#EUPRERAtalks – Beyond the Divide: Co-Evolving Academia and Practice in the Age of Digital Transformation
Beyond the Divide: Co-Evolving Academia and Practice in the Age of Digital Transformation
Date and Time: November 14, 2025, 13:00 (CET)
What to expect from the webinar
In a rapidly changing communication landscape, professionals and academics alike face the challenge of staying relevant, adaptive, and reflective. The boundaries between theory and practice are increasingly blurred: digital transformation, new technologies, and evolving stakeholder expectations demand that both scholars and practitioners engage in a continuous dialogue.
This webinar invites participants to explore how academic research can better address the real challenges practitioners encounter, and how professional environments can, in turn, inform, enrich, and transform academic work.
Through an open discussion guided by three core questions, 1) how to integrate professional challenges into teaching and research, 2) what academia can learn from organisations undergoing transformation, and 3) what mutual benefits arise from stronger academia-practice ties, this session aims to foster a deeper understanding of collaboration as a source of innovation.
The conversation will highlight examples of co-created research, practice-based learning, and partnerships that have generated meaningful impact on both sides. It will also reflect on the structural and cultural conditions that can enable or hinder such collaborations, from institutional incentives to shared methodological languages.
Ultimately, the webinar seeks to encourage a regenerative relationship between academia and practice, one that moves beyond knowledge transfer to embrace co-creation, mutual learning, and the development of transformative capabilities for the future of public relations and strategic communication.
This webinar is also part of the new Digital Transformations subseries within #EUPRERAtalks, initiated by Grazia Murtarelli, who leads the Digital Transformation and Public Relations thematic network of EUPRERA.
Speakers

Ana Adi, Professor of Public Relations and Corporate Communication, Quadriga University of Applied Sciences, Germany
Dr Ana Adi is a Professor of Public Relations/Corporate Communication at Quadriga University of Applied Sciences in Berlin, the chair of the Digital Communication Awards, and the host of the Women in PR podcast (on SoundCloud, iTunes, and more). Dr Adi’s research focuses on identifying solutions for the professionalisation and future-proofing of PR/Comms, including identifying their social impact and social value. She also speaks about artificial intelligence in PR workflows and research, measurement and evaluation of communication, and storytelling. Originally from Romania, Dr Adi obtained her doctorate from the University of the West of Scotland (UK) and has studied and worked and taught in the USA, UK, Belgium, Thailand and Bahrain. Learn more about Dr Adi’s work here: www.anaadi.net
Isabella Brusati, Organizational Change Management Consultant and Strategist, Isabella Brusati & Associates, Italy
Isabella Brusati is an organisational change management consultant and strategist. She is an accredited executive coach (EMCC senior practitioner) and systemic team coach. With 20+ years working across complex transformations—digital, ERP, AI, culture, M&A—she supports CXOs, CHROs, PMOs, and Heads of Transformation to get people on board twice as fast, with less resistance and fewer delays. Isabella supports clients:
• Building a rock-solid case for change
• Turning resistant employees into engaged participants
• Coaching senior leaders to lead from the front
• Aligning change strategy with measurable business outcomes
• Protecting ROI, whilst accelerating the pace of change
She has led change programs in global companies, and clients include Google, L’Oréal, Unilever, ABB and Amadeus. She is a Prosci-certified instructor, guest lecturer and keynote speaker. Isabella is ranked among the top 15 coaches in Milan.
Moderator: Grazia Murtarelli, Associate Professor in Strategic Communication, IULM University, Italy
Grazia Murtarelli, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in Corporate Communication at IULM University in Milan, where she has coordinated the Master’s Degree Program in Strategic Communication since 2024. From 2018 to 2024, she served as Rector’s Delegate for Sport, overseeing the university’s strategic sports development. Her research focuses on digital communication, corporate public relations, and strategic communication management, with particular expertise in the intersections of digital transformation, artificial intelligence (AI), and corporate reputation. She has contributed to international research projects on AI ethics, organisational legitimacy, and digital transformation as a Visiting Scholar at the University of Huddersfield and a Visiting Fellow at Leeds Beckett University. She teaches Digital Communication Management and Public Relations at undergraduate and graduate levels, with a focus on AI-powered communication, data-driven storytelling, and digital content governance. She also serves as an Adjunct Professor at the International University of Monaco (IUM) in the Master’s Program in Luxury Management. In addition to her academic work, she collaborates with organisations on social media governance, API-based intelligence frameworks, sentiment analysis models, and corporate digital positioning. Her research has been published in leading academic journals and recognised with several awards for contributions to AI ethics, strategic communication, and digital reputation management. She is an active member of several professional associations, including EUPRERA (where she leads the Digital Transformation and PR network), ICA, SIM, and SIMA.
Duration
1 hour
info@euprera.org
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