AMEC Honors Ketchum's David Rockland

NEW YORK and LONDON, Dec. 1, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- David B. Rockland, Ph.D., partner and managing director of Ketchum Global Research Network and CEO of Ketchum Pleon Change, was honored by AMEC, the International Association for the Measurement and Evaluation of Communication, with the inaugural Services to Industry Award, which recognizes his outstanding work in establishing the Barcelona Principles measurement framework and for launching AMEC's first international chapter in the United States.

The award was presented at the ninth annual AMEC Excellence Awards on Nov. 17 in London, and followed a half-day AMEC and Public Relations Society of America conference, "PR Measurement Metrics -- From Concept to Implementation Reality," for which Rockland served as moderator.

Mike Daniels, AMEC chairman and director of Report International, said of Rockland: "We honor him for his international mindset. Specifically, we acknowledge his tremendous leadership in launching our U.S. international chapter and in formulating the Barcelona Principles framework, which transformed the way that people look at program measurement."

Rockland serves on the board of AMEC and is the inaugural chair of its U.S. Agency Leaders Research Group, which he established in early 2010 to facilitate dialogue among suppliers of measurement services and PR agency purchasers while providing a unique networking forum for leaders of public relations research teams.

In addition to his role with the U.S. international chapter, Rockland also led the development and consultation process for the Barcelona Declaration of Measurement Principles, including chairing the June plenary session at the Second European Summit on Measurement, where the principles were established.

"Ketchum has always considered itself extremely fortunate to have a professional of David's caliber leading our research group," said Raymond L. Kotcher, senior partner and CEO, Ketchum. "This recognition by AMEC is reflective of his leadership position in the communications industry."

Prior to his election to the AMEC board in 2009, Rockland served as chair of the Institute for Public Relations Commission on Measurement and Evaluation in 2007 and 2008. He is a graduate of Rutgers College, holds a master's in economics, and a Ph.D. in natural resource economics from the University of Delaware, and he has held teaching roles at Rutgers and the University of Maryland.

About Ketchum

A communications innovator and the 2010 Large PR Firm of the Year (Holmes Report and PR News), Ketchum is a leading global communications consultancy and, operating as Ketchum Pleon, is the largest, most diversified agency in the U.K. and continental Europe. With five global practices -- Brand Marketing, Corporate, Healthcare, Food & Nutrition, and Technology -- and specialty capabilities that include Access Communications (high- and consumer-tech PR), Concentric Communications (experiential marketing, events and meetings), MMG (clinical trial recruitment), Ketchum Global Research Network, Ketchum Pleon Change (change and workplace communications) and Ketchum Sports & Entertainment, Ketchum leverages its marketing and corporate communication expertise to build brands and reputations for clients. For more information on Ketchum, a unit of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC), visit www.ketchum.com. 

SOURCE Ketchum