Richard Bagnall has received the AMEC Don Bartholomew Award and the CIPR President’s Medal in recognition of his contribution to the business of public relations

Richard Bagnall has dedicated his career to professionalising public relations. He’s spent more than 30 years lobbying practitioners to recognise the value of their work through measurement and planning.

Richard is one of my oldest friends in the industry. We’ve seen each other through the professional highs and lows of multiple startups, booms, recessions, and exits.

We’ve spoken at conferences around the world and written books together. We’ve celebrated, mourned, cooked, drunk, and sung karaoke. We’ve yet to run a business together but that’s probably a good thing.

Richard combines those rarest of qualities in a human being of intellectual wisdom, business savvy, and a first-rate emotional intelligence. He’s a thinker, a doer, and an awesome human being.

In the past two years I’ve become obsessed with understanding the circumstances that led to the elevated role of public relations during the COVID-19 pandemic and whether the situation can be sustained.

There’s a recurring theme in my research. Academics have documented the conditions required for public relations to operate at its optimum, but practitioners repeatedly fail to take heed of the analysis.

Richard intuitively recognises the professionalism gap in public relations and management and has spent his career as an industry educator. Last week he received the CIPR President’s Medal. Tonight AMEC awarded him the Don Bartholomew award. The recognition of Richard’s body of work and professional legacy is right and proper.

As part of my studies, I’ve been keen to meet and record the living histories of as many people as possible that have shaped the modern public relations profession. Richard Bagnall is on that list.

In the last week I’ve spoken and corresponded with people who have worked with Richard over the past 30 years. We want to thank you Richard for all that you’ve done and everything that you continue to do.

I've worked with Richard now for well over 20 years – both as a supplier and a colleague and he has been a constant in my career and I guess in many others too.

If I had to describe Richard in two words, I’d choose insight and energy. We all know about his insights, but many people don’t realise that he is also one of the most energised and hardest working people you will ever meet. 

With AMEC he was an exceptional chairman and among many other achievements, led the development of the AMEC integrated evaluation framework, which underpins so much of our industry’s reporting.

He’s also great to share a pint with.

James Crawford, Founder and Managing Director, PR AgencyOne, and Director, AMEC

Richard in three words: generous, gregarious, a gentleman. Richard has achieved so much, building market leading companies, nurturing the global cohesion of a global industry.

I can’t thank Richard enough for seeing my potential back in the 90s, hiring me, for the opportunities afforded to me as a former employee and contractor and for the continued mentoring all these years later.

When I think of Richard, I conjure up an image of a Bloody Mary at an airport, a smile and possibly a little high jinx thrown in. 

Steph Bridgeman, Founder and Lead Consultant, experienced media analysts

When gongs are like buses – as suddenly two come out of the blue at the same time.  But not so much out of the blue – the CIPR President’s Medal and the AMEC Don Bartholomew Award have been heading Richard’s way for a long time now.

I’ve had the great pleasure of knowing Richard for more than two decades.  I’ve been able to observe that some things have never changed in Richard, namely his infectious enthusiasm, passion for the PR measurement industry and boundless energy.  And some things have only improved with time – namely his greater sense of perspective and his impact.

Taken together, it is precisely these things that have made the two awards so perfect for Richard – with huge admiration and congratulations.

Sandra Macleod, Group CEO, Echo Research and Britain’s Most Admired Companies

Working with Richard since the inception of the AMEC Evaluation Framework and during his leadership of AMEC has shown him to be a passionate and inspirational industry leader and a champion for evaluation with a respect for rigorous research and valid methods. He is thoroughly deserving of recognition.

Distinguished Professor Jim Macnamara, Deputy Dean Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney

Every profession has its heroes: In football you think Pele, in measurement you think Richard Bagnall. Richard has been a leading ambassador for the art and science of understanding and proving the value of communications. He is also one of the very few to combine his advocacy with a superbly successful career building not one, but four of the world’s top companies in our field (Metrica, Gorkana, Cision and CARMA).

Most of all, Richard is a special soul, whose fundamental goodness and joyful character, loyal partnership, and unique talent, make him a most special friend to us all.

Mazen Nahawi, Founder and Group CEO, CARMA

There’s so much that Richard has added to our lives as well as our industry.

Thank you for making conferences fun. I always knew that if you were around, there’d be a laugh, a toast, and some great stories.

Thank you for your persistence in pushing our industry away from deplorable data towards measures that matter. It makes the fight a lot more fun when you have company.

Thank you also for reminding us that there’s more to life than metrics.

Katie Delahaye Paine, Measurement, Insights and Analytics Consultant, Paine Publishing

Many thanks to you Richard for inspiring generations of public relations professionals, for offering me my first job in measurement and for being a friend. What an honour it must be to receive such a prestigious and most importantly well-deserved prize. Bravo!

Thank you for giving us measurement professionals, but also friends, clients, and researchers the vision of what credible public relations efforts looks like. Thank you for being an authentic and approachable leader. You have taught me so much professionally and personally. I am so grateful. Merci!

Jennifer Sanchis, Account Director, CARMA

Richard’s strong moral compass, commitment to making us all better professionals, insatiable curiosity about our industry’s synergy with business, and focus on the future, has made him - in my opinion - one of the industry role models and a great person to spend time with and look up to. 

I’m lucky enough to occasionally socialise with Richard and his lovely family so I know how generous Richard is both personally and professionally. My life is more enriched for having him as a colleague and a friend. Congratulations, Richard - no one deserves this recognition more.

Sarah Waddington CBE, Director, Wadds Inc.