In a nod to the entrepreneurial spirit that drives the marketing and communications industry, PROI Worldwide has announced the winners of its inaugural Agency of the Year (AOY) Awards. The honours went to Jackson Spalding for the Americas Region, Icon Agency for the APAC Region, and 24/7 for the EMEA Region.

The awards were established to commemorate the memory of Jorge Aguilar of PROI Partner FWD in Mexico, who passed away in 2022. They are designed to recognise agencies that have demonstrated exceptional business results and made significant contributions to PROI, with a particular emphasis on the enthusiasm, resilience, and collaborative spirit displayed by entrepreneurial business leaders.

Australian agency Icon achieved exceptional revenue growth in 2022, restructured its leadership team with a focus on culture, and introduced a new paid parental leave policy. The agency, founded in 2002, also took a leadership role in artificial intelligence thought leadership in the Australian PR industry.

Atlanta-based Jackson Spalding was lauded for driving revenue growth through new client wins and organic budget increases, as well as for its expanded investments in employee programs and its Diversity, Equity & Inclusion initiative.

Polish agency 24/7 was recognised for using agency and leadership milestones to enact a comprehensive 'scaling up' program, resulting in significant revenue growth, the addition of global brand clients in both B2C and B2B, and a restructured leadership team.

"The PROI Agency of the Year award was introduced this year to acknowledge one Partner in each of our regions who demonstrated excellent business success, while also providing outstanding leadership and contributions to their fellow PROI Partners. It is a true reflection of the entrepreneurial spirit that is at the heart of PROI," Jeff Lambert, Global Chair of PROI Worldwide and Chair of U.S.-based Lambert Global, said.

PROI Worldwide is the world’s largest partnership of entrepreneurial communications agencies, with partners in 65 countries, representing more than US$1.128 billion in revenue and 8,800+ employees.