CIPR Social Media Panel sets out ambitious strategy for 2014 under new leadership
The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) Social Media Panel (#CIPRSM), the UK public relations industry’s most progressive member group in digital and social media communication, has announced a two-year strategy that will change the remit of the panel under the leadership of new Co-Chairs.
Gem Griffiths MCIPR, Managing Director at The Crowd &I and the winner of the 2013 CIPR Excellence Award for Outstanding Young Communicator, and Dan Tyte MCIPR, Executive Director at Working Word, have together taken over the role of Chair from Stephen Waddington MCIPR, CIPR President and European Digital & Social Media Director at Ketchum.
As two of the industry’s brightest business leaders, Gem and Dan taking over the reins is a positive move all round as the CIPR looks to continue to exercise its influence over the professional development of our members, and the future of public relations. Embracing the shift towards a social business movement is vital for both progression of public relations and the Institute, and the work of #CIPRSM will be essential in guiding professional communicators through the task of integrating social and digital communications technologies and strategies on an organisation-wide basis.
Our ambition is to make #CIPRSM redundant within two years by integrating digital and social media into all aspects of training, education and policy at the CIPR. We’ll know we’ve done a good job when the panel stops advising solely on social media sites and digital platforms and shifts its focus to discussing and advising on innovative trends – social, technical or otherwise – that will impact and shape the future of the public relations profession.
In just a few years, #CIPRSM has provided energy and direction to the CIPR’s social thinking. Thousands of CIPR members and non-members have used best practice guidelines on social media, monitoring and Wikipedia to inform their day-to-day practice, not to mention two best-selling social media books, Share This and Share This Too. During 2014, we’ll be working to give public relations professionals the confidence to tackle the big questions they face: How can I best evaluate my online campaigns? How do I get buy in from my bosses? What are the legal implications around social media? How can I best use Google to inform my campaigns?
Alongside Gem and Dan’s appointments as Co-Chairs, the following seven CIPR members have been voted on to the Panel:
- Heather Baker MCIPR, Managing Director and Founder of TopLine Communications
- Louisa Bartoszek MCIPR, International Head of Media Relations at BNY Mellon
- Jo Halton MCIPR, Social Media Strategist at McCann Manchester
- Jenna Oxley MCIPR, Head of Desk – Policing, Cycling and Streets at Transport for London
- Adam Parker MCIPR, Chief Executive of RealWire
- Elayne Phillips MCIPR, Head of Horizon Scanning and Planning at DEFRA Communications
- Paul Wilkinson FCIPR, Director of pwcom.co.uk Ltd
More information on #CIPRSM can be found at www.cipr.co.uk/ciprsm.
Notes to editors
About the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR)Founded in 1948, the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) is the Royal Chartered professional body for public relations practitioners in the UK and overseas. The CIPR is the largest membership organisation for PR practitioners outside of North America. By size of turnover and number of individually registered members, we are the leading representative body for the PR profession and industry in Europe.
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).