CIPR Newsroom

Anne-Marie Lacey elected 2028 CIPR President

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 13:56:00 +0100

Members of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) have elected Anne-Marie Lacey Chart.PR FCIPR as President-Elect for 2027. She will become the Institute's President in 2028.

The Institute can also confirm that its Council has elected Paul Compton Chart.PR, MCIPR and Naomi MG Smith Chart.PR, FCIPR to the CIPR’s Board of Directors. Both will serve a three-year term from 2027 to 2029.

Anne-Marie is a Senior Lecturer in Public Relations at Newcastle University. A CIPR Fellow, she has sat on the Institute's Board of Directors and contributed to its recent syllabus review. She received the 2025 Sir Stephen Tallents' Medal for her service to the CIPR and her advocacy for professionalism, Chartership and qualifications.

She won the Outstanding Young Communicator Award at the 2014 CIPR North East PRide Awards and went on to win it nationally at the CIPR Excellence Awards in 2017. She has since judged both awards at regional and national level.

Anne-Marie will serve a three-year term on the Institute’s Board of Directors, from 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2029. She will act as President-Elect in 2027, President in 2028, and Past-President in 2029.

Statement of the Returning Officer

Two contested elections took place, for President-elect 2027 (two candidates for one position), and for Board Members 2027-29 (five candidates for two positions).

At the close of voting at midday on Monday 28 September 2026, the results were as follows:

President-elect

Total number of ballots issued: 9,441
Total number of votes cast: 824
Turnout: 8.7%

The vote was conducted under the Single Transferable Vote system, which produces mathematically the same result as 'First Past the Post’ when two candidates are standing for one position.

I declare that the elected candidate is Anne-Marie Lacey

The full table of results and calculations is available on request.

Board Members

Total number of ballots issued: 23
Total number of individual voters: 14
Turnout: 60.9%

The vote was conducted under the Single Transferable Vote system, using ERS97.

I declare that the following are duly elected:

Paul Compton
Naomi MG Smith

CIPR recognises outstanding service with new Fellowship and Honorary Fellowships

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 11:57:32 +0000

The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) has awarded new Fellowships and Honorary Fellowships in recognition of exceptional service to the Institute and the wider public relations profession.

The CIPR is pleased to confirm that former CIPR Presidents who remain active members of the Institute have been awarded Honorary Fellowships. In addition, Dan Slee has been awarded an Honorary Fellowship, while Andy West has been awarded a Fellowship of the Institute.

Honorary Fellowships are granted by the CIPR Board of Directors in recognition of exceptionally outstanding service to the Institute and the development of the public relations profession. Fellowships are awarded to members who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement, notable service to the CIPR, and significant contributions to the profession. CIPR Fellows and Honorary Fellows play an important role in promoting professionalism, championing best practice, and raising awareness of the value of CIPR membership.

Honorary Fellowships – former CIPR Presidents

(ordered by most recent)

Advita Patel
Rachael Clamp
Steve Shepperson-Smith
Rachel Roberts
Mandy Pearse
Jenni Field
Emma Leech
Sarah Waddington CBE
Jason MacKenzie
Rob Brown
Sarah Pinch
Sally Sykes
Lionel Zetter
Chris Genasi
Ian Wright
Alison Clarke
Philip Dewhurst
Tony Spalding

Honorary Fellowships have been awarded to former Presidents who are current and active CIPR members. Previous Presidents who already hold Honorary Fellowship status include Stephen Waddington, Paul Mylrea, Kevin Taylor, Tony Bradley, Anne Gregory, John Aspery, Peter Walker, Simon Lewis OBE, Douglas Smith, Reginald Watts, Peter M Smith, Neville E Wade, Norah L Owen, Wilfred P Howard, Denis J E Inchbald, Herbert Lloyd, F C Gillman MVO OBE, R A Paget-Cooke MBE, and Alan Campbell-Johnson OBE.

Dan Slee Hon.FCIPR

Dan Slee has made an exceptional contribution to the public sector PR and communications profession. He served on the CIPR’s Local Public Services Group and founded Public Sector Headspace, a peer-to-peer community of more than 8,000 members providing daily support, practical advice and professional development. He also created Commscamp, a free unconference for public sector communicators, authored influential papers on digital communications, and delivers affordable training on social media, video, media relations and data-led practice. Widely respected for his leadership and generosity, Dan is known for mentoring and supporting communications professionals across the sector, helping to build capability and confidence.

Andy West Chart.PR, FCIPR

Andy West is a Chartered PR Practitioner and long-standing member of the CIPR, with more than three decades of active service to the profession. He served as Chair of the CIPR Greater London Group and continues to support the Institute and the profession through committee work, judging industry awards, and championing professional standards, ethics, and evaluation best practice. A former senior agency leader, Andy is now an independent advisor, board member and mentor. He is a recognised industry voice through his consultancy, public speaking and writing, and is committed to building a more inclusive profession through his support for underrepresented talent.

Former CIPR President Named Among Top 100 Women in Westminster 2025

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 08:54:58 +0000

Rachael Clamp, former President of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) and founder and director of Ardesey Ltd., has been recognised as one of the Top 100 Women in Westminster for 2025 for her efforts campaigning for ethical lobbying, empowering young people in politics, and championing gender diversity in the defence sector.

A former chair of the CIPR’s Public Affairs Group, Rachael has spent her career advocating for integrity and transparency in lobbying, ensuring that decision-making processes are open, accountable, and reflective of the public interest. Her work has helped shape best practices across government and industry, reinforcing the critical role of ethical engagement in policy development.
Beyond her professional achievements, she is a passionate advocate for youth political engagement, dedicating time to helping drive and direct the non-for-profit I Have A Voice (IHAV) in their mission to encourage greater participation in public life.

Rachael also works to address the gender imbalance in traditionally male-dominated sectors and has been a strong voice in the organisation and development of Women in Defence UK, working alongside founder Angela Owen OBE to increase female representation in the UK defence industry.

Women in Westminster: The 100 celebrates the achievements and the valuable role women play in public life by recognising one hundred women from across the world of Westminster, who are leading the way in politics and public services.

Watch: CIPR President gives mid-year update

Fri, 28 Jun 2019 10:09:39 +0100

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CIPR President Emma Leech Found.Chart.PR, FCIPR has published her latest quarterly video report to update members on the Institute's performance so far this year.

The video reflects on the CIPR's recent highlights, which included:

Sarah Hall embarks on CIPR Presidency with 2018 consultation

Thu, 04 Jan 2018 14:10:36 +0000

Sarah Hall Chart.PR, FCIPR has outlined her vision for a "dynamic, progressive and assertive CIPR" ahead of a consultation with members in the first week of her term as CIPR President.

Sarah succeeds 2017 President Jason MacKenzie Found.Chart.PR, FCIPR, while Emma Leech Found.Chart.PR, FCIPR becomes 2018 President-Elect.

Owner of a PR and marketing consultancy in the North East, Sarah is the founder of the #FuturePRoof community, dedicated to demonstrating the strategic value of public relations.

The CIPR's 2018 Plan - published by Sarah earlier this week - is rooted in maximising public relations' standing as a strategic management function. Members are encouraged to read the plan and share feedback with Sarah.

CIPR President’s Q1 2015 report

Wed, 15 Apr 2015 11:33:47 +0100

The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) has today published the first quarterly report from CIPR President, Sarah Pinch, spotlighting progress towards her commitment to ‘Make membership more meaningful to clients and employers’, ‘Stand up for a profession confident in its high standards and able to demonstrate its value’, ‘Build trust in our practice through the code of conduct and continuous professional development’, and ‘Reach audiences beyond the industry’.

Download in PDF format (Right-click and choose 'Save as')

CIPR publish President’s Q1 2014 report

Wed, 02 Apr 2014 08:21:29 +0100

The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) has today published CIPR President Stephen Waddington's first quarterly report, spotlighting progress towards 10 pledges that he set out in his candidacy for President of the Institute.

CIPR publishes President-Elect nomination form

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 15:19:50 +0000

Ahead of the opening of nominations, CIPR has published the new nomination form (Word format) for candidates seeking election to the role of President-Elect.

In January 2013, CIPR Council voted to make substantial changes to the election process, including extending eligibility to all voting member of the Institute and requiring a greater level of information from candidates about their skills and experience.

Other key changes include:

Candidates must be nominated by at least 10 voting members of the CIPR.
Nominations should be accompanied by statements of CIPR volunteer experience, board and governance experience and leadership and strategy experience.

The CIPR has also added a statement (PDF format, opens in a new window) of the skills and responsibilities expected of a President.

The year ahead

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 11:24:59 +0000

Happy New Year. I’m extremely excited about my year as President of the CIPR and I want to thank everyone who voted for me and everyone else who I know will help to make every minute of it worthwhile and enjoyable.

I’ve been around a long time at the Institute, having been a member for over 20 years, a fellow for 14 and a Chartered Practitioner for three and I was particularly thrilled to be among the first group to be given that award. Over all that time I have seen a large number of excellent presidential examples to follow, which is a bit daunting as so many have done such a lot with the role but I’m going to do my best too and I hope to be effective.

My main purpose is to put the profession firmly into the frame. Our only USP nationally and internationally is the Charter and so I intend to use every opportunity to encourage business leaders to want the best and to actively seek Chartered Practitioners to lead their departments and advise their boards. That means that we will need far more people to become Chartered and stand up for all that it involves.

We have so many growing opportunities for our work. The value of reputation is being recognised increasingly and with developments in social media our tool-box has grown impressively to help us build and maintain the relationships that have always been the cornerstone of our trade.

All wise leaders would always choose Chartered Accountants to look after their finances and so with reputation being recognised for its vulnerability as well as its high value we should be able to convince them to make the right choice there too.

As part of the purpose to highlight what PR can do I intend to adopt a theme for the year, which I’ll be discussing at the Council meeting on 24 January and hoping that many of you in the groups will join in with the opportunity to use our PR skills to make a difference. More very soon!

Sue Wolstenholme FCIPR, CIPR President

Nominations for CIPR Elections to Close on Monday 24 September

Fri, 21 Sep 2012 16:10:01 +0100

CIPR members are reminded that nominations for the 2012 elections close on Monday, 24 September 2012.

The following positions are to be elected in a ballot of all CIPR members:

• President-Elect
• Treasurer
• Seven seats on the CIPR Council

More information on the election, including nomination forms, can be found here.

Summer update from CIPR President

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 09:28:56 +0100

It’s been a great first half of the year in my CIPR Presidency, packed with interesting events, issues and meeting people – from our Excellence Awards host Colin Jackson to Richard Gizbert, presenter of Listening Post on Al Jazeera English, who gave this year’s Maggie Nally lecture in the House of Lords.

We were privileged to have several Olympians at our Excellence Awards at the Hilton, Park Lane, in May – swimmers Sharron Davies, Mark Foster and Adrian Moorhouse, plus Olympic hopeful James Ellington. Together with our 800 guests at the sell-out event, they saw Lord Coe collect his CIPR President’s Medal for Outstanding Achievement. After collecting the medal, Lord Coe and his team were heading back to the office to work on the Torch Relay, which has also been a wonderful celebration of the Olympic spirit, involving the whole country and bringing our many communities together.

And as the world gathers in London, we begin to experience the truly inspiring and great nature of that achievement. Back in my home town of Manchester, we’re also commemorating ten years since the Manchester Commonwealth Games 2002. These games proved that the UK could stage a successful multi-sport international event and paved the way for London to bid successfully for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. This piece from Peter Hetherington at the Guardian encapsulates the story.

The sporting infrastructure for the Commonwealth Games originated with Manchester’s failed Olympic hopes in 1996, when the UK’s first bespoke velodrome was built as part of the Olympic bid. It played a key role in the M2002 Games and became the home of the Britishe Cycling team, under their coach Dave Brailsford. It nurtured the talents of Sir Chris Hoy, Bradley Wiggins, Victoria Pendleton and Mark Cavendish. Fast forward to now, with the first Briton ever to win the Tour de France, and see the impact of investing in top class facilities, coaching and talent.

So with the eyes of the world on London, and many heading off to enjoy the sporting summer or holidays, may I wish you a restful break.

We’ll be back in the autumn, reflecting on the success of the Olympics, looking forward to our 12 regional and national PRide Award dinners and seeing, in the words of the ‘other’ 2012 (we shall miss you, Siobhan of Perfect Curve PR), that you can have 'legacy' and 'sustainability'…and they’re not the same thing.

Sally Sykes FCIPR