Aiken PR wins health sector PA Award in both North & South of Ireland

Aiken PR has been recognised for its public affairs work in the health sector throughout Ireland having won ‘Best Public Affairs campaign’ at the CIPR Awards in Belfast.  It builds on the agency’s success in the same category at Ireland’s PRII Awards for Excellence in June and positions the campaign as a stand-out  island of Ireland initiative having been recognised in the same category across both jurisdictions.

The agency which has offices in both Dublin and Belfast received the recognition for its all-encompassing ‘Opt for Life’ campaign where it worked with GAA pundit Joe Brolly to change public and government perception and practice on organ donation, with firm plans now in place to introduce legislation North and South. 

The campaign which Aiken PR supported on a pro bono basis, involved an intense public and media relations campaign, and political engagement at the highest level of government.    The company also won the ‘Not for Profit’ Award at the CIPR event.

Aiken PR Managing Director, Claire Aiken said:” Both these awards build on Aiken PR’s influence in the public affairs arena in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland: jurisdictions which are distinctively different, requiring specific and detailed areas of expertise.  We have invested comprehensively to ensure that we have the best team to support our public and private sector clients, building engagement with decision makers in Stormont and the Dail and growing their influence across regulation and policy issues.”

 Commenting on Aiken PR Award’s, the CIPR judges, said, “This entry took Public Affairs beyond the brief, using a personal experience to change policy in an area that has long caused debate. The judges were very impressed with the cross party political buy in the campaign managed to achieve, as well as the kudos gained via the BMA and using sport as a lever into mainstream society. Outcomes do not come much greater than saving lives, which is what this campaign achieved directly through the increase in donors through family members. The icing on the cake is that the entire campaign was delivered on a pro bono basis.