San Juan - Ana María Echenique, president of Comstat, Puerto Rico’s leading public relations firm, was recently honoured as the Distinguished Public Relations Practitioner of the Year, the top award granted by the Association of Public Relations Professionals of Puerto Rico.
Comstat, a division of Badillo Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi, was also awarded two Excel Awards in this year’s competition in the categories of Audiovisual and Best Community Relations Campaign. Through the Excel Awards, the Association recognizes the best programs and efforts in the public relations field in Puerto Rico.
In a unanimous decision the Association of Public Relations Professionals of Puerto Rico distinguished Echenique with this special recognition which serves as a testament to her strong commitment to public relations excellence. Ana possesses a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Navarra in Spain and a degree in Film from the International Film School of London. She is also certified on corporate social responsibility.
“To receive this honour is a personal privilege but beyond that it represents that our peers acknowledge that the work we have done for more than two decades reflects our profound commitment with bringing understanding and improving communications to benefit our society,” Echenique said.
She was also honoured by the two Excel Awards obtained by her team. The category of Best Audiovisual was awarded to the documentary video produced to commemorate the 125th anniversary of Sociedad Española de Auxilio Mutuo y Beneficencia de Puerto Rico, one of the Island’s largest hospitals. The video included the history of the institution, interviews and success stories and the expansion and future plans of the hospital.
The Best Public Relations Community Program was awarded to Comstat for Lente Verde (Green Lens), a special project done in alliance with Toyota de Puerto Rico and the nonprofit organization Taller de Fotoperiodismo (Photojournalism Workshop). This organization implemented a special educational program for 30 children from various schools to create awareness of the environment. Through the use of photojournalism and multimedia, the children were taken on an educational journey to help save the planet.
The awarded executives were Aileen Morales (Audiovisual), Mily Hernández and Viviana Santana (Community Program) supported by copywriter Finess Almenas and editorial director Lillian Rivas. The art director for both campaigns was Alyssa Calimano.