Riley Ersek There are many influential people in the world and the world of public relations is no exception to that. However, it is rare that these people get the recognition they truly deserve. So let’s take a look at the most influential people in the public relations industry today. Some are industry leaders, while others are the brains behind the big corporations. Here are the top 10…
#10 Meredith O’Sullivan
Meredith O’Sullivan is the head of the talent department 42 west publications. Meredith made headlines when she was named in the top 5 of Hollywood’s most important publicist. With nearly 18 years in the industry it is no wonder that she represents some of Hollywood’s most elite stars.
#9 Katie Cotton
Katie Cotton is a icon in the world of PR for being the right hand man to Steve Jobs in his early Apple days. She defied the norms for communication and broke barriers for women. Katie rejected the normal open-business model for new companies and the releases, instead created mystery around what would be next for Apple and its new releases. This model was and still is effective in.
#8 Eric Dezenhall
Eric Dezenhall is one of the most well known crisis management specialist, which is extremely helpful in a world full of “being cancelled”. Dezenhall represents many high profile clients that are facing crisis and is effective in saving their reputations.
#7 Richard Edelman
Richard Edelman is the current CEO of global communications agency, Edelman. He has experience advising many major corporations through numerous situations, most famously Samsung and United Airlines. In 2020, Richard was recognized for his hard work and was inducted into the American Advertising Hall of Fame.
#6 Stephen Huvane & Simon Halls
Stephen Huvane and Simon Halls own one of the biggest firms in Los Angeles, Slate PR. They are icons in the world of Hollywood and it is no wonder that because of their location they have clients that are considered Hollywood royalty. These clients include Jennifer Aniston, Johnny Depp, and Neil Patrick Harris, just to name a few.
#5 Al Golin
Al Golin is the perfect example for the saying “brains behind the operations”. Al Golin was a young public relations agent when he met the founder of McDonalds. At that point McDonalds was a fairly new establishment and was looking for some guidance on the brand and future expansion. Al Golin had a partnership with McDonalds for over 60 years and is partly to thank for their global dominance of the fast food industry.
#4 Kristin Lemkau
We have all heard of the global company, JP Morgan Chase. This global company was able to expand their brand and dominate their industry because of Kristin Lemkau. Kristin has worked at the company for over 22 years and oversees communications for all the Chase businesses. These communications can range from advertising, sponsorships, and marketing.
#3 Howard Rubenstein
Howard Rubenstein is a familiar name to all in the PR industry. He is known for being a representative to some of the most prestigious names including New York Philharmonic, Guggenheim, and Museum of Modern Art. While all of the clients Rubenstein represents are reputable, Rubenstein had a unique beginning to his PR career, after dropping out of Harvard Law School to work for his family’s restaurant.
#2 Jay Carney
Jay Carney has had some of the most distinguishable titles that any PR professional could have. Jay is currently the Vice President of global corporate affairs for the super giant company, Amazon. Before his current job, he took a job as Vice President Joe Biden’s director of communications and then a few days later became President Barack Obama’s second White House press secretary.
#1 Leslie Dach
Leslie Dach is the EVP of corporate affairs for Wal-Mart. Dach is most notable for his collaboration with First Lady Michelle Obama, and their campaign “Let’s Move!”. Dach in collaboration of this campaign started an initiative to change Walmart to a healthy brand.
