The 5th World Public Relations Day Summit: Emphasis on Empathy, Revisiting Dr. Notghi’s Thought, and Honoring the Best
On the occasion of the 26th anniversary of the passing of Dr. Hamid Notghi, the founder of modern public relations in Iran, the 5th World Public Relations Day Summit was held under the slogan “Building Bridges and Overcoming Polarization” in the main hall of Ra’d Charity Educational Complex.
According to the Iranian Public Relations Information Network (Shara), this event was accompanied by speeches from prominent professors and experts in communication and public relations. In this summit, Hadi Khaniki spoke on the topic “Public Relations; Traumatic Conditions and Soothing Roles”, Dr. Hossein-Ali Afkhami presented “Dr. Notghi in His Time”, Javad Ghasemi delivered “A Model of Creative Public Relations”, Seyed Shahab Seyed Mohseni analyzed “Approaches to World Public Relations Day”, Mohammad Khodadi discussed “An Analysis of Iranian Media During the 12-Day Imposed War”, and Walid Albonasser reviewed “Al Jazeera’s News Analysis of the Recent Iran-Israel War”.
In this summit, Mahdi Bagherian, Secretary of the Summit and CEO of the Kargozar Public Relations Institute, referring to the fundamental transformations in the communication landscape in the country and the world, emphasized the necessity of redefining the human, ethical, and responsible role of public relations.
He further referred to the missions of World Public Relations Day and said:“One of the main missions of World Public Relations Day is to create and strengthen empathy in the national and global spheres; an empathy which is not just a virtue, but a communication and social necessity in today’s polarized world.”
Bagherian added: “The meaning of empathy is to see the world through the eyes of the people; this is the very philosophy upon which public relations is built. In Iran’s rich culture, this concept is defined by the authentic word ‘mardom-dari’ (people-centeredness).”
The CEO of the Kargozar Public Relations Institute emphasized at the end: “If public relations professionals fail to properly fulfill their human, ethical, and people-oriented role, the gap between people and institutions, organizations, and companies will deepen day by day; and under such conditions, no communication strategy will succeed.”
Also, in the first edition of the World Public Relations Day Award, the Empathetic Leadership Award was presented to Ant Minasian, CEO of Ra’d Charity Educational Complex; the Social Responsibility Award (Support for Cinematic Works) was awarded to Engineer Afshin Sabzevari, Director of Public Relations at Sar Cheshmeh Copper Complex; the Special Events Award (No to Accidents Campaign) was given to Ms. Homa Baesi, Advisor to the President and Director of Public Relations at the Road Maintenance and Transportation Organization; the Social Capital Award (#WeAreIranianWorkers #WeAreHormozganSteel) went to Mohammad Farahani, Director of Public Relations at Hormozgan Steel Company; the Editorial Creativity Award (Journal of the Sugarcane Development and By-products Company) was granted to Walid Albonasser, Director of Public Relations at the Sugarcane Development and By-products Company; the Internal Public Relations Award was awarded to Shahriar Saber, Director of Public Relations at the Export Development Bank of Iran; the Information Dissemination Award (Lotos Internal Communication Software) was given to Seyed Farid Mirmousavi, Director of Public Relations at Pasargad Insurance; the Organizational Events Award was presented to Mohammadreza Kiaei, Director of Public Relations at Kangan Petro-Refinery Company; and finally, the Special Public Events Award (Public Campaigns) was awarded to Bahman Alibakhshi, Head of Public Relations and Media at Alavi Foundation.
This summit was held on July 16, 2025, at the initiative of the Kargozar Public Relations Institute (KPRI) and the Association of Iranian Public Relations Specialists (AIPRS) in Tehran.