CEO of Stratcomm Africa appointed IPRA Board member

Ms Esther Cobbah[/caption] Chief Executive of Strategic Communication Africa (Stratcomm Africa), Esther A.N Cobbah, has been appointed as a board member of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA). Ms Cobbah becomes the first person from sub-Sahara Africa to be appointed to the board of IPRA.  The IPRA brings together public relations practitioners from all over the world. The board, drawn from the Association’s global membership, was inaugurated in Vienna, Austria on February 23. Svetlana Stavreva, External Relations Manager of Global Technology Services (GTS), IBM Europe and Official Member of the Forbes Communications Council was also installed as President of the IPRA on February 22. Stavreva will serve for a year. Stavreva says said “Esther has contributed significantly to the work of IPRA throughout the years of her membership. Over the last several years she has served as a judge in respect of the Golden World Awards. “I am very pleased to have her on the Board during the period of my Presidency and I have no doubt that she will contribute important insights in our deliberations as a Board,” the president added. Ms Cobbah described her appointment to serve on the board as “gratifying”, especially because it comes “at a time when Stratcomm Africa is soon going to be celebrating 25 years of our existence”. “I look forward to contributing to the growth of IPRA as well as to the maintenance of high professional standards among public relations practitioners through my membership on this Board,” she assured. Ms Cobbah said she also intends to particularly articulate the perspectives of public relations practitioners from Africa, to ensure that they feature prominently in the outlook of the association. “There is no doubt about the important contributions that Public Relations can make to Africa’s development and we will be able to draw from the wealth of resources offered by this global platform for Public Relations,” she said. Introducing the new board to their responsibilities, the Secretary General of IPRA, Philip Shephard said, “We expect that Board members will be at the forefront of ensuring the highest standards of practice amongst our members and the industry at large. He commended all members of the new board on their appointment. Who is Ms Cobbah? Ms Cobbah obtained her first degree at the University of Ghana and further earned graduate degrees in Communications from the School of Communications Studies, the University of Ghana and Cornell University, Ithaca in New York, U.S.A. She has extensive experience working with public and private sector organisations as well as communities and individuals in Ghana and beyond. She has a keen understanding of the value of effective communication processes for national development, organizational growth and individual livelihood enhancement. Ms Cobbah constantly explores effective communications strategies to promote innovation and social behaviour change. She has won numerous local and international awards for her work in business and the communication industry. By 3news.com|Ghana]]>