Francis Ingham: a personal reflection

I am sure there will be many erudite tributes to Francis Ingham who has died suddenly after a short illness. This is not one of them. But I want to pay tribute to a man who helped many students that I taught at Leeds Beckett University.

Back in 1973, when I came into the PR from journalism, the industry was dominated by white middle-class male men.

Under Francis’ influence the industry has thankfully become much more diverse.

I personally know that he helped many PR students and young graduates get a foothold into the PR profession and that, had it not been for Francis, they would still probably be on the starting block of their careers. I didn’t hear that from him, but from the students themselves.

Francis and I clashed several times in the nearly 20 years I knew him, but I admired the way he helped to get rid of zero pay internships – his support of Leeds Beckett Students’ Union ‘Fair Deal for Interns’ policy led to a first for UK universities on how students should be looked after in pay, conditions and learning contracts while taking an internship.

Francis was passionate about supporting Ukrainian PR professionals fleeing their country and improving the ethics of the profession – the most dramatic of which was the booting out of the Bell Pottinger PR agency from the PRCA for inexcusable poor ethical practice.

Although I never entirely agreed with many of Francis' views, he once called me a communist for reading ‘The Guardian’ newspaper, he would always pick-up the phone. There aren’t many CEOs you can do that with. In later years we joked about our deep political differences.

Yes, our discussions were often robust and at times angst, but we always managed to come away with a mutually agreeable pragmatic solution. I admired him for the fact we could 'do business'.

Francis was a larger-than-life character and he had his faults – don’t we all? His falling out with the CIPR, where he spent several years in the mid-2000s as its assistant director general and head of public affairs, and carping of the professional body was uncalled for and demeaning for a guy who was at the top of his game at the PRCA.

I think it’s sad too that in recent months his leadership of the PRCA was shrouded in controversy. We the ordinary members of the PRCA and PR Council Members don’t really know yet what this was/is all about – we are still awaiting for the inquiry on whatever had been going on to be completed.

But, and it’s a big BUT, whatever the outcome of that inquiry is Francis made a deep and lasting impression on the PR industry. He was a force for change and one of its greats.

He will be greatly missed by the industry and many individuals in the profession.