CIPR President's Report - Q2 2018

PROFESSIONAL
STANDARDS
–
cipr.co.uk
CIPR
President’s
Report
Q2 2018

Introduction
I’ll start the quarter two report in the
same way as I started the first.
Being your CIPR President is a privilege
and an honour.
I’ve really enjoyed working with the dedicated team at Russell Square
and our fantastic volunteers on your behalf over the past six months.
It’s thanks to them that your Institute stays in tune with your needs
and remains forward-thinking and relevant.
Here are the highlights from April to June, along with a look at
what’s yet to come.
The CIPR’s purpose this year is to reassert public relations as a
management function and underline its strategic value to employers
and the business community.
While the workplan for 2018 takes in all the Charter principles,
there is one that we are focusing on heavily:
To promote public understanding of the contribution of
effective public relations in encouraging ethical communication
and in enhancing the efficiency and performance of all sectors
of the economy.
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Here’s the latest
Since publishing your plan in January
and the first quarterly report at the
end of March, this is the progress we
have made.
How we’ve represented member interests:
• We’ve continued to develop our relationship with the CBI. Its director-general
Carolyn Fairbairn is writing the foreword for our 70th anniversary book
Platinum and deputy director-general Josh Hardie is speaking at our National
Conference. We are working hard to connect the special interest groups in
both member organisations and to identify how we can use the CBI’s networks
to promote understanding of the value of public relations to business.
• The Energy Leadership Platform has selected its advisory board members
and will be working with universities to promote careers in energy PR, as well
as producing a policy paper and best practice guide. Energy Leadership
Platform co-chair Paddy Blewer wrote an opinion piece for Gorkana about
how to demonstrate the value of PR in the energy sector.
• I attended the Government Communication Service comms plan launch,
which was a masterclass in best practice. I blogged about it here.
• We conducted a survey of our Fellows to better understand the type of events
they are keen to be involved with.
• Our assertive media commentary has continued: I was interviewed by LBC about
Facebook and Cambridge Analytica and Board member Kevin Taylor provided a
comment to PR Week about sponsorship of the World Cup in Russia.
• We appeared in PR Moment on how integration is creating opportunities
for PR. I took part in a Holmes Report podcast on 31 May.
• Finally, CIPR members at Bee Knees Marketing secured commentary in the
Hereford and Worcester Chamber magazine on the strategic value of PR.
I’d personally love to see more of these opportunities – the more we can break
through into the business world, the better.
We are working
hard to connect
the special
interest groups.
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In promoting the research, study and development
of the practice of public relations, we have:
• Published three Platinum podcasts as part of our 70th anniversary celebrations.
The first looks at technology and the future of PR; the second at PR as a
strategic management function and the importance of social purpose; and the
third at the changing face of public sector communications. Many thanks to
Russell Goldsmith of Audere Communications who produced these and to
David Weinberger, Stephen Waddington, Dr Jon White, Professor Anne Gregory,
Liz Davies and Jen Robson for taking part.
• Advanced our industry’s understanding of artificial intelligence through the
work of the #AIinPR panel. A paper published by Jean Valin explored the
impact of AI on skills in PR over the next five years.
• Alastair McCapra shared new data on the impact of AI and technology on
PR skills, delivered at a presentation at the World PR Forum in Oslo in April.
In co-operating with other bodies to advance the
objectives of the Institute, we have:
• Met with Barry Leggetter at AMEC, resulting in an offer of partner events and
in the CIPR becoming an Industry Supporter of the AMEC Global Summit.
• Liaised with the Royal Statistical Society – also resulting in an offer of joint events
on better and ethical use of data.
• Had meetings with several PR consultancies including Golin, Fleishman-Hillard
and Ketchum, to understand how the CIPR can forge closer relationships to
mutual benefit.
• Met with Bibi Hilton, the new President of Women in PR, in order to develop
closer working links.
• Continued our partnership with the PRCA, which includes our ongoing social
mobility campaign with Career Ready. Work currently centres around whether
it is possible to create one Code of Conduct process to simplify ethical guidance
and governance.
• Chaired the Global Thinkers Forum’s Athena40 launch, which is focused on
accountable leadership, women’s empowerment and youth development and
seeking to identify the 40 most fearless female leaders across the world.
• Continued to promote and support iprovision, the charity for CIPR members
in need. Members raised more than £3,000 at the Excellence Awards.
Thank you!
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Q2 2018
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To promote knowledge and understanding of issues
affecting the practice of public relations we have:
• Once again hosted a fantastic speaker for the annual Maggie Nally lecture,
this time in the shape of Ricardo Carioni, deputy head of mission for the Embassy
at Nicaragua. Ricardo spoke about Brexit as a catalyst for change with Latin
America. Thanks to CIPR International for organising this fascinating event.
• Moved into the final editing phase of Platinum, the CIPR’s crowdsourced
70th anniversary book, which will be published in quarter three. It consists
of 45 essays by practitioners from across the CIPR, on topics including the
organisation’s history, communities and areas of practice.
• Developed the theme of the National Conference and announced some top
name speakers around the theme of accountable leadership and social purpose.
In recognising and celebrating some
of the leaders among us, we have:
• Awarded Honorary Fellowship to Barry Leggetter at AMEC.
• Awarded Fellowships to Andrew Smith, Katrine Pearson, Many Whenman,
Lindsey Collumbell and Adam Tuckwell.
• Celebrated the shining lights of public relations best practice at the
Excellence Awards.
Your Board and I have also attended as many sector, regional and national group
events as possible. In April, regional committees from the CIPR and PRCA
partnered to deliver the Midlands PR Conference at Birmingham City University.
In May, CIPR East Anglia held another popular Best Practice Conference in
Cambridge. You can watch the highlights from the Conference here.
Elsewhere, we kicked off #70at70 to find the CIPR’s unsung heroes.
And we held our first tweet chat of the year on mental health in public
relations. You can catch the highlights here.
This year’s plan is the most ambitious ever by the CIPR and my thanks go to its
dedicated and hard-working team and all the volunteers who are bringing this
to life to take the profession forward.
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This year’s plan
is the most
ambitious ever
by the CIPR.
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A look ahead to Q3
The next quarter of 2018 promises
to be just as dynamic.
We will see:
• The CIPR national AGM in Newcastle, which will feature the former chair
of the Social Mobility Commission, Rt Hon Alan Milburn.
• The Northern Conference make a welcome return on Friday 13th July with a
host of speakers, breakout sessions and workshops around the theme of PR:
the art and science of engagement.
• The announcement of our very special #70at70; the pioneering but unsung
heroes in our membership.
• A campaign educating CEOs about the strategic value of public relations
to organisations.
• CIPR attendance at BledCom where we will present on the role of industry
bodies in a world in crisis.
• Proactive and assertive media commentary, like in the first half of the year,
around issues that matter.
• A continuing drive to make Chartered status the norm.

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Forthcoming elections
For members who want to help drive
the CIPR forward there will be a
new opportunity this Autumn when
we elect a new Council to serve from
2019 to 2020.
If you can contribute to our future agenda I’d like you to give serious thought to
putting yourself forward.
We’re looking for members with a strong commitment to CPD and to our future
as a chartered profession. We need people from a broad mix of specialisms and
backgrounds, including agency and in-house.
We particularly need Council members who have worked or advised at senior level
in organisations and who are willing to leverage their network of client contacts
to help the CIPR deliver its key messages about public relations as a strategic
management function. If you can speak at conferences, give interviews to the business
press and make the case for public relations with a wide variety of audiences,
then we need you on the team!
In 2019 we will continue our drive towards becoming a chartered profession.
We will strengthen our links with business and speak out on a range of topics
of public interest. We will also continue to support the industry as it adapts
to new technologies, draws on a more diverse talent pool and finds new ways
of delivering value to its clients and society.
We will be publishing nomination papers for the election after our AGM in July,
together with details of what the time commitment is likely to be. For the moment
I’d just like to plant the idea in your mind that you may have something to offer
and encourage you to get in touch with me or with our CEO Alastair McCapra for
an informal chat about what is involved and how you might contribute.
I look forward to reporting on progress to date at the end of September.

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Meet the Board
It’s really important that members know
who is in the driving seat at the CIPR.
Meet the Board gives you the opportunity
to hear about what the priorities are for
your elected directors.
Kevin Taylor
“A commitment to professional
development and continual learning
must be more widely accepted by
practitioners as a key indicator of
professionalism and supporting that
ethos should be woven like a golden
thread through all CIPR activity.
The ultimate demonstration of that
commitment is to become a Chartered
PR Practitioner. The strategic thinking,
strong leadership and ethical practice
required to become Chartered needs
to be recognised more widely as the
clearest and most meaningful indication
of professionalism, and something
to which all members aspire and all
employers and clients seek in their
public relations advisers.”
Emma Leech
“Building on the important work that
has already been done to position PR
as a strategic management function is
vital but so too is ensuring that CIPR
supports its members, provides real
value and drives forward our profession
through innovation and creativity.”
CIPR
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Top line reports from
your standing committees
We have a superb team at the CIPR
supported by a dedicated cohort of
volunteers.
Here is a round up of what your standing committees and groups have achieved
on your behalf over the last quarter.
Diversity and Inclusion Forum
In line with our focus on developing an inclusive culture within PR, the Diversity
and Inclusion Forum has been raising awareness of diversity issues and increasing
the number of practitioners from all backgrounds.
• Work is underway on a significant research project looking at engaging the
PR community to benchmark current levels of diversity within the industry.
• The Forum has supported the relationship with the Taylor Bennett Foundation
(TBF) by offering reduced membership rates to TBF candidates to ensure
CIPR membership is open to all and to enable young people from diverse
communities to enter the profession.
• Work is ongoing on Equal Access Events and forthcoming speakers include
Maria Miller MP and unconscious bias expert, Harish Bhayani.
• The Forum supported the CIPR’s Mental Health Awareness Week tweet chat
which saw 175 users engage in a lively discussion on how the profession can
support practitioners with mental health concerns.
• Our Chair, Avril Lee, represented the Forum in a panel discussion at PR360/PR
Week conference on the topic diversity and inclusion.
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Professional Practices Committee (PPC)
PPC is continuing its work to update the CIPR’s library of Skills and Best Practice
guides. It’s a big task being ably led by committee member Steve Shepperson
Smith. The committee is also working to ensure there are plenty of materials and
support available to members and to regional committees in order to promote
ethics and ethical behaviour. If you haven’t heard the ethics podcast produced last
year, it is well worth a listen and using for training and CPD points.
Finally, after conducting a review of the CIPR’s complaints procedure and its
communications during any high-profile cases, the Committee has established a
small working party to begin the process of implementing the recommendations
from the review. Kevin Taylor is leading that group with Eva Maclaine (who led
the review and produced an excellent report for Council) and Lindsey Collumbell
is taking the lead on the ethics programme.
The committee is also monitoring activity within the Global Alliance for Public
Relations and Communication Management regarding a potential global code
of conduct for the profession. In this activity we will continue to work with the
CIPR’s Diversity Inclusion Forum to ensure the code is respectful of all interests
and also talk with the PRCA about areas of possible co-operation in the UK.
Policy and Campaigns Committee (PCC)
The PCC is working on a number of campaign
and policy related issues:
• A review of the CIPR’s communications plan to ensure it utilises staff and volunteer
resources most effectively to deliver on objectives in our business strategy.
• Exploring how to maximise the benefits of the CIPR’s membership of the CBI.
• Working with the organisers of the ‘Apology Clause’ campaign to identify
how the CIPR can support the campaign.
• Researching issues around fake news, disinformation and cyber-security
to help inform the CIPR’s policy position and support for members
• Continuing to support the CEO campaign to help explain the strategic value
of public relations to CEOs and the C-suite. PCC member Paul Wilkinson has
already published one article and chair Stuart Bruce will shortly publish another.
iprovision update
iprovision trustees have allocated trustee ‘buddies’ to the CIPR groups so that
each has a direct link and can contribute to awareness raising. CIPR Greater
London Group showed what groups can do by promoting and fundraising at
their Pub Quiz. iprovision again organised a fun casino at the Excellence Awards.
Trustee Dave Sanders led with support from Kevin Taylor and Gary Taylor.
Mega thanks go to those who helped on the night and all who donated – it does
make a difference to PR colleagues in need.
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The committee
is also working
to ensure there
are plenty of
materials and
support available
to members.
CIPR
Q2 2018
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CIPR President's Report - Q2 2018

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