CIPR International elects new committee for 2024

Samantha Seewoosurrun, Chair of CIPR International and Taazima Kala-Essack, Vice Chair and EDI Champion

CIPR International elected a new committee for 2024 at its AGM held on 19 September, during which Samantha Seewoosurrun was re-elected as Chair and the current Secretary Taazima Kala-Essack was elected as Vice Chair and EDI Champion. Nishika Bajaj was also elected as the new Secretary of the Committee and Stuart Graham remains as Treasurer.

Speaking after the AGM, Samantha Seewoosurrun, who will continue as Chair in 2024, said:

“It is a great privilege to have been re-elected as the Chair of the CIPR International Committee for 2024 and I would like to congratulate all of our officers and committee members on their election. CIPR International is one of the largest sectoral groups of the CIPR, with almost 1000 members, and I am delighted to say that we are seeing an increasing number of members from overseas. We are committed to supporting our members by facilitating understanding of cultural differences, building relations with other countries, and helping members benchmark, share and learn from best practice through webinars and other activities.”

“We are also promoting the growth of chartership, as the hallmark of professional excellence in our profession. Since the CIPR is a fully virtual organisation, there are equal opportunities for PR professionals in any part of the world to attain Chartered PR practitioner status through an online chartership assessment to demonstrate their value to the market. This year CIPR has also launched on-demand training in critical areas including crisis communications, which again is well suited to professionals across the globe in different time zones.”

Taazima Kala-Essack, who will take up the role of Vice Chair and EDI Champion in 2024, commented:

“We are set for an incredible year ahead, building on the fantastic work of the 2023 committee. Of key importance is the increased strength of international reach, with greater diversity and depth of experience for 2024 across the globe, from the UK, Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and New Zealand. Our commitment to our diversity agenda now becomes even stronger a priority, and we look forward to ensuring measurable, meaningful progress in this regard as we demonstrate the true calibre of what CIPR’s members across the world can truly offer to shape better societies and contribute to the growth of the profession.”

The full list of committee positions and members is as follows:

Chair: Samantha Seewoosurrun

Vice Chair and EDI Champion: Taazima Kala-Essack

Secretary: Nishika Bajaj

Treasurer: Stuart Graham

Committee members:

Eva Maclaine, Andras Sztaniszlav, Anne Gregory, Alessandra Plichero, Emma Duke, Saad Al Rubaiaan, Margarita Kouklaki Ntourou, Omotola Akindipe, Derek Chung, Klao Bell-Lewis, Mabel Aladenusi-Adeteye, Claire Benson, Ferdinand Bondoy, Stuart Bruce, Simon Corbett, Izabela Hamilton, Richard Rose, Samuel Osei, Olayinka Elizabeth Edmond, Kate Hughes, Anjali Patil, Maria Darby-Walker, Nooralhuda Nader Aljlas, Thanzyl Thajudeen and Steven Smith.