The long road to true diversity and inclusivity in public relations

The history of diversity and inclusion within the CIPR goes back many years. And although over recent years we’ve seen great successes and taken huge strides, this definitely hasn’t been an overnight success. Rather, one that’s been many years in the making. 

Like many other bodies and industries, the road to diversity and inclusion has been learnt ‘on the go’, which has meant that as well as successes, opportunities have been missed and mistakes made. For example, achieving true ‘Belonging’ – Diversity + Inclusion + Equity + Acceptance – is a major cultural change. And change on this scale needs a top to bottom societal transformation. It requires not only that everyone understands and accepts why it’s necessary, but also believes they’re part of the change rather than it having it imposed upon them. 

The CIPR’s first attempt at introducing D&I was its mid-2000s Diversity Matters campaign, an initiative promoted by 2004 President Anne Gregory and 2005 President Chris Genasi. The campaign was supported by a standalone website and related materials. But 2006 became 2007, there came a shift in focus and resources, and D&I was unfortunately no longer a priority.  It was also clear that at this time, D&I seemed optional!

If you want to embed D&I in your business, it needs a real long-term commitment in terms of desire for real change from leaders as well as time, resources and a clear strategy. And long-term is the key term. 

Build back better

In 2009, CIPR president in waiting, Paul Mylrea, approached a group of people to take part in a D&I project for the CIPR, the Diversity Working Group. This group was to have a limited shelf life as it was designed to be a task and finish group coming up with 10 or 12 guidelines which would embed D&I in PR – yes, we were that ambitious back then!

However, the issues of short-term and long-term commitment came to bear. It failed to build momentum as there were issues with group members being able to commit – which meant the work could not be sustained. The hoped for results weren’t possible. The group was not designed for a long-term existence. A fresh re-evaluation was needed. And, after a relaunch, it eventually became the D&I Network (DIN) as it is known today.

What we learned over the next few years was: 

• The issue was complex – so the answer would not be simple
• If you thought, you have found an easy answer – see the first bullet point
• There is a need for clear aims and objectives – we developed The Asks
• We needed the support of the CIPR Leadership – vital in all organisations seeking to build an inclusive community
• Have a group of volunteers who are enthusiastic, energetic and innovative 

Adapt and adopt

One example of our early work to build both a better understanding of D&I and a robust pipeline of candidates, was to survey a large group of BME teenagers. Our published findings showed that students from non-white families were more interested in PR than their white counterparts, but when they reached the age of 16 this switched: one of the reasons was familial pressure to have a ‘proper’ career. In response we developed a career guide which explained to parents, guardians and careers advisers what a career in PR involved and help a young person (future practitioner) get the right advice and a better understanding of PR as a career at an early stage. 

Another milestone in the DIN’s work was our Race in PR report, which looked in great depth at the lived experience of UK BME practitioners. One of the results of the impact of the report is that we’re now about to start the third BME Reverse Mentoring Scheme with our partners the Taylor Bennett Foundation. The scheme allows senior PR leaders to be mentored by mid-career BME practitioners, so they can understand the issues faced by diverse people, and also have open conversations about race and how our industry should address the barriers to an inclusive culture.  

So, our approach could be described as ‘adapt and adopt’. The major learning from our work is a) the need to be flexible, b) to accept that it might be hard in the short-term but to build the case for change is a long-term-ask, fundamental to delivering inclusivity, and c) it takes an army of committed people alongside leaders to make a difference.

Cornelius Alexander is a CIPR board member, Founding Chartered PR practitioner and vice chair of the CIPR’s Diversity and Inclusion Network. Cornelius, who is also a Fellow of the CIPR, was the recipient of the Institute’s 2018 Sir Stephen Tallents Medal. An experienced comms professional, Cornelius works for the Office of the Immigration Commissioner (OISC) as a communications and engagement officer.

Tomorrow on Influence: hear from Sheeraz Gulsher on why tracking diversity progress and measuring pay gaps is crucial.