AKOS announces a partnership with St. Petersburg State University

Sept. 6, 2012 - PRLog -- The Russian Communications Consultancies Association (AKOS) has announced a partnership with Saint Petersburg State University. During the partnership, the Association will conduct a series of lectures on the subject of business PR for 4th year students of the Department of "Public Relations in Business" of the Applied Communications Faculty. The special course will be in the form of creative studios and it will continue throughout the year.

Within the course leading heads of the AKOS member PR agencies will conduct classes on the following topics: Corporate communications, marketing communications, government relations, social communications, financial communications, digital communications, CEOs reputation management, estimation of PR efficiency and other topics. Elena Fadeeva, Honorary Chairman of AKOS, Head of the Working Group on AKOS educational projects will supervise the entire educational process.

Elena Fadeeva, General director of Fleishman-Hillard Vanguard, Honorary Chairman of AKOS and Head of the Working Group on AKOS educational projects: "For several years, the Association has actively supported professional education and has made a significant contribution to the training of new personnel in the Russian market. Especially for St. Petersburg State University, we have developed a unique course that will incorporate creative studios and strengthen the practical training of students. I am confident that the combination of the Faculty’s high level of training and the practical experience of the Association members will provide new opportunities for personnel within the industry. "

Andrey Barannikov, Chairman of AKOS, General director of SPN Ogilvy: «One of the key objectives of AKOS is the development of professional PR education and the Association has already conducted a number of successful educational projects in leading Moscow Secondary schools. The start of AKOS cooperation with St. Petersburg State University, the largest university in St. Petersburg, is another step forward for our aim to meet the targets set by the Association for the Promotion of Educational Programs in Russia. I’d like to thank Elena Fadeeva, who has lead the work group for several years and each year has raised the project to the next level. "

Dmitry Havra, Professor, Doctor of Social Sciences, Head of Public Relations in Business for the Graduate School of Journalism and Mass Communications of St. Petersburg State University: "For the Department of Applied Communications at St. Petersburg State University, the first specialized department of its kind in Russia, a partnership with AKOS is a breakthrough that will bring a new quality of PR education. Programs focusing on business PR, developed under the direction of Elena Fadeeva and Andrey Barannikov, will give our students an opportunity to become familiar with the latest trends in the profession. "
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The Russian Communications Consultancies Association (АКОS) was founded in 1999 as a fundamentally new type of union for the Russian public relations market and has united the most respected and reliable independent players in Russian PR. At the moment AKOS consolidates 31 first-rate Russian PR-consultancies, whose common market share exceeds 60 %.

AKOS is the Russian division of The International Communications Consultancy Organization (ICCO). Founded in 1988, ICCO comprises national trade associations in twenty-eight countries. Collectively, these associations represent over 1,400 PR firms. Around the world ICCO membership is recognized as an indicator of the organization’s professionalism and the high quality of its services.

St. Petersburg State University is the oldest university in Russia, founded in 1724. For over 287 years St. Petersburg State University has secured the right to be named as one of the best universities in Russia: A rich historical past, wide research, active development and innovation reinforces SPSU’s position at the forefront of Russian science.

Today, St. Petersburg University welcomes more than 30 thousand students to 24 faculties. It has 13 thousand employees, nearly 6,000 teachers and representatives from 304 chairs including 1,500 PhDs, nearly 3000 candidates of science and more than 40 academics). The university has everything to offer: For scientists,  the rich M.Gorky Scientific Library, science and research institutes, alongside museums, a large publishing house, the University Chorus of students, graduates and teachers, sport clubs (from rugby and orienteering to the "Ingria" student club) and much more.

Fleishman-Hillard Vanguard is a joint venture created in December 2007 by Fleishman-Hillard (Omnicom Group Inc.), a leading international communications agency network, and Vanguard PR, Russian agency founded in Moscow in 1993. Since 2008 the agency is developing an affiliate network in the CIS countries, including Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan under Fleishman-Hillard Vanguard brand with a Moscow hub. The agency is a part of a local cross-communications group that includes BTL/event specialist Elefante and creative/media Orta Media. Agency specialization is corporate reputation management, financial communications, government relations and public affairs, marketing and integrated communications, digital, technology and healthcare.  www.fhv.ru  

Fleishman-Hillard Vanguard is a founding member of the Association of Communication Consultancies (country member of the International Communications Consultancies Organization). The agency is also actively involved in work for the Russian PR Association, Association of European Businesses, Russian Association of Managers and Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs.