Public Relations, Annual Reports & Publications Awards Judging Committee
Chair:
Chris Hook, Strategic Communications, Office of the CEO
Synopsis Inc., Mountain View, California, United States
Chris Hook is a PR visionary and master craftsman with a track record of helping major technology brands and leaders assert their place at the industry’s center of gravity, while capturing market share and expanding market valuations. He spent most of the past 20 years at AMD and Intel where he transformed corporate storytelling in the semiconductor space, and led major global marketing and communications functions in Toronto, Munich, London, Austin, and Sunnyvale. Hook believes that a successful PR campaign begins not with what you want to say, but how you want your audience to feel, which he believes is determined at the confluence of medium-centric messaging, the ‘looking-glass self’ principle, and ‘shock and awe’ execution.
Hook has served as Judging Chair at the American Business Awards on three occasions and has won over 100 international communications and marketing awards including 5 Gold Stevies, a Grand Stevie, PR News Corporate Communications Practitioner of the Year, and PR Week Technology Campaign of the Year.
On being invited to Chair these awards in its 20th year, Hook tells us: “The Stevie Awards recognize the pioneers, mutineers, rebels and underdogs that toil every day to advance and refine the craft of business in America and around the world.”
Committee:
Cleo Anderson, CEO & Founder
The Anderson Media Group, London, England, United Kingdom
Since 2008, Cleo Anderson has been the Founder and Principal of award-winning international PR agency The Anderson Media Group. With over a decade of experience in luxury lifestyle PR across the globe, Ms. Anderson is a leader within her field and was recognized as such by Forbes in 2020.
Zainab Ansari, Managing Director & CEO
Xenith PR (Pvt.) Ltd., Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
Zainab Ansari is a Corporate Image professional and Public Relations specialist with over forty years of a high profile and successful career in large multinationals and reputable organizations. She has been extensively exposed to Television, Radio and the literary circles and is an established writer, poet and freelance journalist.
Iro Antoniadou, Senior Manager Corporate Communications
Philip Morris International, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
Iro Antoniadou is a corporate communications professional with more than 20 years of experience in multinational environments. Her areas of expertise include media relations, executive communications, corporate communications strategy, and crisis & issues management.
Linda Ashmore, Retired Independent PR and Corporate Communications Consultant
Oceanside, California, United States
Linda has had extensive experience developing campaigns and strategies to clearly communicate value propositions across multiple business units and diverse product offerings within organizations. She has overseen all communications activities including executive communications, public relations, digital properties, social campaigns, global events, analyst relations, and internal communications.
Parul Bharadwaj, Technical Program Manager
Doordash, Seattle, Washington, United States
Waled Khaled Jumaan Bin Wabar, CEO
Wabar Boss Inc., New Castle, Delaware, United States
Dr. Waled Khaled Jumaan Bin Wabar has over ten years of experience in accounting, taxation, management, and finance for commercial and consulting companies. His expertise was implementing feasibility studies, budgeting, business evaluation, portfolio analysis, performance management, development of internal control systems, financial analysis, and auditing. He also provided consultations in supply chain management, inventory movement, financial accounting, management accounting, re-engineering of financial and administrative processes, and many other administrative areas to advise decision-makers.
Lelani Clark, PR Manager and Small Business Advocate
Women's Center for Entrepreneurship, Chatham, New Jersey, United States
Lelani Clark is a Communications and Social Impact PR Expert who works with Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, high profile experts, and celebrities. She received her Bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley and is a John Jay Guggenheim Fellow. She has been featured in Cosmo, Yahoo, and on ABC TV.
Thony Da Silva Romero, Partner & Chief Executive Officer
PIZZOLANTE, Caracas, Venezuela
Thony Da Silva has dedicated over 25 years to providing support and counseling as a Business Communications Consultan to international clients throughout Latin America, the United States, Europe, and the Caribbean.
Suzanne Darmory, Vice President of Integrated Marketing & Creative
Jackson Hewitt, Jersey City, New Jersey, United States
Mary DiMaggio, Senior Vice President
BioCentric Inc., Collingswood, New Jersey, United States
Loretta Gasper, Principal & Consultant
Wind Rose Communications, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Joanne Johnson, Vice President, Business Execution Consultant
Wells Fargo, San Luis Obispo, California, United States
Brian Phifer, CEO
Brian Phifer & Company, LLC, New York, New York, United States
Jessica Puchala, Senior Director, Communications & Marketing
Diesel Technology Forum, Frederick, Maryland, United States
Puchala is an award-winning communications and marketing strategist with more than 20 years of experience. She began her career as a television news reporter, producer and anchor. Her recent work for various national brands has earned her several Stevie Awards, as well as recognition from other groups.
Richard Ramlall, President & Principal
RamlallPartners LLC, Ashburn, Virginia, United States
Richard Ramlall has been president of Ramlall Partners LLC since 2013. He has more than 20 years’ experience in IR, PR, Regulatory, and M&A. He has experience taking companies public for both the NYSE and NASDAQ, and has prior and current BOD expertise. He has won multiple ABA and other awards for his work.
Ruth Sarfaty, Managing Director
Rally Point PR, Brooklyn, New York, United States
Ruth Sarfaty is a seasoned communications leader who has deep experience working with startups and established companies in a wide range of disciplines. As strategic counselor to C Suite executives, she has provided guidance to top execs on strategic media, messaging and narrative development, issues management, and thought leadership. She is skilled at inspiring creativity and setting a high bar for excellence. After years running PR at internet giants, she has spent the last 15 years leading teams at top PR firms including MWW, Sparkpr, and Clarity.
Kim Sheeter, Executive, Communications
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Florida, United States
Kim Sheeter has created content for almost every medium and industry. She is the author of four books. So far.
Joe Thoma, Founder & Chief Executive, Project Director
Awareness Campaign Inc., Oviedo, Florida, United States
Joe Thoma is founder, president and chief project director for Awareness Campaign Inc. For more than 38 years, his company has managed corporate communications for mid-sized businesses and nonprofits, producing PR/Marketing campaigns, magazines, books, training materials, and professional-development courses. He is an award-winning writer, journalist and editor who honed his craft consulting and on staff at newspapers and magazines, and as Chief Communications Officer for a large religious denomination. His work has been carried by The New York Times, Associated Press, Scripps Howard and Agence France Presse. He has a Bachelor's degree in History from Rutgers University and a Master’s in Government and Public Policy from Duke University.
Karen Thomas, President & CEO
Thomas PR, East Northport, New York, United States
Karen Thomas is President and CEO of a leading technology and consumer electronics public relations agency based in Long Island, NY. Thomas PR has a 20-year history of successful PR campaigns for ground-breaking technology companies, bringing them high level press recognition, TV appearances, awards, booming sales, IPOs, and acquisitions. Thomas PR is winner of the PRPLI 2021 PR Campaign of the Year Award. Karen was awarded the Long Island Business News Excellence in Communication Award for Best PR Campaign for Thomas PR’s Shenzhen, China’s Government Press Event held at CES®.
Cathryn Van der Walt, Director
12 Worlds Pty Ltd, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Cathryn has more than twenty-five years of specialist marketing communications experience within the IT&T, business and financial services industries, and within the Asia Pacific region. She has both in-house and agency experience with major brand names, managing regional communications campaigns across multiple countries and currencies.
Diane Vanasse, Senior Director of Marketing Communications and Public Relations
Credo Technology Group, San Jose, California, United States
For more than 20 years, Diane Vanasse has worked closely with Silicon Valley CEOs and thought leaders on product and corporate communication initiatives. Her trademark skill is the ability to create brand identities for complex technologies in a way that sparks interest for a variety of audiences including consumers, B2B customers, investors, and media. Diane has worked with Fortune 500 companies such as NVIDIA, Apple, Intel, Cisco Systems, both internally as a PR and brand champion and as a partner on joint communications activities. She believes that a strong communications program helps lay the foundation for a company’s success with customers, employees, and all other stakeholders.
Marie Wiese, President & Founder
Marketing CoPilot, Barrie, Ontario, Canada
With over 30 years of experience, Marie Wiese is a communications expert who helps companies and individuals deliver their message with impact. From her early days as a press secretary to a Federal Cabinet Minister to the President of Marketing CoPilot, an award-winning marketing agency, Marie has helped hundreds of companies turn their websites into lead generation and sales machines.
Jessica Willis, Vice President, Product Marketing
Cision, Springfield, Vermont, United States
Chloe Zhao, Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Noon Creative, New York, New York, United States
Yangmin Zhao has 8+ years experience in PR & Marketing in the hospitality and lifestyle industry.
She’s the founder CEO of Noon Creative and the former PR Director at Genesis Brand Management. She’s known for her holistic and tailored approach to PR and Marketing in the lifestyle industry. Specifically, she has helped many contemporary Chinese brands in the US enter and stay relevant to the target market. One of her expertise lies in effectively translating Chinese culture to the American audience.