We are pleased to announce that the Head of PR Jury this year will be Dr. Saskia Wallner, Ketchum Global Partner and CEO of Ketchum in Austria.
Before starting her career at Austria´s leading PR agency Publico in 1998, the lawyer and communications expert Saskia Wallner worked at the Austrian Constitutional Court in Vienna, at the European Commission in Brussels and in marketing and sales in the retail banking industry.
As a PR consultant and client director, Saskia worked for renowned companies like Austrian Airlines, McDonald´s, Erste Group, PwC or Tetra Pak, specializing in corporate communication, crisis communication, and litigation PR as well as in messaging and storytelling. As a member of the European Board, she was also n charge of developing the agency´s reach in Central and Eastern Europe and built up a strong network of affiliates across the region.
In 2010, Saskia became CEO, leading the agency through the merger with Ketchum and transforming Ketchum Publico to what it is today: the most unconventional, integrated and awarded PR-firm in Austria. As a Ketchum Global Partner, Saskia is a regular speaker and facilitator in the field of leadership, employee engagement and networking. She regularly serves as Jury Member for Ketchum´s Global Scholar Program as well as for national and international Award Shows.
PR Jury team members lead by Saskia Wallner:
Alexander Ustenko, Chief Executive Officer and Owner, 180 Public Relations & Public Affairs (180PRPA), Ukraine
Beata Hives, Chief Operating Officer of Uniomedia Communications
Ieva Stūre, Managing Director at Komunikācijas aģentūra/Edelman Affiliate and President of the Latvian Communication Association
Annela Laaneots, Co-owner of communication bureau Hea Nimi and editor-in-chief of Kaja, Estonia
PR jury evaluates the entries in PR category.
Participation in the festival can be applied till 23 April in one of 14 categories – Film, Print, Outdoor, Radio, Digital and Mobile, Design and Branding, Media, Direct, Promo & Activation, Campaigns, PR, Craft, Content and Entertainment and Social.
The Golden Hammer 2017 competition entries will be judged by the jury from 16 different countries, from both major networks and outstanding independent creative agencies. The lists of finalists will be drawn up online during May. Jury members will then come together on 31 May, to decide on the winners, with the conference and awards event taking place in Riga on 2 June.
Golden Hammer is a festival of creativity in every sense. We honor victories achieved, congratulate passionate projects and celebrate the awesomeness of bright minds that know no boundaries.