At its global summit held in Milan last week, the International Communications Consultancy Group (ICCO) appointed Bulgaria's PR expert, Maxim Behar, as its new President.

Behar is a globally recognised PR expert, CEO of the leading Bulgarian PR consultancy M3 Communications Group and Chairman of Hill+Knowlton Strategies for the Czech Republic.

He has served as vice-president of ICCO since December 2013 together with ICCO President David Gallagher, Senior Partner, CEO, Europe & Chairman, London.

Behar, who had previously served as Treasurer of ICCO for three years, assumed his duties as president at the ICCO Board Meeting on Saturday.

Gallagher praised the new president for his “extraordinary mix of energy, experience and diplomacy “ and his passion for PR and expressed hope that more good things were to befall ICCO.

According to Francis Ingham, ICCO Chief Executive, Behar “lives and breathes international PR”, which together with his passion and commitment to the industry make him the ideal person to lead ICCO.

Ingham expressed hope that under the new leadership the recent growth of ICCO will be turbocharged.

Behar is a lecturer on modern PR in many universities around the world and a former President of the Bulgarian Association of PR Agencies (BAPRA).

He also serves as Honorary Consul of the Republic of Seychelles in Bulgaria.

ICCO unites national trade associations in 32 countries around the world, representing some 2500 PR firms in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia.