#Onit

So, someone said to me yesterday, we haven’t seen you for a while.  Their eyes then followed my arms down to the pram in front of me and the four month old wearing a snuggly onesie.

I have been on maternity leave for the last four months.  That is why you might not have seen or heard much from me in that time.  We had the incredible good fortune to spend five weeks away together as a family in New Zealand and USA over Christmas as well.  More of my time with the Public Relations Institute of New Zealand, later.

Today is the start of new chapter.  Mini #teampg is at nursery, I am back in the office and have a full afternoon of client meetings.

The last four months have been fascinating for me, as a person, a professional and have afforded me some time to reflect and think.  I have many ideas and am raring to go (this often filled my team with dread on a Monday morning – they were just adjusting to a new week, I had five new approaches ready to go).

Thank you to the CIPR NI committee who invited me to speak at a roundtable and their AGM last week.  And thanks to the CIPR group chairs meeting who invited me to talk to them yesterday about my plans and ideas for the year ahead and how we can work together, it was a really inspiring afternoon.

I also got a new badge.

You can find my slides from the CIPR NI AGM here.  And my mission for the year, for the CIPR is this:

I would love for us all to work together to professionalise public relations. I, along with Stephen Waddington, Rob Brown and the officers of the CIPR believe this can only be achieved once the majority of the people who work in our industry are:

• accountable to a code of conduct,
• skilled or qualified to carry out their role,
• engaged in continuing professional development, and
• that these points are validated in a way the public can access and understand.

 

More later, I’m off to meet my team,

Sarah Pinch FCIPR
President Chartered Institute of Public Relations