PR maestro awarded for excellence
On hearing about his award, Mr De Rossi remarked, I am very honoured to receive this. In the past fifty years, the basic principle of public relations has remained the same: building relationships through open and honest dialogue. The social contexts in which public relations operates, however, have changed. And that is why I believe consolidated national organisations such as the IPR and new exciting ventures such as the Global Alliance have a valuable role to play in these times of flux, through raising the standards and profile of public relations, and preparing the profession for new challenges.
Mr De Rossi is regarded as Italys most respected public relations professional with an illustrious career spanning three generations on both sides of the Atlantic. A review of some notable achievements: in post war Italy, he was Press Manager of the Marshall Plan; he was PR advisor to NATO and founded Italys largest PR agency in the 1960s. In the 1970s, anticipating the growing importance of a wider Europe, he became founding partner of a Brussels-based public affairs firm. Apart from his wealth of industry experience, Mr De Rossi has also been heavily involved in public relations associations. He is a founding member of FERPI, the Italian Federation of Public Relations. As a member of the International Public Relations Association, he contributed to the drawing up of the first professional code of international practice (Code of Athens, 1965) and then became its General Secretary and was later also President of the Confederation of European Public Relations Associations (CERP).
Mr De Rossis contribution to academia is also vast. Working with Edward Bernays, they created the first courses in PR management in Italy. He is a prolific author of essays and articles on public relations and has lectured at Romes International University of Social Studies. Colin Farrington, IPR Director-General, said, Mr De Rossis legacy to the public relations discipline cannot be overestimated. He has seen it develop from its simplest form to its current state as a strategic communications function. The fact that hes still actively involved in promoting the profession at eighty-four years of age is testimony to his commitment and fervour, and a role model for us all.
Mr De Rossis award was presented at the IPR Excellence Awards 2002 presentation dinner at the London Hilton, Park Lane on Monday 8 July Approximately 700 people attended the event.