CIPR retains top equality accreditation and launches new strategy to make inclusion a professional standard

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 09:55:00 +0100

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

Find out more about the National Equality Standard
Find out more about the CIPR's Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy

CIPR becomes first professional body to achieve National Equality Standard

Wed, 08 Nov 2023 09:28:00 +0000

The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) has become the first professional body to achieve the National Equality Standard (NES). The global body for the PR profession also becomes the first organisation to be assessed for the work and culture of its volunteer network as well as its employed staff, having volunteered to be assessed on these criteria.

The NES is the UK’s leading diversity assessment framework, developed in partnership with the UK government and in collaboration with 20 public and private sector organisations. Over 400 organisations have engaged with the framework that sets clear diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) criteria against which companies are independently assessed.

The CIPR applied to be assessed in early 2022 and failed its original assessment passing 9 of the 35 competencies. The reassessment confirmed the Institute has been awarded the standard having achieved 27 of the 35 competencies and was announced at a recent CIPR International Group event at the residence of H.E. Charlotte Pierre, British High Commissioner to Mauritius, on the evening of Tuesday, 24 October. The certification lasts for three years until October 2026.

The Institute has recently launched its first Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) strategy, outlining its plans and commitment to drive change inside the Institute and within and beyond the PR industry.

Find out more about the National Equality Standard
Find out more about the CIPR's Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy

CIPR Newsroom

CIPR retains top equality accreditation and launches new strategy to make inclusion a professional standard

CIPR becomes first professional body to achieve National Equality Standard