Farzana Baduel to deliver 2026 James C. Bowling Executive-in-Residence Lecture
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 5, 2026) — The University of Kentucky College of Communication and Information will host the 2026 James C. Bowling Executive-in-Residence Lecture 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19, in Wrigley Auditorium, 250 Pence Hall.
This year’s executive-in-residence lecturer is London-based strategic communications adviser, CEO and co-founder of Curzon PR, and BBC Radio 4 producer Farzana Baduel. As chief executive and co-founder of Curzon PR, she has spent 16 years advising governments, helping leaders manage crises, develop impactful narratives and communicate authentically.
Curzon PR has advised clients across the United Kingdom, the United States, the Middle East and South Asia — working with government ministries, sovereign institutions, global corporations and nongovernmental organizations on a range of complex communications challenges.
Baduel is also a producer and presenter of BBC Radio 4’s “When It Hits the Fan,” where she and co-host David Yelland examine communication strategies and the PR playbook behind major crises and high-profile events.
Although highly involved in public relations, Baduel also serves as a panel member of the Ministry of Justice English Law Promotion Panel and as the resident PR expert with the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford.
Baduel will spend the week of the lecture throughout the College of Communication and Information speaking with students, classes and faculty about her work and experience in public relations through the series.
The Bowling Executive-in-Residence series also recognizes an annual Excellence in Public Relations Award winner. This year’s recipient is Dan Hartlage, principal of Guthrie/Mayes Public Relations. Hartlage joined GMPR in 1993 and has more than 25 years of experience in client-side and agency public relations, as well as in daily newspaper and network-affiliated television journalism. Hartlage will be recognized at a later date.
Beginning in 2000, the Bowling Executive-in-Residence series, through an endowment from Joseph M. Cullman III, recognizes the legacy of James C. Bowling.
Bowling served as assistant chairman of Philip Morris Companies Inc. He attended UK and later served as a member of the UK Development Council. In addition to serving on several national boards, Bowling also worked with the UK Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, the UK Gatton College of Business and Economics, and the UK Sanders-Brown Center on Aging. Each year, a nationally recognized public relations professional delivers an address and meets with students interested in pursuing a public relations career.
The lecture also features the announcement of a scholarship for a senior integrated strategic communication major with an emphasis in public relations.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and healthcare. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $1.02 billion research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.