Gulf Chapter of IPRA elects Vice-President for Oman as part of new board

His term of office will be from 2008-2009.

A seasoned public relations professional and the leading PR practitioner in Oman, Al Saleh heads the fastest growing public relations firm in Oman and aims to build a dynamic indigenous public relations industry in the Sultanate. He believes that public relations is a vital discipline for Oman and for the entire Middle East.

"The IPRA appointment is a confirmation of the increasing importance of communications in the Sultanate of Oman within the regional public relations landscape," said Al Saleh. "My plan is to enhance the understanding and appreciation of public relations as an essential and highly sophisticated discipline to create and deliver key communication messages and implement integrated marketing, positioning and public policy strategies through workshops featuring key industry thought leaders, interactive seminars and training programs."

He added, "Public relations in Oman is still in its infancy stage and it is only by stimulating the sharing of knowledge and expertise of practitioners in the Sultanate with their counterparts across the world that PR will be acknowledged as a credible and respected profession."

The newly elected Board of Directors is headed by President Faisal Al Zahrani, Director of Public Relations at Saudi Aramco, and includes Sultan Al Bazie, CEO of Attariq Communications as Executive Vice-President, Jassim Fakhroo, Executive Director of Media and Marketing at Hamad Medical Corporation as Vice-President for Qatar, Etedal Al Ayyar, Managing Director of Way Communications as Vice President for Kuwait, Mohammed Kirat, Professor and PR Department Head at University of Sharjah as Vice President for UAE, Fahad Al Shehabi, Chief of Public Relations at Council of Representatives as Vice President for Bahrain, Sarah Al Ayed, Network Vice President of TRACCS Public Relations as Vice-President for KSA Western Province and Humoud Al Ghobaini, Senior Manager of Corporate Communications at Mobily as Vice-President for KSA Central Province.

Newly elected IPRA-GC President, Faisal Al Zahrani, said, "I would like to thank all members for their support and also express the Association's deep gratitude to the previous board members for their great efforts in enhancing the image of the IPRA Gulf Chapter."

Al Zahrani added that in his capacity as the new IPRA-GC President, his plan is to continue development of the Association's programs, increase membership drive within the Gulf countries, and invite leaders within the public relations industry to play a key role in promoting the Association's strategic goals and objectives to develop leadership and communication skills among IPRA-GC members.

Established in 2003, the Gulf Chapter is one of the 70 global chapters of the International Public Relations Association which was found in London in 1955. The Chapter's vision is to be recognized throughout the Gulf for advancing PR excellence with the objective of developing and enhancing the PR skills and experience of its members and build strong professional relations between IPRA members throughout the world.