Local Conversations: Rio de Janeiro 2008

Rio, Brazil

Contact: Brigid Fries: brifries@uol.com.br

Nadia Rebouças (president of Rebouças & Associados), leading Brazilian public relations professional, invited 150 corporate communications professionals to a lunch and dialogue in downtown Rio on Tuesday April 15th. This meeting of the Brazilian Association of Corporate Communicators was offered in conjunction with the international dialogue initiative Images and Voices of Hope, based in New York, and its affiliate IVE, based in Sao Paulo. Images and Voices of Hope director, Judy Rodgers spoke to the group about the role of business in society and the potential impact of corporate communicators in business.

During the 90 minute dialogue the group discussed the role of Brazilian business in shaping Brazilian society and their own commitments to the field. Rebouças had invited a number of students in the field to attend, giving them an opportunity to talk about their careers with those who hold key positions. Nadia Rebouças's own commitment to expanding the role of corporate communication to embrace social responsibility was a driving force behind this event and is a central theme to the ongoing work of IVE in Brazil. For more see www.ive.org.br