IPRA 2015 World Congress: A collection of world-class leaders

Elena Fadeeva: Fleishmanhillard Vanguard

Elena Fadeeva founder and Head of Russia's largest international communications agency, FleishmanHillard Vanguard, is also the founder and president of the communications group Orta, which specialises in strategic and integrated communicationIn 2014, Elena headed the working group on the development of the United Code of Ethics in Communications, which gained support of seven of the industry's main associations.

She is Vice-President of the Russian Public Relations Association (RASO), Head of the Ethics Committee and of the Working Group on Communications at the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP), and is chairwoman of the Professional Services Committee at the Russian Managers Association.

Elena is an associate professor at the National Research Institute - Higher School of Economics and curates educational programmes at the Faculty of Philosophy at the Lomonosov Moscow State University and St. Petersburg State University.

José Filipe Torres: CEO Bloom Consulting

José Filipe Torres is an entrepreneur specialising in country and nation branding. Born in Portugal, he started working as a paper cutter at the age of 18 for the publicity agency Novo Design. He became interested in the work of designers and his potential, which the company management realised, helped him study in New York and London.

In 2003 he founded Bloom Consulting. José has directed Bloom Consulting's growth and internationalisation since then. Today, he is recognised as one of the world's top experts in Nation Branding. Bloom Consulting works with private companies and governments, and they have collaborated with Spain, Portugal and Poland to name a few.

Msindisi Fengu: Journalist and Communication Director

Born in East London, South Africa, Msindisi Fengu started his journalism career at The Rep, a weekly community newspaper.

He then joined the Daily Dispatch in 2009 as a general news reporter and he never looked back. As a CNN Fellow, multi-award-winning journalist he has experience in marketing and public relations gained from his work in corporate communications at a South African university.

He has also contributed to special community focussed projects. His work was commended in the 2012 CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards and won the Taco Kuiper Award for Investigative Journalism with Yandisa Monakali.

Robert Holdheim: CEO, South Asia, Middle East & Africa, Edelman

Edelman's Robert Holdheim has managed multinational accounts including United Parcel Service (UPS), Samsung, Tenneco and Corning. While working for Edelman in London, Holdheim ran Corporate, B-to-B and Financial groups, spearheading the UPS and Samsung accounts across 18 European countries.

He left Edelman for a short time to run his own company - a manufacturer/marketer of branded consumer goods which he later sold to a larger company.

Holdheim then re-joined Edelman in 2006 as Head of Corporate Communications in the New York office where his accounts included PricewaterhouseCoopers, Shearman & Sterling, Samsung and MeadWestvaco.

In May 2009, he took over as country manager for India, where he has expanded the operation from 50 staff in two cities to 300 in 11 cities, becoming the largest firm by revenue in the market. Currently he is he CEO South Asia, Middle East and Africa.

Colin Byrne: CEO UK & EMEA Weber Shandwick

With thirty years' experience spanning domestic and international public relations programmes, communications and campaign strategy, politics and public affairs, CSR and issues management, Colin Byrne is one of the UK's leading public affairs practitioners.

He joined Weber Shandwick in 1995, rising to lead the public affairs practice in London in 1997. He is now CEO of the firm's UK & EMEA network and a senior member of the global management team.

Colin has been a judge for many of the key industry award programmes including Cannes Lions. In December 2013 he was chair of the PR jury at Eurobest.

Jeremy Galbraith: CEO Europe, Middle-East and Africa, Global Chief Strategy Officer, Burson-Marsteller

Jeremy Galbaith joined Burson-Marsteller in 1995 to head up the UK Public Affairs Practice. Prior to this he had been Deputy Managing Director of a Westminster political consultancy and a Director of its sister company in Brussels.

He began his career working in the House of Commons for a senior Conservative member of the Trade and Industry Select Committee. He was educated at Leeds University where he graduated in Law.

In 2012 he received a SABRE Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement and in 2014 was named by The Sunday Times and Debrett's as one of the UK's 500 most influential people.

Robert Phillips: Former President and Chief Executive Officer of Edelman EMEA at Daniel J. Edelman, Inc.

Author of Trust me, PR is Dead, Robert Phillips Expert Adviser on Communications and Trust; Visiting Professor; Author, Commentator and Public Speaker.

He is the co-founder of Jericho Chambers - a progressive strategy consultancy. Robert is co-author of Citizen Renaissance (2008) and a columnist for the International Business Times.

Robert was formerly President and CEO, EMEA, of Edelman, the world's largest Public Relations firm and Global Chair of its Public Engagement and Future Strategies group.

He co-founded Jackie Cooper PR in 1987, having launched his first company two years earlier, while still at University.

Rod Cartwright: Director of Global Public Affairs Practice, Ketchum

Over the past 17 years, Rod Cartwright has worked for leading independent consultancies and international PR networks, advising clients including Dell, Toyota, DHL, Accenture, KFC, Western Union, Gazprom, Telefonica and Transport for London.

A former Board member and PA Committee Chair of the PRCA, he is a Founding Director of the UK Public Affairs Council. He also served as a member of former Prime Minister Tony Blair's staff during the 1997 general election.

Cartwright graduated from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne with a Bachelor's (honours) degree in modern languages and an M.A. in international political economics.

Svetlana Stavreva -Chief Marketing Officer IBM, South East Europe

Svetlana Stavreva leads a team responsible for all aspects of marketing, communications and citizenship for IBM throughout South East Europe - region covering more than 10 countries, including Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia.

Her experience blends more than twenty years in various positions with leading institutions and companies. She has worked through all marketing and communications disciplines and for all world regions, except North America.

Svetlana earned her Masters Degree in Economics from the University of National and World Economy in Sofia, Bulgaria. She also holds Diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing in the UK.

Bulgarian native, Svetlana is fluent in English, Russian and Spanish. She also speaks German, Slovak and a bit of Esperanto. Being a marketing and communications manager, journalist, sales person, car racer, lecturer, change management expert has helped her gain diverse experience from which she learned.

Alan VanderMolen: Vice Chairman, Chief Executive Officer of Global Practices, President of Global Practices and Member of Executive Committee, Daniel J Edelman Inc.

Alan VanderMolen is responsible for the Daniel J Edelman Holdings group of companies including sports, entertainment and experiential marketing firm MATTER, and the globalisation of sister agency, Zeno. Between 2002-2009, Alan was President of Edelman Asia Pacific. He more than quadrupled the firm's business and drove market entry into Japan, India and Indonesia. Alan sits on the boards of The Ohio State University, the Goodman Theatre, Planet Water Foundation and The Plank Center. He has worked in Hong Kong, Washington D.C., New York, Taipei, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Warsaw and Brussels in his 20-year career.

Nir Tenzer- Marketing & Operation Director, Microsoft South Africa

As Microsoft South Africa's Marketing and Operations Director, Nir Tenzer is responsible for the company's entire corporate and product marketing activities, including leading the Business Groups, the Go-to-Market activities, the Customer and Partner Experience, and all compete initiatives. Coupled to that Nir is in charge of the overall company's business operations, while managing Microsoft's operating models.

In his nine years with Microsoft, Nir has also held two key roles in Microsoft Israel, namely VP of Business Development and Platform Strategy and Server and Tool Business Group Lead. Through this, he developed expertise in business development, spanning start-up to mature businesses, driving stronger relationships in breadth technology, start-ups, ISV (independent Software Vendors) and academia communities, as well as an in-depth knowledge on the MS platform and strategy.

Prior to joining Microsoft Nir served as the Marketing and Business Development Vice President for the IPTV division at Teledata Network Ltd. He has also held a number of other executive marketing and business development roles in the Israeli software industry.

During his career, Nir has regularly lectured at the Recanati School of Business Administration in Tel-Aviv University.

Jaha Dukureh, Executive Director/Lead Campaigner at Safe Hands for Girls

Jaha Dukureh is the founder of Safe Hands for Girls which is a non-profit organization set up in 2013 working to protect girls and young women who are at risk from female genital mutilation (FGM), while supporting survivors, she is also the executive director of the organisation. Jaha is the lead campaigner against female genital mutilation in the U.S.

Jaha successfully lobbied President Obama and the Department of Health and Human Services, to take the essential first step of commissioning a report on the current statistics of women in the US impacted by FGM and the girls at risk of being mutilated.

Her campaign has received backing from the United Nations Secretary General, Mr Ban Ki Moon and Congressman Rep. Joseph Crowley. She speaks at different speaking engagements sensitizing community leaders about the risk of FGM. Her work has been featured in Cosmopolitan magazine, The New York Times, The Guardian, New York Daily news and other major news outlets. Jaha was listed as one of the six most inspiring women of 2014.

Profiles to follow:

• Robyn de Villiers -Chairman and CEO Burston Marsteller Africa
  
• Maria Gergova
  
• Bart de Vries