The inaugural Douglas Smith prize has been awarded to Rhiannon Hughes, public affairs and PR manager at Whizz-Kidz, the charity for disabled children. The award was presented at the PRCA Public Affairs Group Christmas Party, hosted by Weber Shandwick.
The award, named in memory of the late PRCA founding fellow Douglas Smith, recognizes the industry’s young professional of the year and is accompanied by a £500 prize. Applicants (all 25 and under) were required to submit an article entitled ‘Speaking up for public affairs: what does the future look like for our industry’, and all entrants were endorsed by an experienced work colleague.
Rhiannon has worked at Whizz-Kidz since April 2012, and joined the charity from the Parliamentary Office of Ian Austin MP. Speaking about her award, Rhiannon said: “It’s a great honour to be the recipient of the Douglas Smith Prize – Doug was a true lobbying legend and it’s a real privilege to be the winner of the first award in his memory. To be recognised by the PRCA and by such talented, experienced public affairs professionals means a great deal to me. Whizz-Kidz is a brilliant organisation, and I’m very grateful to work alongside talented colleagues who are passionate about giving young disabled people the opportunities and skills to fulfil their potential.”
Francis Ingham, PRCA Director General, commented: “I met Doug ten years ago and he was truly a legend. Legendary for doing things with maximum force; ferocious in business; wholly committed as a friend; fierce as an opponent. His contribution to the industry was enormous and the vibrancy of candidates for the prize is testament to him. We had an incredibly strong shortlist – anyone of whom would be worthy winners – but Rhiannon’s passion shone through and certainly sets the bar high for future winners of the Douglas Smith Prize.”
Those also shortlisted for the prize were: Will Brown (APCO Worldwide), Jordan Campbell (Ketchum), Hattie Leach (Burson-Marsteller), Thomas Nemes (Tetra Strategy), Ariane Platell (Hanover Communications), David Radestock (Pagefield Communications), Lorna Russell (Lansons Communications) Tom Thatcher (RLM Finsbury) and Aaron Young (Pepper Public Affairs).