Remembering the remarkable legacy of PR pioneer Tony Good

exchange4media and the public relations world is mourning the passing of one of its foremost pioneers. Anthony B. M. Good, universally as Tony Good a pioneer and the founder of the PR agency Good Relations, died last week at the age of 92. His death marks the end of an era for an industry he helped reshape. In tributes pouring in across the communications and media sectors, many have described him as a man who “broke the PR mould.” 

Tony Good saw PR differently. He saw it as a bridge to build trust, narrative, understanding culture about helping businesses be understood, helping voices be heard, and managing crisis. To bring his vision to life, he launched Good Relations in 1961, at a time when PR consultancies were far from mainstream. Under his leadership, the agency grew from a start-up into a respected name in communications. He steered Good Relations through decades of change from the dominance of print media to the rise of digital platforms and retained its reputation for integrity and strategic insight, traits many traced back to his steady leadership. The firm also became the first public relations business ever to be listed on the London Stock Exchange.

Tony’s association with India began in the early 1970s. In 1988, he founded Good Relations India, seeing before many the great potential of economic liberalization, foreign partnerships, global students, and the power of communications shaped by cultural insight. Under Tony’s stewardship, Good Relations India became a gateway, strategist, and trusted advisor for corporations, study boards, governments wishing to enter their presence in India.

Tony Good garnered many honours acknowledging his work, vision, and impact. In 2012, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by PRCI (Public Relations Council of India). Also in 2012, the ABCI (Association of Business Communicators of India) bestowed him their Lifetime Achievement Award and several others.

Throughout his career, Tony Good worked to elevate the status of public relations as a professional, strategic necessity. He firmly believed PR should stand alongside accounting, law, finance in the roster of essential corporate services

Tony Good may no longer walk among us, but his vision, work, and the many he mentored will follow and take forward his legacy.