Shaun Bell, 26, a senior account manager at Stripe Communications in Edinburgh, fought off fierce competition from young public relations professionals from across the UK to claim the accolade at the UK CIPR Excellence Awards 2016.
The former St Joseph’s College pupil said: “It’s incredible to receive this award, particularly given the calibre of the other finalists.
“I’m honoured to get such encouraging and inspiring comments from the judges.”
Shaun grew up in Dumfries, attending Georgetown Primary School and St Joseph’s College. In 2007 he moved to Edinburgh to study at Queen Margaret University.
After graduating with a first-class honours degree in 2011, he joined Stripe’s ‘Star’s and Stripes’ graduate programme.
He has since achieved four promotions and climbed the ranks to become a senior account manager, and works with clients including ScottishPower, AG Barr, John Lewis and the Scottish Government.
The judges said: “Shaun is a breath of fresh air. We were impressed by his career to date and his leadership role within the agency.”
They added: “As an outstanding member of the Stripe team, Shaun puts people first, shows great entrepreneurial spirits and has wowed his clients with incredible results.”
This latest award comes two years after Shaun won CIPR Scotland’s Outstanding Young Communicator award in 2014.