and profitable business. She is a Fellow and former Chairman of the Public Relations Consultants Association and a Fellow and former President of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.   www.alisonclarke.co.uk

Ann-Marie Blake is co-founder True, a business set up to help organisations build winning cultures through maximising the potential of their people. She has over 25 years’ experience in communications where she’s worked both in-house and as a consultant for major global corporations. Ann-Marie is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Public Relations, Chartered PR Practitioner and served as Secretary/Treasurer on the International Executive Board of the IABC (2020 – 2024).  She is a founder member of the PRCA Race & Ethnicity Equity Board (REEB) that exists to create proportional racial equity within the PR and communications industry

With over 25 years of experience in strategic communications, international relations, and public affairs, Camille Raymond brings a depth of expertise to the AMEC Awards jury. As the Head of Communication Impact, Standards, and Capacity Building at the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development), Camille leads a team dedicated to using data-driven insights to better understand audiences, enhance communication efficiency, and establish best practices. Her extensive career at the OECD, IMF, and major global communication agencies showcases her ability to lead diverse teams and manage reputational risks effectively. Camille’s work has been pivotal in advancing evidence-based communications and promoting accountability across international organizations. In addition to her professional roles, Camille serves as a Board Member and Chair of the non-profit group at AMEC, where she collaborates with foundations, international organizations, and other non-profits to raise communication standards and practices. She holds three Master’s degrees in Finance, International Relations, and Media & Communication

Chris Hopper is a director at Citypress, heading up the agency’s Research and Analytics team, which has previously won in the Communications, Research and Measurement Team category at the AMEC Awards. Chris has over a decade’s experience as a senior consultant, advising clients ranging from FTSE 100 businesses to financial services firms and start-ups on impactful communications programmes and best-practice measurement and evaluation. He was previously a business journalist.

Francois van Dyk runs Operations at Ornico, the South African Brand Intelligence research company, where he oversees all advertising, editorial and social media monitoring and analysis functions. In 2019 he was elected an International Board Director for AMEC (the International Association for the Measurement and Evaluation of Communication), as the first ever representative from Africa, and continues to serve on the AMEC Board, its education committee as well as being appointed the inaugural chair of AMEC’s Middle East Africa Chapter in 2022

Simon Gebauer is a media intelligence and PR measurement professional with over 10 years of experience, specializing in business development, partnerships, and international relationships. He currently holds the position of Chief Commercial Officer at Observer Brand Intelligence and serves as a Board Director at AMEC, where he also leads the European chapter. Simon's expertise and leadership have been instrumental in driving growth and fostering valuable connections within the industry.

Co-founder and current President of Global Women in PR – an organisation designed to Champion, Connect and Support women working in the communications industry www.globalwpr.com .Susan has been a board director at one of the UK's top PR consultancies, head of communications for a large retail chain and run her own business. An experienced advisor on brand development and issues management, she has handled a wide portfolio of UK and international clients from FTSE 100 companies to top international sporting events. Whilst being primarily based in the UK her work has been of a global nature masterminding communications programmes throughout Europe and the USA.

James founded PR Agency One, which since its launch in 2012 has put measurement at the heart of what it does. PR Agency One’s proprietary evaluation system OneEval predates the AMEC framework and has since been developed into three distinct products that focus on three areas Commercial, Reputation and Brand. His personal interest is in commercial attribution. James is an expert in Google Analytics and tracking commercial outcomes. He saw AMEC develop the framework and instantly recognised the approach, as in many ways it mirrored his own products in OneEval. PR Agency One adopted the language of the framework into the product and pushed forward with the development of the three products as wanting to remain ahead what is seen as the minimum standard that the industry should operate at.

Kristen, EVP, and Head of Client Services at SourceCode, has extensive expertise in developing integrated communications programs for B2B and Consumer tech brands. Her true passion lies in identifying and sharing stories that forge personal connections and inspire action in individuals. Kristen is widely respected for her ability to collaborate effectively with communications teams, business units, and C-suite executives, all aimed at achieving organizational objectives. Kristen's contributions to the communications field have earned her recognition, including being featured in PR Week's prestigious Dashboard 25 Class of 2023 and PRovoke Media's esteemed Innovator 25 Americas Class of 2022.

Kyle leads global external monitoring in Shell’s Corporate Relations function. In his role, Kyle delivers reputation insights to multiple stakeholders across Shell’s global operations. Prior to joining Shell, Kyle was Head of Automotive for Prime Research. Kyle’s combined agency and client-side experience gives him a unique perspective on how data is used and valued by Europe’s biggest company. Kyle was named a top 5 brand leader in Social Media Intelligence by the SILab in 2024.

Mary Beth West, APR, FPRCA, has worked in PR for 30 years, including 15 as an agency owner. She is a strategic partner with the Ethics & Compliance Initiative (ECI), helping fund projects such as the Business Integrity Library to share best practices in service to balancing the public good with other business goals.

Mary Elizabeth leads Ketchum’s research, measurement and analytics sector. Since joining the agency in 2001, she has been instrumental in growing the business to well over 60 in 12 cities globally today. With close to 20 years of experience as a communications researcher, Mary Elizabeth counsels clients on how to make the best use of analytics and derives insights to develop strategic communication programs. Her work spans all stages of the communications process – from planning to testing to evaluation. She is responsible for the development of a variety of Ketchum’s proprietary tools as well as the agency’s strategic planning process.

Matt is a highly experienced data professional of over 12 years with expertise in uncovering value and key insights from data and measurement. In Matt’s current role as Global Head of Data & Insights, he leads the data, insight and analytics function for Hotwire across the global consultancy. Matt recently led the launch of 4 new data and analytics offerings, including CommsIQ which is Hotwire’s measurement and reporting solution to help communications clients demonstrate the impact of their activities.  Matt also plays a key role in the management and responsibility for all data services, including data visualization & BI, defining Hotwire’s long-term data strategy and vision, and more.

Maya Koleva has 15+ years of experience in communications evaluation and sits on the AMEC International Board, supporting Education and Technology initiatives. She consults on campaign evaluation, benchmarking, KPI setting, and long-term measurement programs, working with clients’ teams, agencies, and technology vendors. In her role, she integrates AI tools into products, research methods, and processes, advising on automation and generative AI use. Maya holds a PhD from Sofia University in Journalism and Communications, with research interests in network analysis and stakeholder representation in news coverage. She also has an MA in Public Policy from Central European University.

Ngaire is the regional head for research at Isentia across Australia and New Zealand. The insights division at Isentia is responsible for producing bespoke media, communications and reputation research. She is also the Chair of the Global Young Leaders Group for AMEC, the International Association for the measurement and evaluation of communication. She has more than 15 years in the field of communications and media research and is a passionate advocate for measurement and how the right evaluation is critical to ensuring success.

Nicole Emme has more than 15 years' experience working in the media evaluation industry. Prior to that she worked in media (broadcast production, publishing, marketing and PR) across a number of different European countries. Her exposure to European languages, cultures and media landscapes makes her an ideal Trusted Advisor for pan-European clients, or those with a global footprint. She completed the AMEC online certificate in 2008, and has maintained knowledge of and provided counsel on measurement best practice, working with clients across industries, helping them to refine and improve their measurement programmes

Claire is an experienced senior manager with professional expertise in communications, marketing, public affairs and campaigning. I have over 25 years working in national and local government and in the charitable sector with extensive experience in all areas of communications, including channel management and development, developing and implementing communication, public affairs, brand and web strategies, stakeholder engagement, change management, internal communications, digital and website development, information management tools, brand development and protection, film production, PR and media, marketing and advertising activity, communications evaluation and all aspects of publishing, including in other languages and formats.

Raina Lazarova is the Co-Founder and COO of Ruepoint – a global media intelligence provider, helping PR & Communications professionals demonstrate the value of their work through data-driven media insights, and an outcome-based approach to media measurement and evaluation. With over 15 years of experience in the media intelligence space, Raina has been recognised as a respected professional and though leader, focusing on promoting value-based media measurement in communication and highlighting the importance of humanity, compassion and attention to customer experience in B2B. Raina is a prominent member of the Board of Directors of AMEC and is frequently invited as a speaker at conferences, webinars and masterclasses.

Rayna de Lange, co-founder and CEO of InsightHQ, a global insight and evaluation consultancy, is an entrepreneur, consultant and analyst. She is also a founder of DeLange Analytics, a consultancy specialising in integrated analysis of business and communications effectiveness. Prior to setting up her own business, Rayna built up and lead the global media evaluation business of various companies. She is an author and mentor of numerous business strategies and projects in the communications intelligence field worldwide. Rayna has been actively working to help the industry advance as AMEC’s Board Director, Chair of the Education Committee, a member of AMEC’s Innovation Hub and the Social Media Measurement group. Rayna has been leading and participating in core AMEC’s initiatives like the Integrated Evaluation Framework, the International Certificate in Measurement and Evaluation, the Foundation Course in Measurement and Evaluation, AMEC Awards’ Judging Jury, under which she’s been supporting industry professionals, teams, young entrepreneurs. Rayna has been a guest lecturer on communications measurement and evaluation in several universities.

Richard is one of the most respected and recognised leaders in PR and communications measurement. He has held leadership roles at top measurement and data analytics firms, including Metrica, Gorkana, PRIME Research, and CARMA. For over a decade, Richard has advised the UK Government’s Strategy & Evaluation Council on best practices for communications evaluation, and he co-authored the Government’s Digital Communication Capabilities Review. He served three terms as chairman of AMEC, the global professional association for media intelligence, where he led and contributed to the development of key resources including the Integrated Evaluation Framework, the PR Planning Guide, and the Measurement Maturity Mapper. Richard is a Fellow of AMEC, the CIPR and the PRCA. His career long commitment to improving the meaningful measurement and evaluation of communications has seen him recognised multiple times for lifetime achievement, including the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) President's Medal for outstanding contribution to the public relations industry, Provoke Media's SABRE Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement, AMEC's Don Bartholomew Award for services to the industry, and induction into PR News' Measurement Hall of Fame. X: www.x.com/richardbagnall L: www.linkedin.com/in/richardbagnall

Sarah Ball is Head of Research at UNICEPTA UK. Sarah was fresh out of university when she joined the media measurement and evaluation industry 19 years ago as an analyst. Her expertise lies in consulting with clients on complex briefs, developing new methodologies and innovating approaches to research to generate insights that have impact.

Sonia is head of Insights France for Onclusive based in Paris. She co-founded the Indice Presse agency before contributing to the development of media analysis and barometers at TNS institute and Kantar Media. With significant experience in the media measurement of public and political communication, she supports organisations in their search for relevant KPIs and actionable insights, and participates in training and comm initiatives for the French market, such as the measurement referential with the Syndicat du Conseil en Relations Publics.

Sonya is Founding Partner at Rice Communications in Asia. She set up the business in Singapore in 2009 and since then, it has grown into an award-winning consultancy with offices in six countries in the region. Sonya started her career in India, and after a 14-year stint in Singapore,  is currently based in the United Kingdom managing partner enquiries for the Asia Pacific region

Sophia Kudjordji is a Senior Public Relations Expert and multi-award-winning communications leader with a strong track record of building the function and teams at some of Ghana's leading organisations. She is the Chief Corporate Communication at the Jospong Group of Companies. Sophia has over 25 years’ experience in the media and communications industry across Public Relations and Journalism. She has worked with  notable organisations including Ghana News Agency, Volta Region Community Water and Sanitation Agency, British High Commission, Accra, UT Holdings and currently, Jospong Group of Companies. Sophia holds a Masters’ degree in Development Communication an MBA in Leadership and Sustainability; Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing; a Bachelors’ degree in Sociology & Psychology and a Diploma in Journalism from the Ghana Institute of Journalism Ghana.

Henriette has been leading the Brand & Group Communications team of Körber, an international technology group, since 2014. During her career in PR, corporate communications and branding she worked in agencies and global organizations. She brings in more than 25 years of industry experience (FMCG, energy, pharma, construction, machine building, software etc.). Henriette loves using the power of communication to win over audiences and promote profitable action for global organizations. Core to her work are attractive, crisp, and professional products – often based on storytelling that connects and engages key stakeholders. In addition, Henriette is passionate about people communications to drive culture and strategic change.  https://www.linkedin.com/in/henrietteviebig/ 

Vinay has over 12 years in communications and public affairs research in agencies, working at The Social Partners, H+K Strategies and Ketchum before joining Lexington. He is a specialist in digital and quant research methods across social media, polling and search, proficiency in multi-market research programmes, and is a keen proponent of the value of AI tools in augmenting analysis and visualisation workflows