The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) has welcomed 21 organisations as Corporate Affiliate members between April and September 2026, a rise that matters to association and institute professionals as employers, rather than individual practitioners, sign up to professional standards for their communications teams. The new members join a community of more than 300 Corporate Affiliates.

CIPR is the world’s only Royal Chartered professional body for public relations practitioners, founded in 1948 with more than 11,000 members. Corporate Affiliate membership gives organisations dedicated relationship management, CPD support and routes to Accredited and Chartered status for their teams.

The new members are Bangor University, Be Broadcast, CIPD, City Press, ComfortDelGro Bus & Coach UK & Ireland, Conscious Communications, Empica, Government Legal Department, Housing Ombudsman Service, Howden, Immediate Media, LUYA Agency, Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Meeting Place, Northern Ireland Assembly, The Royal British Legion, Scottish Water, Thames Water Utilities, University of Warwick, Vireo Communications and Wheatley Group.

CIPR President Farzana Baduel said, “What they share is a belief that the people who speak for an organisation should be well trained and held to a recognised standard.”

The intake reflects employer level demand for accredited communicators rather than individual membership growth alone.

The UK public relations sector contributes 7.1 billion pounds to the economy and supports more than 95,000 full time equivalent jobs, according to a CBI Economics report published by the PRCA. Only 25 per cent of practitioners feel fully equipped for industry change, with AI and automation the leading area where members want guidance, according to the PRCA Census 2025.

The list spans universities, utilities, agencies, charities and a legislature.

For the sector, an institute that sells organisation level membership turns standards into an employer commitment, tying training and accreditation to the team rather than the individual. For the sector’s public bodies and regulated utilities specifically, a recognised standard offers a visible assurance of how their spokespeople are trained and held to account.

Whether corporate affiliation translates into more Accredited and Chartered practitioners, rather than a larger list of member logos, will indicate how far employer backed standards can raise professional practice across the sector.

Source: CIPR Newsroom / PRCA