Member Article

New CIPR North East chair to put focus on professional development

One of the North East’s leading PR professionals has taken the helm as chair of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) North East.

Committing to a renewed focus on professional development, Sally Pearson, head of PR at Sunderland-based consultancy Press Ahead, has taken over from DTW’s Chris Taylor to head-up the regional committee for the CIPR.

Sally spent 18 years in London working in various public relations roles followed by a few years in Manchester before returning to the North East. During this time she had the opportunity to work across both the public and private sectors on household names. The following 10 years were spent working at Robson Brown in Newcastle, and then as an independent consultant; she joined Press Ahead a year ago.

Speaking about the appointment, Sally said: “It’s an honour to have been voted in as chair of the CIPR North East. I’ve got big shoes to fill following the success of the last three years under Chris, but I am looking forward to working with the rest of the committee to drive forward a commitment to Continued Professional Development and to support our members across the region.”

The CIPR North East Committee is made up of 14 CIPR members, all of who volunteer to support the professional body’s membership in the region providing help and advice, planning training and events, promoting the value of professional PR to organisations and businesses, and supporting CIPR recognised courses currently available to students at Sunderland, Northumbria and Newcastle universities.

Sally added: “We have some fantastic events planned for the coming year, that I hope will help practitioners fulfil their professional development ambitions. Next month CIPR President Alastair McCapra will be meeting with members in Newcastle and we have arranged for a selection of nationally delivered training to take place within the region over the coming weeks and months.

“What’s more, we’re already planning the regional CIPR PRide Awards 2015 to take place in December, a true celebration of the quality work undertaken by practitioners locally, likewise we’re looking excitedly ahead to the CIPR Northern Conference, which will be held in the North East in 2016.”

In the last three years, the regional committee has seen significant success yielding an increase in regional membership to the professional body by 15%, delivering more than 30 successful training and networking events locally, and winning regional group of the year in 2013.

Chris said: “Sally has been a member of the CIPR North East committee for 10 years and I’m pleased to have handed the reins over to such a dedicated member of the team. Her hopes for the future direction of the committee are truly exciting and I’m sure she will, with the involvement of the wider committee and CIPR members across the region, successfully drive the group forward over the next three years.”

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