Experts share perspectives on PR in age of disruption

Mark and Comm, in collaboration with the Public Relations and Communications Association Asia Pacific (PRCA APAC), hosted a regional webinar for Sri Lanka titled ‘PR in the Age of Disruption’ recently.

The session, part of Mark and Comm’s The Collab Room initiative, brought together leading PR experts to discuss the evolving landscape of communications. 

The webinar featured industry experts such as Jeremy Seow, Regional Chief Operating Officer and Head of Client Experience APAC at Allison, and Chair of PRCA APAC, along with Maureen Tseng, Managing Director of Southeast Asia at The Hoffman Agency and Maxim Behar, CEO and Chairman of the Board at M3 Communications Group and moderated by Ed Burleigh, Head of PRCA APAC. 

Mark and Comm Managing Director Thanzyl Thajudeen emphasised that today’s disruptions extend far beyond technology, encompassing geopolitical shifts, societal movements, generational change, AI and climate events.

He went onto outline three key shifts defining this new era: a move from control to collaboration, from broadcast to belief and from strategy to speed, stressing the need for PR professionals to be agile, purpose-driven and resilient in the face of uncertainty.

Seow, in his keynote presentation, highlighted, “We are looking at consolidations of some of the largest PR networks such as K&K and Burson, Omnicom and IPG for instance, driven by the need to be more agile and integrated. We are seeing shifts from scale to specialisation.”

When asked how PR professionals can thrive in a rapidly destabilising world, Maureen stressed the importance of adaptability, speed, cultural awareness and critical thinking. 

She noted that PR is no longer about just media coverage or relationships with journalists—it’s now about staying close to real-time insights, using tools like AI and social listening to guide clients through uncertainty.