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Standard Chartered Bank’s Cynthia Mpanga made history when she was elected unopposed by members of the  Public Relations Association of Uganda (PRAU) during their 39th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held at Hotel Africana on Saturday July 9, 2016. Cynthia Mpanga becomes the second female president of PRAU. The first PRAU female President of was Goretti Masadde in 2010. Cynthia is who currently the Country Brand and Marketing Manager for Standard Chartered Bank Uganda. The PRAU President, Cynthia will provide strategic direction as well as oversee all the activities and programmes of the Association.

Other members of the Governing Council elected on that day are; Sheila  Kangwagye as Secretary General, Hellen Kawesa as Treasurer, Stella Nkini Ndiwalana as Deputy Secretary General,  John Fisher Sekabira  as Director for Programmes, Peter odeke as Vice president, Paul Mwirigi as Director PR and A.G Musamali Director Disciplinary. The Governing council is the leadership body of PRAU steered by a team of 13 members who implement the functions and policies that govern the Association, provides strategic direction and oversight of the operations of the Association.

PRAU AGM also elected three (3) Student Representatives to the governing council. Mr. David Wabukye, and Tabitha Agaba are from Cavendish University whilst Isaac Sebuliba  is from Makerere University.

The PRAU AGM is the supreme decision making body of the Association that deliberates and formulates policies for the Association. It also puts into place or returns office bearers to any posts in the Governing Council.According to the PRAU constitution, only fully paid up members can attend the AGM and participate in the election and they are the only persons eligible to elect or be elected to any post.

.”I am very honored and humbled by the extreme confidence that the communicators in this industry have in me. We have a vast array of talent and very seasoned PR practitioners in this industry but they all put their weight behind my candidature. That places a huge responsibility in me to deliver to their expectations. For me, this is a fresh challenge and I know exactly what needs to be done to move this Association forward. It’s exciting times for PRAU as an Association and the communicators in Uganda can look forward to the next journey with great optimism. “, Mpanga said at a press briefing shortly after she was elected President.

“The elections were highly competitive, well planned, executed by a highly credible election committee from private and public sector and I have every confidence that the new leaders elected are the right ones to take the Association forward.”Mpanga added.

At the AGM , the PRAU Treasurer Hellen Kaweesa noted that membership had grown by 47% driven largely by a robust member registration exercise and use of social media platforms to engage practitioners. It was noted by the outgoing PRAU President Henry Rugamba that the new PRAU Patron, Hon. Frank Tumwebaze, incoming Minister of Information and ICT & Communication, as and according to the PRAU constitution is the new Patron of PRAU and that was invited to officiate over the event.

According to the PRAU PR Director Paul Mwirigi, the elections were in line with the PRAU vision of being the leading Public Relations professional association in Africa through enhancing ethical practices and excellence.

The Public Relations Association of Uganda (PRAU) was founded in 1976 as an umbrella organization of all public relations practitioners and professionals in Uganda. It is affiliated to other regional and global public relations bodies. The Association embraces local and foreign practitioners, and participates in local, regional and international forums to enable its members, develop capacity and attain a competitive edge in the business world.