Boxing Legend Pacquiao Secures Gold Standard Award for Communications

Hong Kong — Boxing champion Manny Pacquiao has been honoured at the PublicAffairsAsia Gold Standard Awards, winning the prestigious HP Gold Standard Award for Communicator of the Year.

He secured the award for his advocacy work as ambassador of the SAFE STEPS campaign, a pan-Asian public service initiative aimed at providing people with key messages on how to prepare for natural disasters. SAFE STEPS has been developed in partnership between the Prudence Foundation and National Geographic Channel.

Receiving the award, Pacquiao said the recognition was a strong endorsement of his support for the SAFE STEPS programme.

“I am extremely delighted to be selected as the 2014 Communicator of the Year. As a fighter, I learned that survival has three components: information, training and resilience. Similarly, Safe Steps helps build resilient communities by raising awareness and providing vital information on disaster preparedness,” he said.

“Together with Prudence Foundation and National Geographic Channel, our mission is to equip everyone in Asia with this critical life-saving information. My commitment to Safe Steps is a long-term one and I hope this programme will continue to protect precious lives in Asia.”

The award was presented at a gala reception in Hong Kong, where it was received by Marc Fancy, Executive Director of The Prudence Foundation.

Mark O’Brien, PublicAffairsAsia’s Vice President, commented: “The HP Gold Standard Award for Communicator of the Year is one of our most prestigious awards – recognising the impact that public figures can have when they effectively engage stakeholders. This year’s winner, Manny Pacquiao, has been recognised for his advocacy work with the SAFE STEPS campaign in making people across the region aware of the critical decisions they can take when facing a natural disaster.”

The HP Gold Standard Award for Communicator of the Year recognises excellence in communications by a business or public figure in Asia Pacific. It is open to any corporate leader, public servant, campaigner or political figure nominated by an individual, corporate, NGO or governmental group, who has shown significant achievement through their communications over the previous 18 months.

Previous winners have included President Benigno Aquino of the Philippines, former President of Indonesia Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and businessman Franky Widjaja, chairman of Golden Agri-Resources. The award forms part of The Gold Standard Awards programme and is judged by a panel of the region’s top communications and public affairs professionals, working across corporations, the media and the agency sector.

The shortlist for The 2014 HP Gold Standard Award for the Communicator of the Year was:

The Hon. Manny Pacquiao, Ambassador for SAFE STEPS
Matt Friedman, The Mekong Club, for the “Business for Freedom” Campaign
Paul Salnikow, Chairman & CEO, The Executive Centre

(PR Newswire)