Global Women in PR Romania

by Miriam Mircea

A few weeks ago, Romanian PR professionals, notably women, have been notified about the upcoming launch of the very first of its kind non-profit community, Global Women In PR Romania.

You might ask yourselves what is GWPR, so let’s see: it’s a Global membership organization connecting senior PR women worldwide, but not only. The organization was founded in 2015 and it’s a not-for-profit Association and an important sector of ICCO- the International Communications Consultancy Organisation.

But let’s get back to our homeland. The Community was officially launched in the presence of its founding members, of Global Women in PR founding members Angela Oakes and Susan Hardwick- co-founders GWPR based in London- and over 70 PR professionals in Romania. The launch took place on June 5th, at the Embassy of Sustainability in Bucharest.

The 14 founding members of GWPR Romania who made everything possible are : Ana-Maria Diceanu (Brain 4 Strategy), Vasile Corina (Raiffeisen Bank), Cristina Hanganu (Lidl). These first three ladies are also leading the local organization.The other remarkable ladies are: Irina- Ileana Ionescu (Coca-Cola Hellenic Company), Cristina Popescu (Danone), Anca Ungureanu (UniCredit Bank), Oana Mateescu (Ursus Breweries), Ioana Manoiu (GMP PR), Crenguta Rosu (DC Communications), Lidia Solomon (Honeywell), Irina Roncea (Golin), Gabriela Lungu (WINGS Creative Leadership Lab), Dana Oancea (Forum for International Communications), Cristina Butunoi (GMP PR).

Mrs. Ana Maria Diceanu was kind enough to extend a very warm invitation to us too, for which we would like to thank her very much. Being unable to attend due to prior work commitments, we decided to embrace this opportunity to present to you the new and the fresh from the local and international PR industry.

The Community is focused on supporting and offering education to younger generations as well as offering access to valuable international know how.

The main highlight is, in our opinion, supporting women in PR to reach more businesses and gain access to board committees.

We would like to underline that the project is constructed also on a partnership with Quadringa University Berlin.

So, we gave you the hard cold facts, but please, do not think the Association is exclusively dedicated to senior PR people of Romanian nationality. Actually, anyone eligible-who practices the craft on Romanian soil- could become a senior member, a member or an affiliate, of course, supporting the Association through their presence at its events and contributions. The membership or affiliation acts like a passepartout and opens so many valuable doors in the business.

The eligibility criteria is to be found on their website :

www.globalwpr.com

As Mrs. Diceanu stated, with this launch, Romania has made a major step forward in being part of a global community. It is vital that the reputation of the PR industry is improved in our country. Mrs. Corina Vasile, co-founder GWPR pointed out how this is such a fantastic opportunity for professionals to raise awareness about the importance of communication. She also mentioned that young women at the beginning of their career would receive more support and access to resources.

Mrs. Susan Hardwick and Mrs. Angela Oakes have both said they were delighted to open this new chapter for Romanian professionals. The ladies have also highlighted an essential point: as in most countries, the PR industry in Romania is predominantly female but the boards roam with men. Clearly, this situations needs to be balanced out by helping women take on challenges and pushing forward to leadership roles.

We wish them only prosperous activities ahead and much inspiration. We have faith that GWPR will bring a much needed change in the way Romanians perceive this industry.

We would like to offer our support in all ways and we are hoping to see some focus on niche agencies, as well.