IPRN History
IPRN was founded in London in 1995 by a group of respected agency leaders from the UK, Japan, Austria, and the Netherlands who shared a vision for a different kind of international network.
Ellis Kopel (UK) was the founder and global president of PROI for 24 years. Building on this experience, he joined John Hasagawa (Japan), Ernest van den Biggelaar (Netherlands), and Berd Sibitz (Austria) to found IPRN, establishing it on principles that continue to define the organization today.
Their vision was to create a community of independent agencies united by entrepreneurial spirit, professional excellence, and a shared commitment to helping clients succeed in an increasingly connected world.
1st AGM in Bergen, Norway – 1997
They invited like-minded agency owners with extensive international experience in public relations and corporate communication to help establish a network built on collaboration, trust, networking and mutual growth.They invited like-minded agency owners with extensive international experience in public relations and corporate communication to help establish a network built on collaboration, trust, networking and mutual growth.
In 1997, approximately 20 agency leaders gathered in Bergen, Norway, for the first Annual General Meeting. During this landmark meeting, members established the foundations of IPRN, approve a constitution and affirmed a distinctive direction that set the network apart from traditional multinational agency structures.
3rd AGM in Amsterdam, The Netherlands – 1999
Today, IPRN continues to build on those founding principles, connecting leading independent agencies across continents while fostering international collaboration, knowledge sharing and business opportunities for members and clients alike.
Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, since 2024, IPRN continues to affirm its European DNA and values, with a global vision and local reach. We are a PR organization that connects five continents with knowledge, talent… and a bright future.
