Meet your 2022 IABC Asia Pacific Region Communicators of the Year

The IABC Asia Pacific Region is pleased to announce the winners of the 2022 Communicator of the Year Awards: Executive Leader winner, Charlie Agatep from the Philippines, and Senior Communication Professional winner, Aniisu Verghese, PhD from India.

First awarded in 2020, the Communicator of the Year Awards honour outstanding communication professionals who have demonstrated leadership in their pursuit of excellence in strategic communication. Previously awarded to Australian-based recipients, 2022 marks the first time the winners have come from outside of Australia.

Winner in the Executive Leader category, Charlie Agatep, is considered a PR icon in his native Philippines since commencing his career in the 1950s. Charlie is Chairman and CEO of Grupo Agatep and leads a dynamic team of public relations and advertising professionals in the development of award-winning campaigns. He has won accolades from a range of local and international award-giving bodies. Charlie has also worked to champion the next generation of professional communication superstars as a lecturer in public relations and communications at some of the Philippines’ leading universities.

“I am highly honoured to be given this Communicator of the Year Award. It represents the triumph of honest communication over dishonest propaganda. The task of communication is to spread the truth for social change; to provide truthful information to citizens for them to be free and self-governing; to make the truth truly meaningful; and to render an entire population receptive to it, ready to secure its benefits and apply them to our daily life,” said Charlie.

Winner in the Senior Communication professional category, Aniisu Verghese PhD is an award-winning internal communications leader, author, speaker, trainer, and blogger with more than 22 years of experience. He is passionate about effective communication and his mission is to help individuals and organisations find their communication ‘sweet spot’. He is a Public Relations Council of India’s Hall of Fame winner and founder of Friends for Life. Aniisu is also visiting faculty at leading business schools throughout India.

“I feel honoured to have been recognized in the Senior Professional category,” said Aniisu. “Communicating during these times is quite challenging and yet exciting. As the world recovers from the impact of the pandemic and is now facing a geopolitical crisis that could upend how organizations and staff respond, there are opportunities for communicators to serve as catalysts of change.”

IABC Asia Pacific Region Chair, James Howe, said the winners have inspired many people in the industry over the course of their long careers.

“As we recognise these excellent individuals in the field of communications, we also hope that other communication professionals will be inspired by their example and emulate them. In IABC, we believe in being stronger together, and these awards are the perfect way to build a circle of excellence that we need for all communication professionals in the Asia Pacific,” said James.

Kane Errol Choa, IABC Asia Pacific Recognition Director, said the winners exemplify the high standards, dedication, values, and longevity of communication professionals who truly shine in this field.

“We wish to instil in our community the same qualities that our winners have exhibited in their successful careers. Through these awards, IABC Asia Pacific demonstrates its commitment to honouring excellent communication leaders who bring positive change to our society,” said Kane.

Previous Communicator of the Year winners include Kate Carnell (Executive Leader) and Gabrielle Dolan (Senior Communication Professional) in 2020, and Sia Papageorgiou (Senior Communication Professional) in 2021.

Watch the interviews with this year’s winners on our Facebook and YouTube pages.