CIPR retains top equality accreditation and launches new strategy to make inclusion a professional standard
The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) has retained the National Equality Standard (NES) for a further three years and published its new Equity, Diversity andInclusion (EDI) strategy.
The NES is the UK's leading EDI assessment framework. Developed in partnership with the UK Government, it provides independent assessment of an organisation's leadership, culture and everyday practice against rigorous inclusion standards. The CIPR first achieved the standard in 2023, becoming the first professional body to hold it and the first organisation assessed on both its employed workforce and its volunteer community.
The 2026 reassessment placed the CIPR in the upper quartile of organisations assessed under the framework, with an overall score of 115 out of 150 and 22 of the 30 competencies met. The CIPR passed first time, something fewer than one in ten organisations achieve. Assessors identified improvement in its maturity rating since the last cycle and particular strengths in governance, accountability and strategic oversight; stakeholder insight and evidence-led decision-making; and inclusive recruitment and volunteer engagement.
Alongside its reaccreditation, the Institute has launched its updated EDI strategy covering 2026 to 2029. The strategy sets a clear expectation of the whole profession. It moves inclusive practice from something the CIPR champions to something it expects of every practitioner, treating it as a core part of what it means to be a competent and ethical public relations professional. The new strategy aligns the CIPR’s EDI work with its five-year priorities and details key areas of focus informed by the Institute’s 2025 member survey and other research into barriers to participation, progression and belonging in PR. This includes:
- socio-economic background and class;
- age;
- ethnicity and race;
- neurodiversity and cognitive differences;
- and disability
A principle is worth only as much as your willingness to be judged on it. Reaccreditation to the National Equality Standard proves a commitment we've held for years. The CIPR has long placed equity, diversity and inclusion at the core of our governance, decision-making, and learning. We’ve carried that commitment across our membership through a mandatory EDI requirement in our continuing professional development, our work towards the Investing in Volunteers standard, and, three years ago, becoming the first professional body to achieve the National Equality Standard.
Holding that standard for a second cycle shows why we embed inclusive practice at the core of professional standards in public relations, and launching our renewed EDI strategy alongside it takes it a step further. We can't build a more representative profession alone, and we wouldn't want to. Our members are the ones who'll carry inclusive practice into their teams, their agencies and their work. And with them alongside us, we can build a profession where everyone belongs.
The National Equality Standard is a leading independent framework for advancing diversity, equity and inclusion, underpinned by a robust and comprehensive assessment process. The CIPR’s reaccreditation reflects their ongoing commitment to driving meaningful progress across the PR profession, while also acknowledging the tangible difference made by the initiatives and measures, they have implemented to date.
- Find out more about the National Equality Standard
- Find out more about the CIPR's Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy
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).