NEW YORK—Patrice Tanaka, who served as creative director of her own firm—and following acquisitions, as chief creative strategist at CRT/tanaka and PadillaCRT—will serve as honorary chair of the 2016 North American SABRE Awards jury.

Asked what she looks for in an award-worthy campaign, Tanaka focused on the game-changing potential of good PR: “Winning SABRE Award entries go beyond simply delivering big ideas plus flawless execution plus business impact, they disrupt the conversation, create new social movements and change the status quo. This is why winning a SABRE Award has always been a proud, career achievement for PR and marketing communications professionals.”

Tanaka announced her retirement from PadillaCRT earlier this year, and now serves as chief joy officer at Joyful Planet, a “business and life strategy consultancy” that offers advice to individuals who are seeking greater fulfillment in their careers or want to start a business, and to organizations looking to create more purposeful, productive and joyful workplaces and help them envision and brainstorm bigger, brighter, better futures.

“We are delighted to have Patrice join our SABRE jury as its honorary chair,” said Paul Holmes, founder and CEO of The Holmes Report. “This is the first time we have invited a PR professional to serve in this capacity, and I can think of nobody better suited to the role than Patrice, who was one of the first CEOs in our profession to take the chief creative officer title, and who presided over one of the most creative boutique firms in our business.”

Tanaka recently contributed a chapter on "purpose" to a new book, Beat the Curve, by management consultant and coach Brian Tracy. Her chapter, "Live Your Life's Purpose and Unleash Your Joy," extends the idea of purpose-driven business to individuals.

The North American SABRE competition is now open for entries.