PRAXIS A-P 2026: The Earned Imperative begins at the top

By now, we are all fairly familiar with the "seat at the table" conversation that the public relations industry has been having for decades. Communications is more strategic than ever, the CEO finally understands reputation, and the function is one good crisis away from permanent boardroom standing.

That's the theory, anyway, even if it has become a somewhat circular discussion. Our new PR 2030 research, for example, finds a profession that is strategic in its self-perception but still under-resourced, underfunded and under-consulted by the business functions that matter.

At the very least, there are three forces making this disconnect urgent rather than just perennial. AI-generated content is eroding trust at scale, geopolitical fractures are redrawing narrative battlegrounds, and reputation has become unmoored from its traditional groundings, thanks to sceptical stakeholders who require cultural proof of an organisation's licence to operate, much less lead.

PRAXIS Asia-Pacific 2026, which returns to Singapore on 7 October after its sold-out debut last year, will aim to bring plenty of clarity to these issues, thanks to the first set of headline speakers that we are happy to unveil:

• Stephen Forshaw, Airbus' chief representative for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific, and one of the few comms leaders to make the leap into P&L leadership
• Emily Poon, CEO of the Singapore Institute of Directors, who previously led Ogilvy PR Asia-Pacific
• Lavanya Wadgaonkar, chief communications officer of Nissan, a fierce advocate for communications effectiveness in the C-suite
• Lena Goh, managing director of public affairs at Temasek, a defining example of a company that has built its operations around trust
• Siew Ting Foo, a CMO veteran who is fresh from the Cannes main stage, where she argued that Chinese brands are increasingly ready to take on the world

There will be many more speakers announced soon, of course, across a lineup that also features such agency leaders as Zeno global CEO Barby Siegel, Ruder Finn global chief growth officer Elan Shou, We.Communications APAC president Nitin Mantri, Sandpiper CEO Emma Smith, Real Chemistry Asia-Pacific growth president Emma Thompson, Rice/Finn senior partner Agung Ongko, GR Company senior advisor Jasmeet Kaur, The Hoffman Agency's Isabelle Demaude and Andrew Nicholls from CARMA Asia.

With less than two months to go, we're happy to confirm that the bulk of the agenda is ready, reflecting a specific focus on our Earned Imperative theme. The Comms in the Boardroom session, for example, will discuss how communicators move from access to authority, as geopolitical volatility and stakeholder scrutiny intensify.

Several sessions, furthermore, will feature new data and insights that help us better understand the moment of reckoning facing corporate communicators. Zeno's Clarity 2030 study, for example, will unveil new findings on CMOs in this region, exploring increasing competition with communications functions across reporting lines, budget, and such areas as generative engine optimisation.

Our PR 2030 research with IPR and Ruder Finn, meanwhile, will underpin a discussion on what agencies and in-house teams need to do to close the gap between strategic reputation and actual influence. Specific studies from We.Communications and Sandpiper, both in partnership with Earned First, will examine the future of influence and reputation capability frameworks, respectively.

Reputation's drift from messaging to culture also forms a distinctive element of the agenda, including specific sessions on how the region's technology sector is building the kind of trust that translates into commercial and regulatory goodwill; the friction between global HQs and local nuance; and, the case for cultural intelligence as a business capability in an AI-saturated world. A special AI experience zone, meanwhile, will demonstrate how new technologies are revolutionising communications across the world.

If the PRAXIS sessions help us understand how earned influence is reshaping the region, the day before will bring a unique lens on what serious communications practice looks like today. The inaugural Asia-Pacific Earned First Awards takes place on the evening of 6 October, benchmarking and recognising public relations work that solves business problems, shapes reputations, influences decision-making and builds trust in complex environments, often without fanfare and paid amplification.

Tickets for PRAXIS and the Awards are now available, and there are discounts available via all of our partners, including supporting associations AMEC, APACD, ICCO, IPR, PRCA, PRCAI, PRSP, PRHK, PRSJ, Perhumas and PRASL. Massive thanks, as always, to our partners: Zeno, CARMA, Finn Partners, The Hoffman Agency, Ruder Finn, Burson, Kaizzen, Rothman & Roman, Sandpiper, Real Chemistry, Vero and We.Communications. If you'd like to be involved, just let us know.