CIPR and Taylor Bennett Foundation launch first industry wide diversity Reverse Mentoring scheme for PRs

The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) and Taylor Bennett Foundation have today launched the PR industry's first Reverse Mentoring Scheme. Designed to increase awareness of diversity challenges and the need for inclusive cultures, and to drive lasting change in the PR industry, the pilot scheme will run for 10-months.

The scheme pairs senior leaders with Black, Asian and ethnic minority PR and communications professionals to share insights into what it is like to be a minority in the industry, to understand the challenges that are presented, to showcase the importance of allyship and inclusive cultures, and to encourage new ways of thinking in how their organisations approach all aspects of diversity, equity and inclusion.

The CIPR's Race in PR report, issued last year, found that many PR professionals from ethnic communities face significant barriers to inclusion and career progression with research from PR Week showing that one in five UK PR agencies having no non-white employees at all.

The first participants in the scheme are:

Mentors

• Frances Abebreseh, Communications Manager, Netflix
• Ashwinder Bedi, Campaign Manager, Babel PR
• Tom Hunt, Senior Associate, Purpose Union
• Melissa Jumbo, Communications Lead, Mouro Capital
• Deepak Kumar, Account Executive, Edelman
• Kuldeep Mehmi, PR Manager, Savills
• Hannah Mensah-Kane, Account Manager, Nexus Communications
• Shanil Nayee, Account Manager, Harvard PR
• Emmanuel Ofosu-Appiah, UK PR Manager, Mercer
• Esther Oluga, Regional Communications Manager, Home Office
• Tariq Peters, Senior Account Executive, Four Communications
• Ata Rahman, Digital Content Office, Imperial College London
• Nahidur Rahman, Senior Manager, DWF Group
• Ester Russom, Press Officer, Euronext
• Christine Tama, Communications and PR Freelance

Mentees

• Matt Appleby, Independent Strategic Communications Consultant
• Shaun Bell, Group Account Director, Stripe Communications
• Juliet Cameron, COO, Launch
• Tim Chatwin, VP Communications and Public Affairs, Google EMEA
• Tom Frackowiak, Managing Director, Cicero
• Daniel Gerrella, Associate Director, Liz Male Consulting
• Susie Hackett, International Head of Corporate Communications
• Susan Kinnear, Director, Centre of Journalism & Public Communication, Cardiff University
• Molly Neal, Director of Communications, Brand & Campaigns, National Grid
• Jo Patterson, CEO, 3 Monkeys Zeno
• Sarah Pinch, Managing Director, Pinchpoint Communications
• Brad Ryan, Senior PR Lead, ARUP
• Kate Smith, Practice Director, Brands2Life
• Vicki Spencer-Francis, Managing Director, Cowshed
• Ben Verinder, Founder and Managing Director, Chalk Street Communications