Paul Holmes, Lord Evans of Sealand, WCFA President Maxim Behar, Mary Beth West, Catherine Blades and many others spoke of what they called it “Global communications event of the year”
The World Communications Forum Association (WCFA) successfully concluded the Davos Communications Summit & Awards 2025, held on April 10–11 at the Davos Congress Centre in Davos, Switzerland. The two-day event gathered nearly 100 senior communication professionals, CEOs, policy advisors, and academics from over 20 countries across Europe, Africa, Asia, and North America.
The program featured a diverse range of speakers addressing critical topics such as AI integration, trust in public institutions, values-driven leadership, and the evolving role of PR in politics and business. Keynote speeches were delivered by Paul Holmes, founder of PRovoke Media, Lord Evans of Sealand, former General Secretary of the UK Labour Party, and Mary Beth West, a senior strategist and communications ethicist.
WCFA President Maxim Behar summed it up perfectly: “This event didn’t just reflect where the communications industry is today, but also where we’re heading. From digital transformation to future trends and AI, we’ve just seen the beginning of what will define the next decade. We’re already looking ahead to the next edition of Davos Communications Summit in April 2026, where more brilliant minds will come together to explore the future and how we can shape, lead, and master the digital landscape.”
Paul Holmes emphasized that public relations are no longer just about crafting messages or managing media – it’s about helping organizations see what’s coming and prepare for it. That means developing new skills: understanding global issues, advising leaders during difficult moments, and helping companies protect their reputations in a world that moves fast. He warned that tools like AI might make everyday tasks easier but could also weaken critical thinking – something PR professionals can’t afford to lose.
Lord Evans of Sealand, current senior advisor to the Progressive Policy Institute and House of Lords member, focused on how influence is built through the alignment of values and identity. Referencing the “funnel of causality,” he argued that decisions – whether political or corporate – are shaped by a wide range of factors, from cultural conditions and social loyalty to personal beliefs. He stressed that communicators must engage people where their values live, not just where campaigns are visible.
The summit tackled some of the most urgent challenges facing the communications profession today – particularly the tension between narrative control and ethical responsibility in a polarized world. Mary Beth West offered a compelling reflection on the dangers of narrowing public discourse. She emphasized that protecting ideological diversity is essential to maintaining trust, warning against the growing tendency to label dissent as misinformation.
The event also featured six panel discussions, led by industry experts Stuart Bruce (Purposeful Relations, UK), Mike Southon (The Beermat Entrepreneur, UK), Guntram Kaiser (KaiserCommunication GmbH, Germany), Catherine Hernandez-Blades, Independent Board Director, and Tatevik Simonian (SPRING PR, Amrenia), with over 30 speakers exploring topics such as AI, political messaging, crisis communication, digital marketing, and culturally tailored PR strategies. Day one included contributions from Sanjiv Winayak (Milk & Honey PR, UK), Kateryna Doroshevska (BECOME PR, Ukraine), Sophie Reymond (SRPR, Switzerland), Diego Biasi (BPRESS, Italy), Iryna Zolotarevych (Advisor to the Minister of Social Policy, Ukraine), Melissa Buch (Brandbuch, Switzerland), and Lima Alhawamdeh (AIWIZ Digital Marketing, UK).
On day two, panelists such as Laura Baxter (Castle Mount Media, Germany), Mihael Cigler (MC Public Affairs, Slovenia), Veronique Haller (furrerhugi, Switzerland), Rodrigue Soffo (RS Intelligence & Lobbying, Cameroon), Katja Fasink (key7 Communications, Slovenia), Syed Bukhari (American University of Sharjah, UAE), André Williams (University of Louisiana at Lafayette, USA), and Bärbel Hestert-Vecoli (Edelman, Germany) offered insight on political and crisis communications. The final panel focused on regional adaptation strategies with Thabisile Phumo (Sibanye-Stillwater, South Africa), Chetna Krishna (CERN, Switzerland), Viroslava Novosylna (Slova Tech PR, Ukraine), Lebo Madiba (PR Powerhouse, South Africa), and Kobi H. Osisiadan-Bekoe (Ghana-India Kofi Annan Center of Excellence, Ghana).
The event also welcomed WCFA Controller Mina Nazari, who serves as Public Relations Manager at Tabriz Power Distribution Company (Iran).
On the evening of April 10, the summit hosted the first in-person Davos Communications Awards Gala, recognizing excellence across 24 categories in strategic communications. A complete list of winners is available here: davosawards.com. In a historic first, Lord Evans of Sealand and Paul Holmes were inducted into the WCFA Hall of Fame, recognizing their contributions to the global communications industry. The United PR Association of Ukraine, led by Sergii Bidenko, was also honoured for its outstanding work in wartime conditions.
The Davos Communications Summit & Awards 2025 is in cooperation with the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) and is proudly supported by The #PREthics Community as the gold sponsor and Brain 4 Strategy as the silver sponsor. The official media partner is PR Newswire, part of Cision Group Ltd.
