2011 Pathfinder Award Winner

Cees van Riel

Professor, Corporate Communication, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University; Reputation Institute

Prof.dr. Cees B.M. van Riel, a research pioneer in corporate reputation and strategic alignment, received the 2011 Pathfinder Award, the highest academic honor bestowed by the Institute for Public Relations (IPR).  Van Riel is professor of corporate communication at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM), and vice chairman and co-founder of Reputation Institute.

Cees van Riel has published a large number of articles (Academy of Management Journal, Long Range Planning, Journal of Management Studies, Journal of Marketing, Management Communication Quarterly, Corporate Reputation Review, etc.) and ten books. His best known books are Principles of Corporate Communication (1996), Fame & Fortune (2004) and Essentials of Corporate Communication (2006).  His newest book, The Alignment Factor: Leveraging Total Stakeholder Support, will be published in four different languages at launch in early 2012.

“I see this award as an acknowledgment of the growing relevance of my research with RSM and RI colleagues, resulting in measurement instruments applied at a global scale in the area of reputation and alignment,” said van Riel.

Van Riel received his bachelor’s degrees in economic history and political science, and a master’s degree in mass communication from Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands.  He earned his PhD in business administration at Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands.


Just prior to receiving the 2011 Pathfinder Award, the highest academic honor bestowed by the Institute for Public Relations (IPR), Prof. dr. Cees B.M. van Riel presented research-based learnings on corporate reputation, communications and strategic alignment to the IPR Board of Trustees titled, “The Alignment Factor: Academic Foundations & Practical Applications”.