CIPR November update: Edinburgh, Birmingham, Cardiff

I don't know if it was the bhangra dancers in Birmingham or the singalong to Wonderwall organised by Jason Mohammad at Cymru PRide in Cardiff, but this year's PRide awards were great fun and a reminder about the strength of the PR communities in the UK nations and regions. Thanks to national sponsor Specialist Speakers for making it possible.

My message to all those who entered a PRide award in this special 75th anniversary year was that we focus too much on the negatives of our industry outside of awards nights. The PR Campaigns that Changed the World project we did this year is a reminder that PR changes society for the better more often than it is the cause of moral crisis. I saw some fantastic campaigns enter and win PRide awards this year and they are a reminder of why we should all have pride in the PR industry.

There were so many great memories from PRide season. If you are a CIPR member and have photos, video or reflections from PRide - or other CIPR events over the years - please do send them to Sarah Ion CMktr MCIM (she/her) who is putting together a time capsule to tell people in our centenary year what the Institute was like in its first 75 years.

Most awards given at PRide events are for campaigns and teams, but I was delighted to award the Sir Stephen Tallents' medal at the Cymru ceremony to Rhian Moore for her contribution to the CIPR and industry. She has had a great PR career in both the public and private sector and is a long-term volunteer for both CIPR and the Scout Association. Rhian was the first winner of this medal, named after the Institute's first President, to be nominated by members (to my knowledge) and I hope this tradition continues.

In the last quarter of the year CIPR is focusing on the future of PR, so I was really pleased to be invited by Nicola Hooper to speak to her MA students at Cardiff University. As the number of university PR courses decline it's important that we think about where future practitioners are coming from and what skills and support they will require to carry our industry forward. Nicola's class is very international, which talks to the continued cache of the UK's universities and industry, but perhaps also how other countries currently give more credence to PR qualifications.

Over 200 people attended the CIPR's Horizon PR Conference in November, including many younger members of our industry. The conference had the theme of preparing the industry for the future. Do read Alastair McCapra 's summary of the event themes. Thanks to our sponsors nesma and Specialist Speakers for making the event possible.

Do also listen to the latest Engage podcast which about the future of PR.

Last, but very means not least, the CIPR reached a major milestone in November when we passed the National Equality Standard (NES) - the first professional body to do so and the first to be assessed for the work of both volunteers and employees. In 2021 the CIPR Board asked for a step change in the Institute's progress on equity, diversity and inclusion. Passing the UK government's NES audit has taken a lot of work - from Claire Bloomer and the committee led by Rachel Roberts in particular - and organisational change. It is the end of the beginning. Both CIPR Board member, Avril Lee and Advita Patel , who will be the CIPR's 2025 President, have challenged the Institute to become a place where people from diverse backgrounds feel a sense of belonging. That's the next mountain for us to climb, but it's great to have made base camp.