2009 PR People Awards: PR Team Leader of the Year

CoWinner: Jan Hausrath, Senior Vice President, APCO Worldwide

It took pure innovation and a bold positioning for Jan Hausrath to achieve the unfettered success she received in 2008. As the client manager of the large global account Dow Corning, Hausrath was tasked with leading a direct advocacy and public affairs campaign in the United States — the first time it had done so — to position the company as a leader in solar energy. Leading the development of a key policy paper, conceiving a broad communications strategy and guiding a team of 13 consultants to inform high-ups in policy, business and media, this worthy recipient nimbly and successfully introduced the Dow Corning Solar campaign into the optimal channels.

Well-Rounded Appeal

One of the elements that makes Hausrath a great leader is her grasp of a wide breadth of communications disciplines. She needs that in order to manage her team of 30 consultants based around the world — from Washington, D.C., and Chicago to Ottawa, London, Brussels, Hong Kong and Thailand.

More to Come

A commitment to excellence and her ability to inspire those around her with unwavering integrity has led Hausrath and her team to new heights. Providing guidance on recent business development opportunities, she has helped secure three global wins, including burgeoning relationships with eBay and MasterCard. ■

Co-Winner: Holly Potter, Vice President, Public Relations, National Media and Stakeholder Management, Kaiser Permanente

Her ability to unify a team and create the buy-in that is essential to any functioning unit stand as the hallmark of Holly Potter’s extraordinary success at Kaiser Permanente. Having centralized a public relations infrastructure from what had been detached regional offices, Potter created a cohesive national strategy, doing so through her unique ability to galvanize a team and spur them toward a collective achievement.

Optimal Expansion

Like all public relations professionals, Potter seeks to expand the presence of her company at any opportunity. The Kaiser Permanente News Center is RSS-enabled, and it populates other organizational sites. LinkedIn’s Kaiser Permanente Thrive Network houses more than 1,500 employees, and the Facebook fan page, launched earlier this year, counts more than 2,100 fans. Her forward-thinking ideas, combined with a knack for team building, make Potter stand out among her peers and colleagues. ■

Honorable Mentions

Fry lost a key Microsoft team manager in London in early 2008. Understanding the potential loss, he moved with his family to London for two months and temporarily took over the position. The move paid off, as he and his team won additional European business.

Gloria Janata, Team Leader, Chandler Chicco Agency

Janata has smoothed over major and minor wrinkles during her time as head of the run of Allergan campaigns featuring Botox. Under her leadership, the Allergan account has grown more than 750%.

Richard Licata, Executive VP, Corporate Communications, Showtime Networks

Transforming the behind-the-scenes Emmy nominating process from a packaging-and-DVD format to an online, password-protected Web site, Licata turned Showtime into the first network to make the switch.

American Water needed a comprehensive PR campaign to boost its profile among customers and investors. Monica led a complete rebranding campaign, inclusive of a Web site overhaul and new corporate logo.

Peters’ work with The Mushroom Council has delivered unprecedented branding of the fungi, accounting for nearly 70% of all mushroom news.

December 7, 2009