CIPR opens nominations for President-Elect, Board, and Council
The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) has opened nominations for its 2027 President-Elect, Board of Directors, and Council. The Institute is now inviting members, and, for Board positions, non-members, to help shape the direction of the CIPR.
The nomination period for all three bodies runs from Wednesday 29 April to Friday 22 May 2026, closing at 17:00 BST. Elections will take place in September 2026, with all terms beginning on 1 January 2027.
President-Elect 2027
The President-Elect serves as first deputy to the President, beginning a three-year term in January 2027: one year as President-Elect, one as President, and one as Vice President.
The President is the most visible leadership role in the Institute, representing the CIPR to government, media, and the wider industry.
Board of Directors
Board members serve a three-year term commencing January 2027 and hold legal responsibility for the governance of the Institute. The role offers substantial non-executive governance experience, with exposure to financial oversight, risk, and long-term strategy, and is a valuable route into wider trustee and director positions.
The Institute’s latest skills assessment identified a need for experience in governance, equity, diversity and inclusion, and digital or cyber security. To stand for election, candidates do not need to be CIPR members, or to have prior experience as a director or trustee.
Council
The Council advises the Board on the Institute's strategic direction. Those elected will serve a two-year term, from 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2028.
Serving on Council gives members direct input into policy, professional standards, and strategy, alongside a peer network that spans sectors and career stages. Council meets four times per year for three-hour sessions, with a mix of in-person and online meetings.
A profession is only as strong as the people willing to steward it. The Council, the Board, and the Presidency are where the character of the Institute is set, and where the future direction of PR in the UK is debated, tested, and decided.
The people who step forward carry that responsibility on behalf of everyone else in the profession. In return, they gain broad networks across sectors they may not otherwise encounter, have a direct hand in the decisions affecting working practitioners, and build a depth of understanding of the industry that few other roles in PR can offer. We particularly want to hear from people whose backgrounds and expertise extend the range of perspectives around the table. That breadth is what makes the Institute's work credible.
- Learn more about CIPR elections
- Find out more about serving as President, a Board Director, or on Council
About the Chartered Institute of Public Relations
Founded in 1948, the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) is the world's only Royal Chartered professional body for public relations practitioners with over 11,000 members.
The CIPR advances professionalism in public relations by making its members accountable to their employers and the public through a code of conduct and searchable public register, setting standards through training, qualifications, awards and the production of best practice and skills guidance, facilitating Continuing Professional Development (CPD), and awarding Chartered Public Relations Practitioner status (Chart.PR).