The business value of PR

Following in the footsteps of Lis Lewis-Jones as President of the CIPR is a daunting task. There have been many excellent and distinguished Presidents of this Institute and it truly is an honor to join that particular roll-call – but I’m not sure any of the previous incumbents can ever have worked so hard, devoted so many hours and attended so many meetings, functions and events all around the country and abroad as Lis managed in our 60th anniversary year. It truly has been a tour-de-force.

So in my first note as President, on behalf of our board, council, members and staff, I’d like to start by thanking Lis for all her hard work during 2008 and to wish her, her family who must have missed her during the last year, and of course all of you, a very happy, restful and successful 2009.

But the grim reality of the economic environment we are experiencing means that, along with many other sectors, the PR industry will face some turbulent times and there will inevitably be some causalities. Nevertheless, I think there is also good reason to believe that we are as well placed as anyone to do more than simply survive the incoming recession. Reputation remains the key to business success and those businesses that emerge from the current difficulties in good shape to grow will be those that have maintained an investment in their reputation.

During the year, we plan to do more in partnership with our global colleagues to demonstrate the business value of PR. By providing tools and support to help you demonstrate your value, we can help you whether solo practitioners, in-house advisers or consultancies win and protect your businesses.

In 2009, we will also introduce individual Chartered Practitioner status – a new mark of experience, professionalism and commitment to improvement that can help our members stand out from the crowd. Again, I see this as a tangible and meaningful benefit of membership.

Which leads me to my theme for the year as President. My stated mission is to “make membership meaningful”. By that I simply mean that membership must be seen to mean something – an edge on a job application form, an advantage in career progression, and a statement of professionalism with access to training, mentoring, networking and industry support tools and advice on the practice of PR that is “best of breed”. I hope both of those initiatives above will deliver against my mission.

I am supported in this task by a very strong and able Executive Board with clear roles and responsibilities, and a first class support team led by Colin Farrrington at the CIPR HQ. I know that in the months ahead I will need to lean on them for their support, advice and guidance. I also know they will not let me down.

My promise to you, whether you are a member of the Institute or not, is that I will strive not to let you and our industry down. That I will work hard to promote the practice of public relations, and the value of the CIPR. And if you are not a member already, I know that is because we need to do more to convince you of the value of membership, and we will work hard to achieve that this year.

So, once again, good luck in 2009 to you all. The year ahead will be challenging, but can also be rewarding.

Kevin Taylor, CIPR President 2009

Comments

[fr7ty]

This comment has been removed because it linked to 'adult' content and was essentially just blog spam to try and send users to a questionable site which is banned by most workplace internet usage policies.

Webmaster