Lauren Dineen-Duarte Winner of the 2016 CPRS Toronto PR Professional of the Year Award.
To celebrate the opening of submissions for the 2019 CPRS Leadership Awards, we caught up with Lauren Dineen-Duarte who won the 2016 CPRS Toronto PR Professional of the Year Award. The CPRS Leadership Awards recognize individuals in public relations who have achieved excellence in their careers or made significant contributions to the field of public relations.
Where do you work and what do you do?
“I work at American Express Canada as the Director of Public Affairs & Communications. Since joining the company in 2008, I’ve led the public relations and social media strategy. I’ve been responsible for developing and driving the communications strategy, content development initiatives and paid media strategy for the Canadian market. What’s unique about my role is that I oversee both the content development and paid strategy behind our social media advertising, which helps create a holistic strategy to drive results and increase brand awareness.”
What did
winning the CPRS Toronto PR Professional of the Year Award mean to you?
“The CPRS awards gala was an amazing evening and it was a fantastic
compliment to be handed the accolade. It was definitely a moment to remember as
I had a great deal of pride collecting the CPRS Toronto PR Professional of the
Year award. To me, this win was more than just a personal achievement – it
represented the hard work both myself and my team have accomplished over the
years.”
How, if any, has the CPRS Toronto PR Professional of the Year Award impacted your career?
“Being awarded the 2016 CPRS Toronto PR Professional of the Year played a key role in building my profile, both inside and outside my organization. Internally, it helped me gain recognition for the work I do and the value I provide to our business. From an external perspective, it helped increase recognition as an industry leader within the PR community.”
What has been the most rewarding part of winning the CPRS Toronto PR Professional of the Year Award?
“As mentioned earlier, I’d say the most rewarding part of winning the CPRS Toronto PR Professional of the Year Award has been the recognition it provided me. My team and I are constantly pushing the envelope and creating new PR strategies, so being recognized as a leader in this space helps with my credibility when spearheading new communication tactics and initiatives.”
What have you been up to since you won the award in 2016?
“Over the past few years, I’ve been busy with both my career and family life. The PR industry is constantly evolving, so I’m always exploring different ways to connect with our audience. It’s an exciting time to be in PR, so I make sure my team and I stay ahead of the curve and raise the bar with fresh, innovative ideas. An example is how we’re levering social media advertising and influencer relations more than ever before. Outside of my career, it’s been so much fun to see my two young boys – Kingsley and Theo – grow up. Being a mother is something I cherish, so I’m always keeping busy with my family and being a role model for my children.”
What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced in your career?
“One of the challenges I’ve faced in my career is finding ways to measure the work we do in PR. For example, when the popularity of social media emerged, it was important for me to show the business impact it had for our company and why we should allocate more funding towards it. Although it was challenging to transition from traditional marketing to a strategy that includes social media and influencer-led marketing, it’s an accomplishment I take a lot of pride in.”
What are some of the biggest highlights and successes you have had in your career?
“With more than a decade of experience in PR, I’m grateful for the opportunities and successes I’ve achieved throughout my career. If I had to narrow it down to just a few, it would be a combination of being recognized for my work both inside and outside of my organization and giving back to the industry by being a judge for a number of notable awards. It’s also been great to participate in various speaking opportunities throughout the years. In terms of the projects I’ve worked on, creating and launching American Express Canada’s Women at Amex initiative is one near and dear to my heart. I’ve always been passionate about advocating for women in the workplace making it a natural fit for me. The program is focused on supporting the development and advancement of women in corporate Canada. It’s been great to see Women at Amex grow into a key driver for our diversity and inclusion efforts.”
Do you think it’s important to recognize work in PR?
“I believe it’s important to recognize work in PR because we help protect, enhance and build a company’s reputation. Now, more than ever before, PR has become a vital aspect to any organization. Continuing to recognize our work will help build stronger relationships within the industry and show the value PR brings to companies.”
If you could give one PR tip, what would it be?
“Our industry is constantly evolving at such a fast pace, so my tip would be to make sure that you are staying on top of new trends, as well as thinking broadly and outside of the box. Gone are the days where traditional PR was the only method of communicating to your audience. Exploring new streams of digital communications, like social media advertising and influencers, is key to reaching your audience. It’s important for PR professionals to never stop learning and to take a holistic approach to communications.”
Do you know someone who deserves to win a CPRS Leadership Award? Nominate a student, your boss, a colleague or CPRS Toronto volunteer today! The Leadership Awards will be presented at the ACE Awards Gala on May 23, 2019.
By Meg Sharpley CPRS Toronto Volunteer