CIPR March update: Bournemouth/ Glasgow/ Francis Ingham

I was very sad to hear of the untimely passing of Francis Ingham, the Director General of the PRCA, this month.

Francis was very supportive of my MBA dissertation project, underlining the genuine support I know he offered all learners in our industry. He was further welcoming to me at events held by the Company of Communicators. For balance, I felt his passion for the PRCA and desire to compete with the CIPR could go too far at times, both on Twitter and in real life.

Francis was one of this industry’s biggest characters and I hope his legacy is seen in the continued growth in numbers of PR practitioners globally committing to join membership and trade bodies. ?

In visits to Bournemouth and Glasgow this month I met practitioners at the top of their game eager to practice PR well and drive our industry forwards. Some were CIPR members, others weren’t. What I am quickly learning is that in a post-pandemic world there is even more need for CIPR to provide training and also a network to help people connect with other practitioners both online and within their local community.

Thanks to everyone I met in both locations, particularly Darryl Sparey (Chart.PR, FPRCA, FCIPR) for organising the get together in Bournemouth, Lee-Ann Fullerton for inviting me to meet her team at Scottish Power and Clare Slipper Jenifer Stirton FCIPR Chart.PR, and Rhona Little from the CIPR Scotland committee for a really engaging breakfast meeting. ????

It’s also been another busy month in CIPR as we continue to deliver value to members and learners:

• the Excellence Awards shortlist has been published. This is one of the most prestigious and well judged awards in our industry so well done to all the agencies and individuals who have go to this stage. The awards night is always a highlight of the PR calendar so get your tickets now for Wednesday 28 June at the Royal Lancaster Hotel;
• CIPR launched the 2023 PRide awards , which will include the London region for the first time to support smaller agencies and organisations around the capital. The PRide awards will have new head judges for the first time in eight years and thanks to former CIPR President Emma Leech ChartPR FCIPR CMktr FCIM CMgr FCMI FIoD FIIC and Kevin Read for taking on that role. Entrants have until 16 May to apply for the standard deadline and 25 May for the late deadline – good luck!;
• the new CIPR ESG panel will develop member understanding in this area and to articulate and reinforce the role of PR in shaping and delivering organisation and client agendas;
• the latest CIPR Engage podcast landed, and in celebration of our 75th anniversary it delves into the themes of social inclusion and diversity and the impact of technology on their outcomes. This podcast series now has 10,000 downloads so well done to the volunteers who organise this: Sara-Anne Mills-Bricknell Chart.PR Debbie West Tim Hudson Chart. PR Iain Hodgson Kenny McDonald and Andrew Bruce Smith ;
• the Spring issue of Influence magazine was published and this member-only benefit continues to go from strength to strength. This issue there are social media trends for 2023, a piece on the way Kier Starmer has revitalised Labour’s communication and check out Emma Duke 's piece on PR’s continued commitment to supporting societies;
• on that topic, congratulations to Walker Darke MCIPR who was included in the social impact category of the 2023 Forbes Under 30 Europe list for his work as lead author of the United Nations Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality by 2050 for Europe, North America and Central Asia;
• there is a new Skills Guide on election publicity , exclusively for CIPR members. With a General Election likely in 2024, this is a timely read whether you work in Local Public Services or not. Thanks to Mandy Pearse MBA, FCIPR, FCIM Dan Slee Sharon Dunbar Chart.PR and Giuseppina Valenza FCIPR Chart.PR for putting it together;
• the CIPR’s Diversity and Inclusion Network has also published the first of five new guides in their Equity Diversity and Inclusion Basics series. ?The new guide includes definitions of equality, diversity, and inclusion and associated terms, explains how these apply in practice, and outlines ways to create an equitable future within the PR industry. Thanks to Sara Thornhurst Chart.PR , Vickie Cox Avril Lee and Cornelius Alexander FCIPR, Founding Chart.PR ; and
• last but not least, the CIPR is continuing to actively campaign for a fairer lobbying system. We need our members to write to their MPs to support the Lobbying for Good Lobbying campaign and attend a parliamentary briefing day on Tuesday, April 25. We are also need lobbyists to share quotes with them with their views of the Lobbying Act for a forthcoming report.

Good luck to those rushing to compete their CPD points by the end of March deadline. For those who finished a bit sooner, we have a new challenge for 2023 launching soon – the opportunity to earn badges for completing both 60 and 75 points! Who’s going to be first to 75?

Steve