Leading from the Front: A Chat with PRCA’s Francis Ingham (Part 1 of 2)

In Episode 9 (Part 1 of this two-part interview), Kelly Fletcher, MPRCA, and Mary Beth West, MPRCA, welcome Francis Ingham, MPRCA – global leader of PRCA and Chief Executive of ICCO – who explains many issues of critical importance to the global public relations profession... like the importance of non-partisanship in professional associations, ethics in strategic communications, mental well-being among professionals working in high-pressure PR jobs, diversity & inclusion (and how D&I must factor into meaningful workforce development strategies to go beyond mere lip service in the PR field). Watch for Part 2 of this interview in the next episode of #MsInterPReted, when Francis delves into the topic of ethics and PRCA's most world-renowned case study of accountability standards for ethical compliance -- the expulsion of Bell-Pottinger.  In Part 1: Francis discusses:How PRCA’s explosive growth is impacting the industry, in service to the highest standards of public relations practice;Why having an international outlook in the public relations profession is essential today, to help tackle the global industry’s shared issues and challenges;Why “taking a stand on issues that matter” is one of PRCA’s most important tasks… and how PRCA most recently helped forge a positive reversal-of-decision by an elected member of the Scottish Parliament who planned to serve part-time for a lobbying firm (an overt conflict of interest);Why professional membership associations that use their platforms toward overtly political or divisive ends have “lost their way”; How PRCA is undertaking the issue of mental / emotional well-being for public relations professionals, conducting its own research on this topic and providing tools to help agencies and employers to address these matters for their teams;How PRCA’s Apprenticeship Program and its just-announced Schools Outreach Programme (to younger ages) seeks to bring diverse communities into the PR workforce;Why the U.K. Government tasked PRCA-UK with assisting in Brexit preparations (and how PRCA is undertaking this task in a non-partisan manner). Listen for Part 2 of this Interview with Episode 10 of #MsInterPReted, when Francis explains the tough realities – and shocking repercussions – of taking a stand in the Bell-Pottinger ethics-violation case in 2017.  Links:Follow the #MsInterPReted hashtagJoin PRCA today:Information about International Individual Membership Information about International Corporate Membership The link to join PRCA Discover Fletcher Marketing PR: https://www.fletchermarketingpr.com/ Follow Fletcher Marketing PR on Twitter: @FletcherPR https://twitter.com/fletcherpr Follow Kelly Fletcher on Twitter: @KDfletcher https://twitter.com/kdfletcher  Follow Mary Beth West on Twitter: @marybethwest https://twitter.com/MaryBethWest  Follow PRCA-UK on Twitter: @PRCA_UK  https://twitter.com/PRCA_UK Follow Francis Ingham on Twitter: @Ingers1975 https://twitter.com/Ingers1975 Follow PRCA’s #PRcast podcast: https://lnkfi.re/prcast Find out more about PRCA’s new Schools Outreach Programme: http://news.prca.org.uk/prca-launches-schools-outreach-programme/ Visit PRCA’s Newsroom to learn more about PRCA’s consistent, effective advocacy for the public relations profession: http://news.prca.org.uk/home/