CI PR man elected President of national association

Tuesday 03 November 2015

Jason MacKenzie, managing director and co-owner of South of England and Channel Islands public relations consultancy of the year, Liquid, has been elected as the 2017 national president of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.

The CIPR is the professional Institute for public relations practitioners in the UK. With more than 10,000 members involved in all aspects of PR, it is the largest body of its type in Europe.

Mr MacKenzie, who is a Fellow of the Institute and a Chartered Public Relations Practitioner, was the first Channel Island group regional chairman. He is now a board director, member of the national council and chairman of the CIPR Professional Practices Committee.

"I have been a PR and marketing consultant for two decades and have seen dramatic changes during that time. The PR industry has become increasingly professional and is now recognised as a discipline that must be considered at board level. I want to ensure that professionalism remains at the heart of our agenda and that the CIPR delivers value to members and engages meaningfully with all of its stakeholders," he said.

"Becoming president-elect in 2016 and president in 2017 will require drive, energy and commitment - and I am looking forward to delivering results."

Mr MacKenzie, who was born in Guernsey and spent more than a decade in Jersey before moving to Birmingham, said his experience as managing director of Liquid, which has offices in Guernsey, Jersey and Birmingham, and consultants in London, would be invaluable in his new role.

"Having worked in the regions, I know how London-centric professional bodies can become. As someone who has lived and worked in the Channel Islands and the UK, I want to ensure that the CIPR is as relevant to someone who lives hundreds of miles from London as it is to professionals living and working in the capital," he said.

Adam Riddell, chairman of the CIPR Channel Islands Group, said: "To have a PR professional with such strong local roots, including being a former Channel Islands Group Chair, leading our profession nationally next year is absolutely fantastic. Not only is Jason’s achievement a reflection of the extremely high standards Channel Islands PR practitioners hold themselves to against national benchmarks, but I’m sure he will also prove to be a valuable ambassador for the Channel Islands at the top level of our industry body."