FleishmanHillard CEO John Saunders Awarded the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy

John Saunders, FleishmanHillard president and CEO, was today conferred with the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Honoris Causa) from Dublin City University (DCU) in Dublin, Ireland. He is the first public relations communicator to receive this recognition from the University. The convocation was a part of DCU’s Autumn Graduation Ceremony for students from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.

In remarks at the ceremony, John was recognized as one of Ireland’s Communications pioneers, a global leader in the public relations field and a noted supporter of equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace. He joins an esteemed group who have received the recognition, including Mother Teresa and former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

John is only the fourth CEO in the history of the 77-year-old global agency. From 2011, he was Regional President for Europe, Middle East and Africa. He was previously Regional President for Continental Europe and Eurasia, having been named as Regional Director for Europe in 2004. Before assuming his regional leadership positions, John was Managing Director at FleishmanHillard Saunders. He founded that business in 1990 and grew it into Ireland’s largest public relations consultancy and one of FleishmanHillard’s most successful international offices before selling it to Omnicom in 2001. He began his career as a sports presenter with RTE – Ireland’s national state broadcaster.

DCU is a global leader – ranking No. 1 for Communications and Media Studies in Ireland and in the Top 200 of almost 4,500 universities worldwide. More on John’s honorary degree and the ceremony is available on the University’s website.