Anne Gregory, Emeritus Professor of Corporate Communication at the University of Huddersfield, is the author of over 100 books, book chapters and academic and popular journal articles. Professor Gregory is an Adjunct Professor at LSPR Communication and Business Institute, Jakarta, Indonesia, and at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. Professor Gregory is a Board member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and serves on its International Committee and AIinPR Panel. She is also a former Chair of the Global Alliance and directed the worldwide work on developing the Global Capability Framework for the public relations and communication management profession. She is the Director of Practix Limited, a research and training consultancy. Dr. Gregory holds the CIPR Sir Stephen Tallents Medal for her outstanding contribution to the profession, the US Institute for Public Relations Distinguished Pathfinder award for research, the Public Relations Society of America’s Atlas Award for her international work, the Canadian Public Relations Society’s Outstanding Achievement Award, the European Public Relations Research and Education Association’s (EUPRERA) Distinguished Scholar Award for her contribution to the European body of knowledge and the International Association for the Measurement and Evaluation of Communication’s (AMEC) Dom Bartholomew Award in recognition of outstanding service to the communication measurement and evaluation industry. Gregoria Arum Yudarwati is Professor of Communications, at Universitas Atma Jaya Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Her research interests are on public relations, community engagement and sustainability communication. Most of her research projects have been recognised and supported by international funders, including the Australian Government (1999, 2005 and 2015), British Council, UK (2014 and 2016), Arthur W. Page Center, USA (2015, 2021 and 2022) and the Pulitzer Center, USA (2022). Professor Yudarwati is a senior expert on communication at Kiroyan Partners, a research-based public affairs and strategic communications consulting firm in Indonesia. She has also been appointed as a member of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) International Development Peer Review College, which has enriched her insights on the international development agenda.
This book is a major and innovative contribution to strategic communication research and practice. With solid empirical foundations in local communities in the Global South and particularly Indonesia, the authors demonstrate the value of participatory communication when planning and implementing development projects. At the communicative core lies a mission to empower local communities by giving them a significant voice in decision-making, which in the long run also increases success for those funding developments. - Dr. Jesper Falkheimer, Professor of Strategic Communication (Lund University, Sweden), President (European Public Relations Education and Research Association, 2024 and 2025)