Virtual International Summit Q&A: Managing Director of Cicero & Bernay, Tariq Al Sharabi.
Split across two days and jam-packed with over 20 live sessions, the PRCA Virtual International Summit will connect you with industry pioneers from Delhi to New York. You’ll hear from the brightest communications minds around the world on the challenges and opportunities that lie in wait for the industry as the world comes to terms with the seismic impact of the COVID-19 tragedy.
As we draw closer to PRCA’s inaugural Virtual International Summit, we’re publishing a Q&A Series with the key-note speakers at our innaugural Summit. Today, we sat down with Managing Director of Cicero & Bernay, Tariq Al Sharabi to preview his key-note address on PR in the Digital Era.
- What will you be discussing at the PRCA Virtual International Summit?
PR in a Digital Era.
- What inspired the topic of your keynote address?
The communication field has been continually transforming over the past decade, but COVID-19 substantially accelerated the pace, positioning our life and work in the digital realm front and centre.
- Is there another area of public relations that’s really striking your interest of late?
Thought leadership and CSR have been fundamental to the establishment and growth public relations as a field.
- What do you think of the virtual event experience? Have you spoken at a virtual event or tuned into one recently?
I have tuned-in in the past as a participant and attendee. This will mark my first experience as a speaker, and I am absolutely looking forward to it.
- How has the COVID-19 crisis affected you and your organisation?
No one could have anticipated the impact and result of the outbreak, but of all the positive things it nurtured in us as professionals and people, the one thing it did was emphasise the importance of a strong team that functions like a family through the best and worst of times. Our team surpassed their expectations, and I am grateful for that.
- Have you been heartened by anything you’ve seen amidst the crisis – the industry’s response or organisations coming together to support each other?
I have been keeping a close eye on the global response to the pandemic, and I have been inspired by more than one occasion from how some international conglomerates have stepped up to the plate in support of people. In the UAE, under the guidance of the leadership who encouraged companies to collaborate for humanitarian causes, I am privileged to have experienced the best of humanity in the country I call home.
