Ghassan Karian is one of the speakers at the upcoming 23rd International PRO PR Conference, which will be held at the Hilton Podgorica Hotel from March 26 to 28, 2026. He began his career as a political campaign manager in the United Kingdom, then transitioned into the public relations sector as the Director of Media Relations at Rowland Communications, part of the Saatchi & Saatchi agency.
In 2006, he founded Karian and Box, an agency that quickly became the leading UK partner for employee engagement and corporate culture change. The agency worked with numerous global brands, helping them redefine their values, purpose, and culture. Today, Ghassan leads the global employee engagement and organizational culture business at Ipsos. As an executive board-level advisor, he works with companies such as Aviva, British Airways, Diageo, and Nestlé, helping them align business goals with the culture and values that drive their people.
Ahead of his visit to Podgorica, Ghassan discusses global communication trends, the role of artificial intelligence, and the challenges shaping the future of the PR industry.
You have set global standards in research. Who have been your clients, and how did it all start?
It started with a simple belief, that decisions are only as strong as the insights behind them. Early in my career, I saw how many organizations made choices based on assumptions rather than evidence. That led me to build a research practice grounded in rigor, transparency, and global comparability.
Over the years, our clients have included multinational corporations, government agencies, global NGOs, and leading universities, all of whom share one thing in common: the need to understand people and markets with accuracy and depth. From tracking global consumer sentiment to shaping national policy communications, our work has always aimed to translate data into real-world impact.
Will AI algorithms change the methodology of market research, and if so, how?
Absolutely, AI is not just changing how fast we can analyze data, but how deeply we can understand it. Traditional market research relied heavily on sampling, surveys, and statistical inference. AI adds a new dimension: pattern recognition at scale, across both structured and unstructured data, from text and images to social signals and behavioral traces.
But the real transformation lies in integration. AI enables us to blend quantitative and qualitative insights in real time, generating a more holistic view of human motivation. However, while algorithms can process information, they can’t yet interpret meaning in a human sense. The future belongs to a partnership between human judgment and machine intelligence, where data scientists, psychologists, and strategists work together to decode not just what people do, but why they do it
You are coming to the PRO PR Conference as the highest-rated speaker according to participant surveys. How did you experience the PRO PR Conference?
It was an inspiring experience, not just because of the professional caliber of the participants, but because of the atmosphere of genuine curiosity and exchange. The PRO PR Conference isn’t just another industry event; it’s a community where practitioners, academics, and leaders come together to reflect on the human side of communication.
I was struck by how open and forward-looking the discussions were, especially around ethics, reputation, and technology. Being recognized by participants is a great honor, but the real reward was the energy of shared learning.
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges in the PR industry, and what are the biggest challenges in marketing?
In PR, the biggest challenge today is trust. In an age of misinformation, polarized narratives, and algorithmic amplification, credibility has become a scarce resource. PR professionals must not only manage messages but also rebuild the very foundations of public trust, through transparency, accountability, and authentic storytelling.
In marketing, the challenge is relevance. Audiences are fragmented, attention is fleeting, and values are shifting. Brands can no longer rely on demographics alone, they must understand context, emotion, and purpose. The marketers who will thrive are those who see beyond short-term metrics and build relationships based on meaning and mutual value.
We are witnessing new business practices as well as changing behaviors of younger generations, which all affect responsibilities and internal communication processes. How do you perceive this?
Every new generation redefines the workplace, but what’s different now is the speed of change. Younger professionals expect transparency, inclusivity, and purpose, not as perks but as basic conditions. They also communicate differently, more horizontally, more digitally, and more collaboratively.
This shift is reshaping internal communication from a top-down broadcast model to a participatory dialogue. Organizations that succeed will be those that listen as much as they lead. It’s less about “managing employees” and more about engaging communities of talent.
Ultimately, these changes are healthy. They’re pushing organizations to become more human, and that’s a good thing for both culture and performance.
