PRII National Conference 2024

Mary Robinson

Mary Robinson is Adjunct Professor for Climate Justice in Trinity College Dublin and Chair of The Elders.  She served as President of Ireland from 1990-1997 and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 1997-2002. She is a member of the Club of Madrid and the recipient of numerous honours and awards including the Presidential Medal of Freedom from the President of the United States Barack Obama. Between 2013 and 2016 Mary served as the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy in three roles; first for the Great Lakes region of Africa, then on Climate Change leading up to the Paris Agreement and in 2016 as his Special Envoy on El Niño and Climate. Her Foundation, the Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice, established in 2010, came to a planned end in April 2019.

A former President of the International Commission of Jurists and former chair of the Council of Women World Leaders she was President and founder of Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative from 2002-2010 and served as Honorary President of Oxfam International from 2002-2012. She was Chancellor of the University of Dublin from 1998 to 2019. 

Mary Robinson serves as Patron of the International Science Council and Patron of the Board of the Institute of Human Rights and Business, is an Ambassador for The B Team, in addition to being a board member of several organisations including the Mo Ibrahim Foundation and the Aurora Foundation. Recently she became joint Honorary President of the Africa Europe Foundation. Mary’s memoir, ‘Everybody Matters’ was published in September 2012 and her book, ‘Climate Justice - Hope, Resilience and the Fight for a Sustainable Future’ was published in September 2018. She is also co-host of a podcast on the climate crisis, called ‘Mothers of Invention’.

Jim Macnamara PhD, FAMI, CPM, FAMEC

Distinguished Professor , School of Communication, University of Technology Sydney

Jim Macnamara is a Distinguished Professor in the School of Communication at the University of Technology Sydney. He is also a Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

Jim is an internationally recognized leader in evaluation of public communication and for his ground-breaking studies of organizational listening by and in governments, corporations, and NGOs. Jim is the author of 18 books including Evaluating Public Communication: Exploring New Models, Standards, and Best Practice and Organizational Listening II: Expanding the Concept, Theory, and Practice published in 2024 and almost 100 book chapters and thought-provoking articles.

He has led research projects for the World Health Organization during the COVID-19 pandemic, for NATO, governments in Australia, and he has worked closely with the UK Government Communication Service (GCS) over the past decade.

http://www.uts.edu.au/staff/jim.macnamara

Eileen Culloty

Assistant Professor & Deputy Director , School of Communications & DCU Institute for Media, Democracy, and Society

Eileen Culloty is an Assistant Professor in the School of Communications and deputy director of the DCU Institute for Media, Democracy, and Society. Her research interests concern disinformation, media literacy education, and public media. Eileen coordinates the Ireland Hub of the European Digital Media Observatory and is co-chair of Media Literacy Ireland, the national association of media literacy facilitated by Coimisiún na Meán. She is also a member of the working-group developing Ireland's National Counter Disinformation Strategy. Her book, co-authored with Jane Suiter, Disinformation and Manipulation in Digital Media (2021) was published by Routledge.

In her presentation to the PRII National Conference 2024 Eileen will focus on the communication challenges posed by disinformation and related issues including the mainstreaming of generative AI and the rise of anti-democratic movements. These challenges amplify the need for truthful and trustworthy communication that is accessible to all segments of the population. As communication professionals, we can simultaneously ask what we are doing to combat manipulative information by others and what we are doing to demonstrate our trustworthiness as credible sources of information.

John Brown

Build The Fearless Ltd.,

With over 15 years of experience in brand and communications, John Brown has been instrumental in the success of numerous start-ups, including Currency Cloud and Elvie, and has launched prominent brands like Virgin Media Business and Green Chef. He has played a key role in shaping the identity of renowned companies such as Cook, lululemon, Natura &Co, Frugi, Manhattan TV, OrgVue, Arahi, VIVOBAREFOOT, and Meridian, the nut butter specialists.

As the founder of the award-winning, B Corp-certified agency Don’t Cry Wolf, John has demonstrated a commitment to values-driven business, though he eventually had to bid farewell to the agency. He has led international teams and has a track record of working with both large, complex clients and small, agile ones.

Drawing on his environmental science degree, GRI certifications, and a master’s course, John continues to advise and guide clients in navigating the challenges of sustainability with fearless innovation.

Now residing in Cornwall, John serves as the CEO of the Cornwall Chamber of Commerce, where he is passionate about contributing to the local business community.

Outside of work, John is dedicated to his family—his wife and children—and always makes sure to find some time for personal pursuits.