The PR business in the UK has grown significantly over the last several decades, becoming an industry generating billions annually. But what are the dangers and dilemmas that face PR firms and communication agencies when their clients are from kleptocratic jurisdictions?
PR can be used constructively, encompassing, in the words of the Chartered Institute for Public Relations, the “planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual understanding between an organisation and its publics”. However, its very nature – stressing the positive over the negative – can have damaging effects if utilised in the wrong way on behalf of disreputable clients. Adding to the complexity, the PR industry is not currently regulated, meaning that anyone can set themselves up as a PR agent with no qualifications or expertise.
Concerns regarding the potential misuse of PR strategies on behalf of kleptocrats, and the societal damage it can cause, are explored in a new research paper ‘PR & Communication Agencies and Kleptocracy’ by Tom Mayne, Research Fellow, University of Oxford, published by the Foreign Policy Centre.
Join us to discuss the paper’s findings and examine how reputation laundering can fit within the wider toolbox of kleptocracy, including money laundering and strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs). The discussion will be chaired by Rt Hon Liam Byrne MP, with speakers:
– Tom Mayne, Research Fellow, University of Oxford and author of the new report ‘PR & Communication Agencies and Kleptocracy’
– Farzana Baduel, CEO of Curzon PR
– Franz Wild, Editor of The Bureau of Investigative Journalism
Opening remarks will be provided by Alastair McCapra, CEO of The Chartered Institute of Public Relations, a professional body for public relations practitioners in the UK. The panel discussion will be followed by a drinks reception.
This event is being co-hosted by the Foreign Policy Centre and the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Anti-Corruption & Responsible Tax, in partnership with Curzon PR, The Chartered Institute of Public Relations, and The Bureau of Investigative Journalism.