Speakers

Paul Bailey

Director of Corporate Communications, IDA Ireland

Terri Bloore

Senior Partner, FINN Partners

Oliver Hayes

EMEA Head of Counter Disinformation, Edelman

Oliver is an experienced advisor to senior decision-makers on geo-political risk and crisis management, including the implications of Artificial Intelligence and its application to the generation and dissemination of mis- and disinformation.

Prior to Edelman, he worked for the UK Government for 20 years in a variety of roles focused on national security (in the UK and overseas) and AI. These included helping establish the UK Government’s AI Security Institute in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and as the AI Partner at the National Security Strategic Investment Fund (the UK Government’s corporate venture capital arm for advanced dual use technologies).

Paul Holmes

Founder & Chair, PRovoke Media

Paul Holmes, founder and chair of PRovoke Media, has been writing about public relations for more than 25 years. Paul began his career in local newspapers in the north of England and also worked for a newspaper group in South London before joining PR Week as news editor in 1985.

In 1987 he moved to New York to launch the short-lived US edition of that publication, and after that project came to an inglorious end worked with Adweek and Adweek’s Marketing Week for a year.

In 1989, he launched his own company, initially publishing Inside PR, and later Reputation Management magazine, both focused on providing analysis of critical trends and issues in the public relations industry. He created the annual Public Relations Agency Report Card, which included profiles of the leading PR firms in the US, and the Creativity in Public Relations Awards, which grew to become the largest in North America.

Early in 2000, Holmes launched The Holmes Group, which provides knowledge and insight to public relations professionals across a variety of platforms, including a website, an e-newsletter, events, printed reports, research and consulting assignments, and the SABRE Awards competition. The group’s flagship title, PRovoke Media (p/k/a The Holmes Report), covers the public relations business in the Americas, EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) and the Asia-Pacific region. In 2011, Paul was inducted into the ICCO Hall of Fame.

Mario Mauro

former Vice President, European Parliament

Mario Mauro is a former Vice President of the European Parliament, having served as an MEP from 1999 to 2013. Mauro is a former Italian senator and served as Minister of Defence in the Enrico Letta’s government. Previously a representative of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in (OSCE) against racism, xenophobia and discrimination, with special reference to discrimination against Christians from 2009 to 2011, he has been professor of history at the European University of Rome since 2008. In 2018 he founded Meseuro, specialised in strategic advice, institutional relations and research aimed at defining geopolitical and economic-risk scenarios.

Maja Pawinska Sims

Global Head of Features; EMEA News Editor, PRovoke Media

Maja Pawinska Sims is the global head of features and EMEA news at PRovoke Media. She has been writing about public relations and communications for 26 years, first as features editor of PRWeek and then as a freelance writer and editor for PR agencies and their clients around the world, including three years as Weber Shandwick’s EMEA editor. Maja joined PRovoke Media in 2018 and covers UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa news, features, analysis and podcasts, as well as leading major global projects including the Best Agencies of the Year, the Influence 100 list of the world’s most influential in-house chief communications and corporate affairs officers, and the Innovator 25 lists of disruptors, innovators and gamechangers in the PR industry. She was named Journalist of the Year at the Global Women in Marketing Awards in 2019, where the judges noted: “Maja proves how empathy can drive brilliant editorial thinking. She is clearly an absolute expert in her field and proves that you can challenge an industry while also championing it.”

Liza Ravenscroft

Senior Director Crisis & Risk, Edelman

Liza is an experienced reputation management communicator who specialises in supporting multinational businesses in preparing for and managing issues and crises.

She worked for more than ten years as a journalist, reporting for BBC radio on news stories around the world and then crossed the fence to reputation defence. She worked as Head of Global Media Relations for British Airways and then EMEA crisis lead for Marriott International before joining Edelman in November 2024. She brings her experience as a trusted C-suite advisor and positive strategic thinker to the team.

Allie Renison

Associate Director, SEC Newgate

Allie Renison joined SEC Newgate after a number of years in government on appointment, working most recently as a direct policy adviser to the Business and Trade Secretary of State. She previously led the Institute of Directors’ EU and trade policy, working closely with a wide range of cross-sector businesses and politicians across all parties during Brexit, and on wider international trade and investment issues. She has sat in several expert groups in Whitehall and in Brussels, including the Brexit Business Taskforce, Northern Ireland Technical Advisory Group and European Economic Social Committee, as well as regularly contributing to parliamentary committee evidence sessions with MPs and peers.

Allison Spray

EMEA Chief Data & Intelligence Officer, Burson

Allison Spray is the EMEA Chief Data & Intelligence Officer at Burson. In her role, she is responsible for leading multi-disciplinary data & intelligence teams, bringing together the right talent and technology across EMEA to solve client challenges. 

She is a respected industry figure and has spoken on data and insights at numerous conferences, including PR360, ICCO Global Summit, and the AMEC Global Summit, and in 2024 was recognised as Data Professional of the Year for EMEA in the SABREs.

In 2022, Allison was awarded a postgraduate diploma with distinction from the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, in artificial intelligence for business.

Jack Stubbs

Chief Intelligence Officer, Graphika

Jack Stubbs is Chief Intelligence Officer at Graphika, where he leads a team that specializes in mapping and understanding online communities. Previously he worked at Reuters news agency, reporting from more than 10 countries including Russia and Ukraine before moving to cover cybersecurity with a focus on disinformation and influence operations. Jack’s work has helped expose a wide range of harmful online activities, from violent conspiracy movements, to coordinated harassment campaigns and state-backed information operations.

Anthony Triolo

VP of Strategy, Government Relations, Transitional Justice, Rule of Law