Richard is a global leader in PR and communications planning measurement and research, with over 30 years’ experience in the sector. He has led several of the world’s outstanding media intelligence and communications evaluation businesses, including Metrica, Gorkana, PRIME Research, and CARMA and advised many of the world’s leading international brands on their evaluation. Richard now leverages this extensive experience at CommsClarity Consulting which he co-founded. CommsClarity advises leaders of PR agencies, in-house comms/PR teams, and media intelligence companies across a variety of different use cases including implementing best practice research, evaluation, and insights, improving organisational efficiency, and scaling businesses effectively.

For the last ten years, Richard has advised the UK Government’s Strategy & Evaluation Council on Departmental best practice for communications evaluation. During this time he co-authored the Government’s Digital Communications Capabilities Review. He has played significant roles in global media intelligence professional association AMEC since its inception in 1996, chairing the organization for six years across three terms of office. Richard has been instrumental in creating several of AMEC’s best practice resources, including leading the development of the Integrated Evaluation Framework, a communications evaluation process recognized globally as best practice and used by thousands of organizations worldwide, AMEC’s Barcelona Principles, PR Planning Guide and AMEC’s 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.

A member of BCW’s Executive Committee and global board Michelle is responsible for strengthening BCW’s client-first ethos and working with global and regional leadership to advance its new business culture.

She moved to this role after spending more than 13 years at Edelman, most recently as Vice Chair, Client Solutions, Asia-Pacific, and before that, she was CEO, Australia, Asia-Pacific Brand Chair, where she built a team of leaders across creative, strategy and digital. Prior to her career at Edelman, Michelle spent 19 years at Hill & Knowlton in Australia and Asia.

Michelle was PR Jury President at the 2019 Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. She has a strong interest in supporting the development of female leaders. Michelle has Lived and worked internationally, is skilled in Digital Strategy, Stakeholder Analysis, Corporate Social Responsibility, Integrated Marketing and Brands.

Effie Kanyua is a multi-award-winning former Director of PR & Comms for Hearst UK and Communications Director for Bauer Media where she led its broadcast and then publishing arm. She started her career at the BBC working as a journalist and has led teams at many leading global communications agencies and has worked with some of the world’s biggest tech, media, FMCG, beauty, luxury and healthcare brands. She is a mentor for WIPR and Creative Access and has been an award’s judge for CIPR, PR Moments, The Drum, PR Week and PRCA and speaks regularly at events and conferences throughout the media industry.

She launched We Are Warriors PR at the end of 2023, a corpsumer PR agency powered by bespoke custom built AI solutions. She then went on to launch LILA Assistant in 2024, an ethical AI marketing, public relations, writing and content creation tool designed for busy professionals to save time and boost productivity and announced in October, a partnership with The Dyslexia Association as its AI partner, to support its work at supporting neurodivergent and dyslexic individuals within the workforce. She is also the UK chair of Global women’s Think Tank G100 Media, Arts & Communications wing which is a group of women senior leaders (including politicians, media figures, entrepreneurs, scientists and Heads of State) across 100 countries, committed to empower and support women through advocating for equity and inclusion. She is part of PRvoke Media’s Innovator 25 EMEA list, part of Barclays Eagle Labs Female Founder 2025 cohort, shortlisted for Campaign Magazine’s ‘Inspiring Women – Transforming Technology’ Award and Black Tech Achievement Awards “Inspirational Woman of The Year’ award and Authority Magazine’s “The Entrepreneurs Pushing the Boundaries of AI’ series.