CIPR Board of Directors taking shape for 2016

Rob Brown FCIPR, incoming President of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), has today announced the initial make-up of the Institute’s new Board of Directors which will take office for one year on 1 January 2016.

The 2016 Board comprises public relations professionals from a diverse range of backgrounds, working as independent practitioners, in award-winning agencies, or previously for in-house teams. Board members also come from across the length and breadth of the UK. Three will be joining the Board for the first time in January.

Of the seven, four Honorary Officers are directly elected by the entire membership, and three further Directors are elected by the CIPR Council.

• 2016 President – Rob Brown FCIPR, Accredited PR Practitioner, Managing Director at Rule 5
• Past President – Sarah Pinch FCIPR, Accredited PR Practitioner, Founder at Pinch Point Communications
• President Elect – Jason MacKenzie Found.Chart.PR FCIPR, Managing Director at Liquid
• Honorary Treasurer – John Wilkinson Chart.PR FCIPR, Owner & Managing Director at Wilkinson PR & Communications
• Abi Owers MCIPR, Accredited Practitioner, Director of Earned and Social Media at McCann Manchester
• Lindsey Collumbell MCIPR, Accredited Practitioner, Independent PR Practitioner at Bojangle Communications Ltd
• Paul Wilkinson FCIPR, Accredited Practitioner, Director at pwcom.co.uk Ltd

There will be further appointments announced in due course. These appointments are nominees of the President, and would be co-opted by the elected Board members.

2016 President – Rob Brown FCIPR, Accredited PR Practitioner

Rob is a founding Director at Rule 5 in Manchester. He was the inaugural Chair of the CIPR Social Media Panel and co-editor of the social media and PR handbook “Share This Too”. Rob has been a CIPR Board member since 2014.

Past President – Sarah Pinch FCIPR, Accredited PR Practitioner

Sarah is the founder of Pinch Point Communications and has served on the CIPR Board since 2014. She was previously Chair of the CIPR South West group 2011-14. Sarah is a Non-Executive Director of the Health and Safety Executive and is also a trustee of Send a Cow.

President Elect – Jason MacKenzie Found.Chart.PR FCIPR

Jason is Managing Director of Liquid and Visiting Lecturer at Birmingham City University and was previously Chair of the CIPR Channel Islands group. Jason served on the CIPR Board in 2015 as Chair of the Professional Practices Committee.

Honorary Treasurer – John Wilkinson Chart.PR FCIPR

John is Owner & Managing Director at Wilkinson PR & Communications and has 23 years' experience in PR, marketing, media and political communications including local and central government comms and 17 years in consultancy. He was Treasurer of the CIPR Cymru Wales group 2007-2013 and Vice Chair 2013-15.

In his candidate statement for the position of Honorary Treasurer, John called for a CIPR budget that would be “sustainable, balanced and cognisant of the views of the wider membership in terms of revenue generation and spending.”

Abi Owers MCIPR, Accredited Practitioner

Abi is the leader of the Earned and Social Media team at McCann Manchester, working in partnership with our content, media and SEO teams. She was Chair of the CIPR North West group in 2015.

In her candidate statement for the CIPR Board of Directors, Abi said her mission would be “to help modernise communications between the CIPR and its members and to work closer with the regional groups to enable greater autonomy with their members.”

Lindsey Collumbell MCIPR, Accredited Practitioner

Lindsey is an Independent PR Practitioner at Bojangle Communications Ltd and a communications consultant with 25 years of experience. She has advised boards, sat on boards and worked alongside business owners to develop strategic approaches for communications activity and managed their implementation. Lindsey served on the CIPR Board in 2015 as Chair of the Professional Development and Membership Committee in 2015 and for the past decade has also been Secretary of Judges for the CIPR Excellence Awards.

In her candidate statement for the CIPR Board of Directors, Lindsey reflected on her work as a Committee Chair in 2015, including her role in restructuring the CIPR Chartered Public Relations Practitioner scheme, pledging to “strive for results” in 2016.

Paul Wilkinson FCIPR, Accredited Practitioner

Paul is Director at pwcom.co.uk Ltd and is also a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Westminster. He was Chair of the CIPR Construction & Property group in 2014-15. He is an experienced marketing, PR and communications professional with specific expertise in Business-to-Business work in the UK architectural, engineering and construction industry and the ICT sector.

In his candidate statement for the CIPR Board of Directors, Paul said that he would not allow the “modernisation and ethical professionalism agenda driven by Stephen Waddington and Sarah Pinch to falter” and that he would continue to “champion the cause of independent PR practitioners.”