Riding the wind of change

PR titan Edelman has transformed itself to pilot major brands through the stormy seas of the internet age, its global chief operations officer Matthew Harrington tells Colette Sexton

Matt Harrington, globalchief operations officer for PR company Edelman Picture: Fergal Phillips

The public relations industry has found itself in a different game over the past decade, according to the global chief operations officer for the world’s biggest PR firm, Edelman.

All media industries, including communications, are going through transformation, according to Matthew Harrington, who is second in command at Edelman internationally. When Harrington began in communications three decades ago, it was focused on telling clients’ stories through earned media, particularly in print and broadcast.