Company: Makovsky + Company, New York, NY
Company Description: Founded in 1979, Makovsky + Company is one of the leading independent global public relations, investor relations and branding consultancies, specializing in the financial, professional services, health, technology and business services sectors. Our tagline, the Power of Specialized Thinking underscores the deep knowledge and relevant relationships we bring to client engagements.
Nomination Category: Corporate Communications, Investor Relations, & Public Relations Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Communications, Investor Relations, or PR Executive of the Year

Nomination Title: Kenneth D. Makovsky, President and CEO

Tell the story about what this nominee achieved since January 1 2011 (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

"I have always believed that being an agent for communications — especially between a corporation and its constituencies — is a sacred trust." Ken Makovsky, President, Makovsky + Company

Ken embraced the power of specialized thinking in the early 1980s when it was counter-cultural. And, with respect to employees, he believed, in the words of one of the industry’s most trenchant observers, that “decency and integrity have been the hallmarks of Ken’s management style since the early days of his firm.”

Thirty years ago, Ken committed to building an organization around this vision, consistently in good times and bad. In 2011, in an economy still reeling from the “Great Recession,” the story is how that personal vision has been publicly and decisively vindicated.

• In 2011, Dow Jones & Co. identified Makovsky as the third most in-the-news PR agency in the world – an astounding achievement for an independently-owned mid-sized consultancy.

•Ken is likely the most influential blogger in the PR industry today. His blog “My Three Cents” is now featured on Forbes.com, Bloomberg BusinessWeek’s Business Exchange and Bulldog Reporter. This year, Chief Executive Magazine named “My Three Cents” one of the “Top 10 CEO Blogs” – not just in the PR industry, but among all CEO bloggers. Others in the list included Thomson Reuters, Zappos, Saatchi & Saatchi, Royal Caribbean International and Forrester Research. Bulldog Reporter named Ken “PR Blogger of the Year” for the second consecutive year.

•Ken is a highly sought-after expert source for national journalists. In the past year, he has provided commentary for: Forbes on the Romney “Etch A Sketch” issue; the Philadelphia Inquirer on the Penn State scandal, and Reuters on the Costa Concordia accident, among several others.

•Ken volunteers with a broad range of organizations: Washington, Columbia and Syracuse Universities, the Arthur Page Society, Institute for Public Relations, American Jewish Committee and others.

•The Holmes Report named Makovsky a “Best Place to Work” agency for the sixth time. Mak University offers continuing education. In the “MAK Awards,” outside judges pick the best campaigns of the year. The Young Leadership Award is a competition for junior staff. The Lifestyle Committee supports a wide range of causes such as National Wear Red Day, Skip Lunch Fight Hunger, Million TreesNYC, and produces the annual Makovsky Follies show.

•IPREX, the world’s second largest corporation of independent public relations agencies, was founded by Ken 25 years ago. We celebrated this milestone with a three-day extravaganza, featuring events at Google, Bloomberg and a panel of luminaries at New York’s University Club.

What in 2011 came from these actions?

•Makovsky closed one out of every three sales leads. It’s an extraordinary success ratio likely unsurpassed in the industry.

•It notched several high-prestige wins, including major programs for two of the world’s five largest pharmaceutical companies, along with clients like Itron, Guardian Life, Credit Suisse, Cracker Barrel and others.

•Client retention was 80%, striking in a turbulent economy.

•Staff retention was 95%, well above industry averages.

•Ninety percent of our clients rated us “good” to “exceptional” in six metrics that define success, including overall performance, value for budget and creativity.

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Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the nominee:

Ken Makovsky founded Makovsky + Company in 1979. It's been named “PR Agency of the Year,” “Multispecialist Agency of the Year,” “Midsize PR Agency of the Year” and “Best Place to Work.” Winner of the prestigious John Hill Award, Ken won “Communications Professional of the Year” and “Public Relations Agency Professional of the Year” last year, and has won “PR Blogger of the Year” the past two years.

Ken contributes intellectual capital to the industry in his blog and in speeches, seminars and interviews and donates to human rights, higher education and development causes. In addition to pioneering the concept of specialization, Ken introduced the industry’s first quality program, cofounded the Council of PR Firms and is Trustee and Treasurer of the Institute for PR.