1. Gini Dietrich

Based in Chicago, Illinois, USA

 

Founder, CEO, and author of Spin Sucks — the most widely read PR and communications blog in the world, with over 100,000 readers — and the creator of the PESO Model®, the integrated media framework (Paid, Earned, Shared, Owned) that has become the standard operating model for modern communications programmes globally. The PESO Model® is a registered trademark, certified in collaboration with Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School for Public Communication. In January 2026, Dietrich published "The PESO Model in 2026: Evolved, Operational, and Built for AI," formally updating the framework for the AI-driven discovery era. The PESO Model® Certification was entirely rebuilt for 2026. Her LinkedIn post from February 12, 2026 continues her daily publishing cadence. Co-host of The Agency Leadership podcast and co-author of Marketing in the Round. The single most practically influential voice in the global PR profession.

 

 

2. Deirdre Breakenridge

Based in New Jersey, USA

 

CEO of Pure Performance Communications, seven-time published author, creator of eight LinkedIn Learning courses on PR and marketing with millions of views, and host of Women Worldwide — a podcast approaching 2 million downloads featuring women leaders sharing career insights globally. A 30+ year veteran who has counselled senior executives at organisations including Nasdaq, the NBA, and the PRSA. Throughout 2025-2026, her LinkedIn content on voice, communication, and media presence (with posts appearing in January 2026 on books to read for 2026) remained among the most consistently useful practitioner content in the profession. An educator and practitioner whose work reaches PR professionals from their first job to the C-suite.

 

 

3. Richard Edelman

Based in New York, USA

 

President and CEO of Edelman — the world's largest PR firm by revenue — and the author of the annual Edelman Trust Barometer, the most cited and widely used research instrument in the entire communications industry. The 2025 and 2026 Trust Barometer reports, measuring trust in institutions, business, government, media, and NGOs across 28 countries, set the agenda for corporate communications globally throughout the review period. Edelman's own blog and LinkedIn presence remain among the most followed in the profession. His public positioning on what AI means for trust — and for the earned media industry — made him one of the most consequential individual voices in the profession during the review period.

 

 

4. Mark Schaefer

Based in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA

 

Author of Marketing Rebellion, Belonging to the Brand, and — most relevantly to this review period — Audacious: How Humans Win in an AI Marketing World, with his Marketing Companion podcast and consistent blog and LinkedIn output making him one of the most prolific and practically useful voices at the intersection of marketing, PR, and the AI transition. Throughout 2025-2026, Schaefer's work on human-led brand authority in an age of AI-generated content was among the most widely shared content among marketing and PR professionals. His {grow} blog has over 600,000 readers. A practitioner-first voice with genuine range.

 

 

5. Shonali Burke

Based in Malvern, Pennsylvania,

 

President and CEO of Shonali Burke Consulting and one of the most respected voices on PR measurement, business outcomes, and the gap between vanity metrics and genuine communications impact. Active throughout 2025-2026 via her blog, speaking engagements, and LinkedIn, Burke's frameworks for connecting PR to business results — not just media coverage — became more urgent as AI challenged the entire earned media model and clients demanded more evidence of ROI. An IABC Fellow and PRSA accredited practitioner, her rigour on measurement makes her one of the most important practical educators in the field.

 

 

6. Jason Falls

Based in Louisville, Kentucky, USA

 

Author of Winfluence: Reframing Influencer Marketing to Ignite Your Brand and one of the most active and sharply analytical voices on the intersection of influencer marketing, social media, and PR strategy. Throughout 2025-2026, his Winfluence podcast and prolific content on how AI is restructuring influencer selection, measurement, and authenticity was among the most practically cited work in the PR community. A direct, no-nonsense voice who treats practitioners as intelligent adults and has built a large and loyal following on that basis.

 

 

7. Melissa Agnes

Based in New York, NY, USA

 

CEO of the Agnes + Day crisis management firm, author of Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World, and the most practically cited voice on proactive crisis preparedness in the PR profession. Throughout 2025-2026 — as AI-generated misinformation created new crisis scenarios, as reputational attacks became faster and more technically sophisticated, and as the political environment created new risks for brands that had taken positions — Agnes's framework for building crisis-ready organisations became more urgent and more widely deployed. Her Crisis Ready podcast continued throughout the review period. The definitive modern voice on crisis communications.

 

 

8. Barri Rafferty

Based in New York, NY, USA

 

Former President and CEO of Ketchum and one of the most senior and widely respected agency leaders in the global PR industry, now in board and advisory roles. Throughout 2025-2026, her public voice on the future of communications agencies — on what AI means for agency models, on the talent and measurement challenges the industry faces, and on what great integrated PR looks like in practice — continued to make her one of the most respected strategic voices in the profession. The most credible former-CEO voice currently active in the PR thought leadership space.

 

 

9. Brian Solis

Based in San Francisco, California, USA

 

Former VP of Global Innovation at Salesforce, now Futurist-in-Residence at ServiceNow, author of eleven books on digital transformation, customer experience, and the future of business communication, and one of the most widely cited voices on how technology changes human experience and what that means for brand relationships. Throughout 2025-2026, his work on AI and its implications for authentic human connection in communications — and his broader framing of what "digital anthropology" means for how brands communicate — continued to make him one of the most original and well-regarded voices at the intersection of technology and PR. Active keynote speaker throughout the review period.

 

 

10. Judy Smith

Based in Washington, D.C., USA

 

Founder and CEO of Smith & Company, the crisis communications firm whose work inspired the television series Scandal, and one of the most accomplished crisis communications practitioners in the world, having advised heads of state, Fortune 500 CEOs, and public figures through some of the most complex reputational situations of the past three decades. Active throughout 2025-2026 as a speaker and advisor, her practical wisdom on what crisis communications actually requires — as opposed to what it looks like in theory — makes her the most experienced living practitioner of the discipline.

 

 

11. Katie Paine

Based in Durham, New Hampshire, USA

 

Founder of Paine Publishing and the most widely recognised authority on PR and communications measurement in the world, known as the "Queen of Metrics" by the profession. Throughout 2025-2026, as AI disrupted traditional media monitoring and as clients demanded clearer ROI from communications spend, Paine's frameworks for meaningful measurement — distinguishing between outputs, outcomes, and impact — became more important than ever. Her Measurement Advisor newsletter, speaking programme, and advisory work continued throughout the review period. The essential practitioner reference on PR metrics.

 

 

12. Helio Fred Garcia

Based in New York, USA

 

President of Logos Consulting Group and author of The Power of Communication and Words on Fire — two of the most rigorous books ever written on crisis and leadership communication. A professor at NYU and Columbia, Garcia's work on what makes communication in a crisis either accelerate or resolve a problem has been embedded in the training of communications leaders across government, military, and corporate sectors for decades. Throughout 2025-2026, his frameworks on speed, transparency, and authenticity in crisis response remained the foundational reference for serious practitioners navigating complex situations.

 

 

13. Rani Molla

Based in New York, USA

 

Technology and data journalist at Vox and Recode, and one of the most rigorously data-driven journalists covering the intersection of technology, media, and communications that PR professionals must understand. Her published research and journalism throughout 2025-2026 on how AI is restructuring media consumption, advertising, and the reach of earned media was among the most practically consequential content for communications professionals trying to understand the environment they were working in. The journalist most worth following if you work in corporate communications and want to understand what's happening to the media landscape.

 

 

14. Abbi Whitaker

Based in Reno, Nevada, USA

 

Co-founder and Managing Partner of The Abbi Agency — one of the most respected regional PR firms in the US and winner of multiple national awards — and a vocal advocate for the human side of communications in an increasingly AI-mediated profession. Throughout 2025-2026, Whitaker's work on what genuine community-building, local credibility, and relationship-first PR looks like in practice offered a valuable counterpoint to the aggregation and automation trend that was reshaping the profession. Her public voice on the sustainability of ethical, community-grounded PR practice made her one of the more important regional-to-national voices in the field.

 

 

15. Jen Prosek

Based in New York, USA

 

Founder and CEO of Prosek Partners — one of the most respected financial and professional services PR firms in the world — and author of Army of Entrepreneurs. Throughout 2025-2026, Prosek remained one of the most respected agency founders in the profession, with Prosek Partners continuing to win major clients and industry recognition. Her public voice on building a firm culture that attracts and retains the best communications talent — at a time when AI was restructuring what communications professionals actually do day-to-day — made her a valuable voice for agency leaders navigating significant transition.

 

 

16. Tom Foremski

Based in San Francisco, California, USA

 

Founder of Silicon Valley Watcher — the first blog by a mainstream financial journalist — and one of the most prescient and consistently relevant voices on how the technology industry uses and misuses communications. Throughout 2025-2026, his writing on AI, corporate communications in Silicon Valley, and the ongoing restructuring of media remained among the most independently useful perspectives for tech PR professionals. A voice whose independence from both the agency world and the tech industry itself gives him a credibility that few others in the space possess.

 

 

17. Holly Pavlika

Based in Jersey City, NJ, USA

 

SVP of Marketing and Content at Inmar Intelligence and one of the most active and respected voices on influencer marketing, content strategy, and the measurable business impact of PR programmes. Throughout 2025-2026, her work on how brands can build authentic communities, how influencer marketing can demonstrate genuine business value, and how AI is restructuring content strategy continued to make her one of the most practically useful voices in the profession. Active LinkedIn publisher and speaker throughout the review period.

 

 

18. Sabrina Horn

Based in San Francisco, California, USA

 

Founder and CEO of Horn Strategy — formerly Horn Group, one of the most respected technology PR agencies in Silicon Valley — and author of Make It, Don't Fake It: Leading with Authenticity for Real Business Success (2021). Throughout 2025-2026, her work on authentic leadership communication and what that specifically means for technology companies at a moment when AI hype was making authentic corporate communication harder to execute was among the most practically useful content for tech communications professionals. A practitioner with deep Silicon Valley credibility.

 

 

19. Lee Odden

Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

 

CEO of TopRank Marketing and one of the most consistently useful voices at the intersection of content marketing, SEO, influencer marketing, and PR. Throughout 2025-2026, his work on how AI is restructuring content discoverability and what that means for integrated marketing and communications programmes — particularly his research on B2B influencer marketing and its intersection with AI-driven search — was among the most practically cited content by communications professionals managing integrated programmes. His Marketing Smarts podcast continued throughout the review period.

 

 

20. Michelle Rosen Sapir

Based in Atlanta, GA, USA

 

Co-founder and CEO of Bospar — one of the fastest-growing boutique technology PR agencies in the United States, and a firm that went fully remote years before the pandemic made it fashionable — and one of the most vocal voices on what modern agency culture looks like. Throughout 2025-2026, Bospar continued to grow and win awards, and Sapir's public voice on what the PR agency model needs to look like to survive AI disruption, talent pressure, and client budget scrutiny was among the most useful content for agency leaders navigating significant change.

 

 

21. Chip Griffin

Based in Bow, New Hampshire, USA

 

Founder of the Agency Leadership Institute and co-host of The Agency Leadership Podcast — the most listened-to podcast specifically for PR and communications agency owners — alongside Gini Dietrich. Throughout 2025-2026, Griffin's practical, no-nonsense content on running profitable PR agencies — pricing, positioning, talent, client management, and building businesses that don't depend entirely on the founder's personal effort — was among the most practically used content in the independent agency community. A practitioner-first voice for one of the most underserved audiences in the PR profession: the agency owner.

 

 

22. Carreen Winters

Based in New York, USA

 

Chief Strategy Officer at MikeWorldWide and Chair of the PRSA Foundation, and one of the most respected strategic communications minds in the corporate reputation and crisis space. Throughout 2025-2026, her work on the intersection of corporate reputation, purpose, and strategic communications — and how AI changes the reputational risks and opportunities that organisations face — continued to make her one of the most valued senior voices in the profession. Her leadership of the PRSA Foundation's work on PR education and diversity in the profession is a sustained and practically impactful contribution to the field's long-term health.

 

 

23. Peter Himler

Based in New York, USA

 

Founding Principal of Flatiron Communications and one of the most experienced and credible media relations practitioners in New York. Throughout 2025-2026, Himler's writing and speaking on the state of journalism, what it means for earned media, and how AI is reshaping the journalist-PR practitioner relationship was among the most practically honest and historically grounded content available to the profession. His direct experience working with journalists over four decades gives his perspective on what media actually values — and what it no longer does — a credibility that few digital-native voices can match.

 

 

24. Adrienne Sheares

Based in Washington, D.C., USA

 

Founder of InfluenceIQ and one of the most practically useful voices on community-led communications strategy and the intersection of PR, social media, and genuine audience relationship-building. Throughout 2025-2026, her work on building communities that generate earned media organically — rather than pitching for coverage that increasingly doesn't convert into traffic — offered one of the most coherent strategic responses to the AI-driven disruption of traditional earned media. An emerging but rapidly growing voice with substantial LinkedIn engagement in the review period.

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25. Frank Strong

Based in Atlanta, GA, USA

 

Founder of Sword and the Script Media, a content marketing and PR consultancy, and one of the most consistently data-driven and research-oriented voices in the PR profession. Throughout 2025-2026, Strong's published research on media relations in an increasingly difficult pitch environment — including his widely shared writing on why pitching is harder than ever and what works — was among the most cited practitioner content in the profession. His willingness to test assumptions with data rather than opinion, and to share findings regardless of whether they flatter the profession, makes him one of the most trusted independent voices available to PR practitioners.

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Congratulations to All 25 Honourees

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Think a PR leader leader belongs on next year's list? 

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Nominations for the 2027 Industry Leaders Top 25 can be made here https://www.theindustryleaders.org/nominate

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Selections are made at the sole editorial discretion of The Industry Leaders based on publicly available information. Inclusion or exclusion does not constitute an endorsement, and positions within the list do not reflect a definitive ranking of merit.