Former Al-Jazeera Director General to visit Australia for the WPRF

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Former Al-Jazeera Director General, Wadah Khanfar is to speak at the World Public Relations Forum being held in Melbourne, Australia on 18-20 November this year.

Khanfar is one of the people responsible for changing the international media landscape in the last ten years. He has been ranked as one of the most “Powerful People in the World” by Forbes Magazine, one of the top 100 global thinkers by Foreign Policy magazine, named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum (Davos), recognised as the third most influential Arab in the world by Arabian Business, and named one of the most influential Muslims in the world by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre.

Khanfar transformed Al-Jazeera from one channel into a media network with multiple properties, including Al-Jazeera Arabic, Al-Jazeera English, Al-Jazeera Documentary, Al-Jazeera Sport, the Al-Jazeera Media Training and Development Centre, the Al-Jazeera Centre for Studies, Al-Jazeera Mubasher (Live), andAl-Jazeera Mobile.

Starting as a commentator on Al-Jazeera in the late 90s, he reported from the front lines of conflict as bureau chief and correspondent in Kabul, bureau chief in Baghdad, and eventually the Director General of Al-Jazeera from 2006-2011. Since leaving Al-Jazeera, Khanfar has co-founded the Sharq Forum, an independent think tank dedicated to developing long-term strategies for political development, social justice and economic prosperity of the people of the Middle East.

Public Relations Institute of Australia Chief Executive Jon Bisset said “We are extremely excited that Wadah Khanfar will be attending the World Public Relations Forum in November in Melbourne.”

“He has been credited with revolutionising the Arab media landscape during his eight-year tenure at the head of Al-Jazeera and has witnessed historic transformation in the Arab World including the Arab Spring.”

“We are looking forward to hearing Khanfar’s thoughts on the changing global media landscape, in particular the impact on PR and communication professionals and the importance of social media to the Arab Spring.“

The World Public Relations Forum is the signature program of the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management. Held every two years, it brings together thought leaders, practitioners, researchers, and educators from around the world to discuss, debate, set directions and form decisions about public relations and communication.

“At the World Public Relations Forum, the Global Alliance and PRIA aim to assemble leading thinkers on how communication is changing our world, and how the world is changing communication,” said Daniel Tisch, Chair of the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management. “Wadah Khanfar is among the world’s most insightful and influential voices on the evolution of journalism and its interplay with citizens through social media. His address will be one of the Forum’s ‘can’t miss’ moments.”