Sunil John, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller and President - Middle East of Burson Cohn & Wolfe (BCW), has been acknowledged by industry peers with a Middle East Public Relations Organization (MEPRA) Fellowship.

John received his Fellowship from Ray Eglington, MEPRA Chair, during the 4th annual MEPRA Management Majlis held in Abu Dhabi which combined nearly 200 industry professionals from greater than 40 organisations. The Fellowship is granted to people who have made an outstanding contribution to the Public Relations industry in the Middle East and for dedication to sticking to the highest possible expert requirements.

Eglington said: "Sunil has gone to the heart of Public Relations Middle East for more than two decades. His firm, ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller, recently appeared in the PR Week organization table as the biggest firm Middle East. He is a founding member of MEPRA and has gotten massive global recognition - he was the very first person in the Middle East to obtain the Outstanding Individual Achievement SABRE Award (EMEA) and was granted with the MEPRA Chairman's Award in 2016."

Eglington continued: "Sunil is additionally responsible for a specifying item of thought management in the region - the Arab Young People Survey, which released its tenth version recently and further shows Sunil's influence on the industry and his dedication to far better recognizing our market."

Throughout his approval speech Sunil recounted the tale that led him to be a starting member of MEPRA back in 2001 and praised everybody present for their active engagement in MEPRA.

" MEPRA was born of my agency ASDA'A in 2001 - it was among the first points we did. My coworkers and I recognized the need for a company body who might bring about high industry standards. We began MEPRA with 12 other public relations firm participants and held our initial meeting in Dubai Press Club in Deira."

Today, MEPRA boasts over 1,000 participants which include companies, firms with internal interaction functions and individual industry professionals.

John was recognized together with Sconaid McGeachin, SVP EMEA & Chief Executive Officer Africa, H+K Approaches, based on a consentaneous vote from MEPRA Board members.

In addition to revealing the two inaugural MEPRA fellowships, the MEPRA Leadership Majlis welcomed speakers and panellists from the National Media Council, Facebook, Arthur W. Page Culture, CARMA, Marriott International, PR Week UK, Etihad Air Travel Group, Mubadala, The Corporate Office, United Eastern Medical Solutions, and Hanover ME.

Under the theme 'Power Forward', the meeting covered subjects such as CEO Advocacy, countering fake news in the UAE, exactly how brand names specify interaction and exactly how public connections could be one of the most powerful advertising technique in the future.