Following the election of Sari Soegondo as the Chairperson of the Association of Indonesian Public Relations Companies (APPRI) for the 2024-2027 period in early January 2024, APPRI has formed a new board involving 17 representatives from local Public Relations companies.

The new board has formulated priority programs that support the mission of improving the competence of Indonesian Public Relations consultants and strengthening the industrial relations, so that clients and partners can understand the standard of the best practice and experience the professional services of Indonesian Public Relations consultants optimally.

That approach includes intensifying legal and ethical aspects, research and development aspects, as well as education and training aspects. Meanwhile, strengthening the industrial relations entails a more active development of networks; business players, professional associations, regulators and authorities, sector leaders, higher education institutions, and young prospective workers.

“Since its inception, APPRI has always been based on the spirit of collaboration. This is reflected in the composition of the new board with a combination of senior and young consultants, of established and start-up PR companies, of various backgrounds and specializations of PR practice, and also of various business regions. I hope this composition will be our strength, where we can complement each other and strengthen our solidarity,” explained Sari Soegondo.

Sari added that APPRI will continue successful programs from the previous period that brought many benefits, such as ‘APPRI Connect’ knowledge sharing session, ‘APPRIentice’ internship program for university students and coaching program through ‘APPRI Young Squad’, APPRI Academy’ corporate training program, and the professional certification program through cooperation with the Indonesian PR Professional Certification Institute (LSP) and the National Professional Certification Agency (BNSP).

The board has prepared a plan to conduct a more comprehensive market study, develop guidelines for cooperation between companies or message owners with opinion leaders and sector leaders representing clients’ interests, reform the PR measurement guidelines by referring to the framework recommended by the Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication (AMEC), initiate a competition and award program, and to encourage the establishment of the Indonesian Public Relations Forum together with other professional associations as a platform that copes all PR organizations and practitioners in whatever capacity they are.

Sari emphasized that PR practice is required to be more innovative, more integrated with other work areas, and more sustainable. In addition, communication and public relations activities are now expected to also contribute to business growth. Therefore, the success of PR work must be measured in a more concrete method.

APPRI is formed as a forum for exchanging knowledge and skills, developing its members’ capabilities, standardizing good practices, and collaborating with fellow PR practitioners/companies in Indonesia. This is a manifestation of the awareness that PR consultants shall continuously make themselves relevant to the needs of partners, master the transforming technology, and demonstrate international-standard professionalism – amidst the challenges of the global economy.

Currently, APPRI oversees 53 officially registered and verified PR companies. “There are still many local PR companies that have not been registered and have not been exposed to the benefits of collaboration between industry players, together with APPRI. Therefore, we invite fellow professionals, including those outside of Jakarta and outside of Java Island to immediately register and let’s join hands in achieving the common goals,” exclaimed Sari.