CIPR Newsroom

The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) has published new research revealing that cost, low awareness, and a lack of locally relevant content are keeping young African professionals from global PR training, certification, and employment.

The report - Impact Beyond Borders: Expanding Global Access for Young African Communicators - was authored by Adedoyin Jaiyesimi Chart.PR, MCIPR and sponsored by the CIPR Research Fund. It draws on a survey of more than 200 respondents across 11 African countries, 10 focus group discussions with 40 young professionals in Nigeria, Kenya and Zimbabwe, and one-on-one interviews with the presidents of four national PR associations and the chair of the CIPR International Group.

The study sets out to understand why young African professionals are excluded from global PR and communications training and how international associations could widen access. Reviewing how training is provided across the sector, it identifies where engagement is strongest and sets out practical steps to reach those still being missed.

The research identifies three main barriers that limit the access young African professionals have to global training and certification:

• Financial constraints and affordability
• Limited awareness and visibility of what associations offer
• A mismatch between global course content and African market realities

To address the barriers, the report proposes the ARC model, a framework built on three pillars: accessibility, relevance and collaboration. Accessibility addresses the cost, format and payment of training. Relevance concerns how well course content reflects African markets. Collaboration calls for partnerships between global bodies and African associations, academic institutions and PR communities.

The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) has announced the candidates standing in its 2027 President-Elect and Board elections and confirmed eleven members elected to its Council.

Two candidates are standing for election as the CIPR's 2027 President-Elect:

• David Hamilton Chart.PR, FCIPR - Executive Director of Engagement, Marketing and Communications at the British Film Institute (BFI)
• Anne-Marie Lacey Chart.PR, FCIPR - Degree Programme Director and Senior Lecturer at Newcastle University

The successful candidate will serve as President-Elect in 2027 before becoming CIPR President in 2028 and Past-President in 2029. Candidate statements are available to read on the CIPR's website, and a virtual hustings will take place on 15 September from 12:00-13:00 BST where members can pose questions to David and Anne-Marie.

Five candidates are standing for two seats on the Institute's Board of Directors, for a term running from January 2027 to December 2029:

• Hajira Amla Chart.PR, MCIPR
• Adam Barrett MCIPR
• Paul Compton Chart.PR, MCIPR
• Aimee Postle Chart.PR, Dip CIPR
• Naomi MG Smith Chart.PR, FCIPR

Voting in both contested elections opens on 16 September 2026 and closes on 28 September 2026, with results expected on 1 October. Eligible CIPR members will receive voting instructions by email from Mi-Voice, the Institute's electoral services provider.

Eleven candidates stood for election to the CIPR Council. With fewer candidates than available seats, all eleven have been elected unopposed and will serve a term running from January 2027 to December 2028:

• Bridget Aherne Chart.PR, MCIPR
• Peter Campbell Chart.PR, MCIPR
• Catherine Condie Chart.PR, FCIPR
• Shaun Gibbons Chart.PR, MCIPR
• Andrew Hesselden MCIPR
• Lisa James Chart.PR, MCIPR
• John Mayne Chart.PR, MCIPR
• Paula McNulty Chart.PR, FCIPR
• Lorna Muir MCIPR
• Samantha Seewoosurrun Chart.PR, FCIPR
• Samantha Wilding Chart.PR, MCIPR

The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) has commissioned four new studies through its PR Research Fund, with findings set to be published throughout 2026.

Now in its sixth successive year, the PR Research Fund supports independent research into questions facing the public relations profession. The 2026 projects cover ethics in internal and science communications, hidden disabilities, and the effects of secondary trauma on practitioners.

Successful applicants will receive grants of up to £2,000 and access to CIPR training courses to strengthen their research methods.

The projects commissioned under the 2026 Research Fund are:

• Living the Values: embedding ethical values through internal communications, by Katherine Bradshaw Chart.PR, MCIPR
• Invisible but Impactful: creating a more inclusive PR profession for people with hidden disabilities and long-term health conditions, by Samantha Livingstone Chart.PR, FCIPR
• Ethical and practical considerations in research communications, and how STEM PR professionals can provide fair and inclusive opportunity to diverse groups, by David Schley Chart.PR, MCIPR
• Vicarious and secondary trauma in PR: when telling the story takes a toll, by Crispin Thorold Chart.PR, FCIPR, FRSA

A coalition of civil society organisations and industry bodies has written to new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, calling on him to commit to implement the recommendations of the Ethics and Integrity Commission's (EIC) review of lobbying reform as a matter of urgency.

In the letter, the coalition - made up of Unlock Democracy, Transparency International UK, Spotlight on Corruption, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), and the Chartered Institute of Public Relations - argues that reforming the 2014 Lobbying Act would be an early and concrete way for the new Prime Minister to make good on his pledge to fix a "broken" Westminster and begin rebuilding public trust in politics.

The EIC's independent review, commissioned by outgoing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, was published on 9 July and calls for a comprehensive overhaul of the UK's lobbying rules. Its recommendations include:

• expanding the statutory register to cover all lobbyists, including the in-house lobbyists who currently fall outside the rules entirely;
• widening the scope of the rules beyond ministers and permanent secretaries to include special advisers;
• removing the VAT exemption that allows for unregistered foreign lobbying;
• requiring meaningful disclosure of lobbying activity, including the subject of meetings and correspondence; and
• creating a single, searchable database bringing together both those who lobby and those who are lobbied.

The coalition says committing to these reforms would deliver on Labour's manifesto pledge to clean up politics and support the Prime Minister's own promise to overhaul a Westminster system that has "failed the public for too long".

The letter - published in full below - notes that the reforms could be legislated quickly and already command support across the political spectrum, from parliamentarians, transparency campaigners, and from within the professional lobbying industry itself. It warns that recent lobbying scandals, which have damaged public trust in both Parliament and the business community, have been able to occur under the "failed" 2014 Act.

The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) has announced its Annual Conference will return on Wednesday, 18 November 2026 at 1 Basinghall Avenue and online. Designed for PR and communications professionals navigating an increasingly complex business, social, political, and economic landscape, the conference will delve into the strategies, skills, and insights needed to build resilient organisations and future-ready teams.

Sponsored by Cision, Iprovision, Kinura, PA Mediapoint, and Specialist Speakers, ‘Organisational Resilience: Leading Communications in a Changing World’, will provide a thought-provoking day featuring expert speakers, practical case studies, networking, and forward-looking discussions. It will equip attendees to adapt, respond, and thrive in times of change. From the transformative impact of AI and evolving approaches to leadership, business development, cyber security, crisis communications and much more, the agenda reflect the challenges and opportunities defining modern practice in today’s uncertain world.

Early bird tickets are now on a first come, first served basis. For those unable to attend in person, online streaming tickets are available for main stage sessions subject to speaker confirmation.

Speakers confirmed so far include:

• Steve Baker - former minister and Chief Provocation Officer, The Provocation People
• Professor Paul Dolan - Professor of Behavioural Science at the London School of Economics and Chief Provocation Officer, The Provocation People
• Dr Alison Edgar MBE - Motivational Business Speaker
• Dr Rebecca Harding - CEO, Centre for Economic Security
• Amil Khan - Co-founder and CEO, Valent
• Dwain Reid - Business Growth Specialist
• Louise Thompson Davies - Global Head of External Communications at Jaguar Land Rover

The latest episode of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations' (CIPR) Engage Podcast is out now, with a new discussion on ageism in the public relations profession.

Episode 22 - Ageism in PR - examines why and how experienced practitioners get pushed out of the profession, drawing on the findings from the CIPR-funded report ‘An age-old problem: What can we do to tackle ageism in PR?’ It is the first in a new series produced in partnership with the CIPR's Diversity and Inclusion Network and its Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Champions, who work across the Institute's sectoral and regional groups.

The episode covers how ageism appears in hiring, in access to training, and in a stereotype that casts older practitioners as a “safe pair of hands” rather than a creative one. It considers business models and cultural norms that treat senior experience as a cost, the practitioners who feel pushed into freelancing as a result, and the way ageism can compound other forms of discrimination, particularly for women and people from diverse backgrounds.

Host Abha Thakor Chart.PR, FCIPR, journalist and Chartered Manager, is joined by:

• Jenny Manchester MCIPR, author of the report ‘An age-old problem: What can we do to tackle ageism in PR?’
• Avril Lee Hon.FCIPR, independent communications consultant and Chair of the CIPR’s Diversity and Inclusion Network and the Taylor Bennett Foundation.

The episode closes with practical steps to build age-friendly workplaces, returning to the employers' checklist published alongside Jenny's report and setting out where the industry can begin: clearer criteria and scoring in recruitment, checking who actually takes up existing policies such as those on menopause or caring responsibilities, and training line managers to work across generations.