Johannesburg – APO Group (www.APO-opa.com) has been named the winner of a Gold Stevie® Award in the Most Innovative Public Relations Agency of the Year category.
The pan-African communications consultancy, integrating advisory, execution, and proprietary news distribution, was named the winner in the seventh annual Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards, on Thursday, 3 April 2026.
These awards were sponsored by the RAK Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards are the only business awards programme to recognise innovation in the workplace in 18 nations in the Middle East and North Africa.
The Stevie Awards are widely considered to be the world’s premier business awards, conferring recognition for achievement in programmes such as the International Business Awards® for 24 years.
More than 1 400 nominations from organisations across the Middle East and North Africa were considered this year in categories such as Award for Excellence in Innovation in Products & Services, Award for Innovative Management, and Award for Innovation in Corporate Websites, among many others.
APO Group won in the “Most Innovative Public Relations Agency of the Year” category.
APO Group’s winning submission presented a body of work spanning major international brands, humanitarian organisations, and global technology and business investment platforms, collectively generating over USD1.2 billion in PR value, more than 1 500 media features and interviews, and over 20 million social media impressions.
Together, these results reflect a communications model built on integration: strategy, on-ground PR, and guaranteed visibility operating as one high-impact system.
These campaigns, executed for organisations such as Africa’s Business Heroes, Canon, Mercy Ships, the Basketball Africa League (BAL), GITEX Africa, and the Global Africa Business Initiative (GABI), demonstrate APO Group’s ability to operate at scale across sectors and markets, delivering innovative strategic communication with measurable results.
“This award recognises something specific: a communications model that treats consultancy, execution, and distribution as one system rather than three separate disciplines,” said Bas Wijne, Chief Executive Officer at APO Group.
“The MENA Stevie® Awards reflect APO Group’s commitment to delivering PR and communications strategies that match the realities of operating across Africa.
“Effective pan-African work requires deep knowledge of how individual markets function, how media ecosystems differ, and how audiences in each context connect with a narrative.
“We’re proud to help African and MENA organisations engage with impact across one of the world’s most complex and rewarding media landscapes.”
Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners were determined by the average scores of more than 150 executives around the world acting as judges on six juries.
“We are delighted to recognise the achievements of such a diverse group of organisations across the MENA region in the 2026 edition of the Middle East and North Africa Stevie Awards,” said Stevie Awards president Maggie Miller.
“We look forward to celebrating Stevie winners during our gala event on 11 September at the InterContinental Hotel, Istanbul, Türkiye.
“The quality of nominations received this year was exceptional.
“The programme has grown every year, showing the vast amount of innovation in the MENA region.”
APO Group has received multiple major industry honours over the past year, including consecutive Gold Sabre Awards and Gold at the Davos Communications Awards for excellence in strategic communications and campaign execution.
The company was also named Africa’s Leading PR Agency – 2025 by Brands Review Magazine and Best Public Relations & Media Consultancy Agency of the Year – 2025 by World Business Outlook.
Operating across 54 African countries, APO Group provides communications advisory services, public relations, and media distribution through its proprietary newswire, Africa Newsroom, which places content on more than 250 Africa-focused news platforms worldwide.
This latest accolade adds to APO Group’s growing record at these prestigious awards.
In 2025, Rania El-Rafie, Vice President, Public Relations and Strategic Communications, was awarded a Bronze Stevie® Award in the “Most Innovative Woman of the Year” category.
El Rafie also chaired the Public Sector & Thought Leadership Awards Judging Committee at this year’s competition.
Details about the Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards and the list of Stevie Award winners are available at https://MENA.StevieAwards.com.
Winners to Be Celebrated During a Gala Event on 11 September 2026 at the InterContinental Hotel, Istanbul, Türkiye
