The Standard
A single, published competency framework — owned by the profession, held by the custodian.
Ref. PRCC-PROP-01 · Draft · June 202600 / 07 — Overview · The Council
The Council — A National Standard for PR & Comms — Finally.
One profession-owned accreditation. Held in trust by an independent custodian. More credible. More visible. More valued.
A custodian of the standard — not another association
“Chartered or forgotten — the profession is being asked to choose between a credible, accountable standard and irrelevance.”
Ravindran Raman Kutty · New Straits Times · 25 May 2026
What you get
Everything the profession has been missing.
Six building blocks. One custodian. No new society to join.
The Register
A public roster of accredited professionals — auditable, queryable, accountable.
The Code
Conduct and discipline, independent of any single membership society.
Partner Bodies
Existing societies keep members, brand and events — and earn a licensed prep role.
Legacy Pathway
APR and other credentials are mapped onto the new tiers. No practitioner loses standing.
The Custodian
Independent of any one society, accountable to the whole profession.
Why now
Three forces — and a verdict.
Twenty-five years of going alone has failed. A shared custodian is the unblocking move.
See the full case- 01
Fragmentation
Multiple bodies confer different titles to different standards. No shared definition of competence exists across the profession.
- 02
Trust & AI
An AI-saturated information environment demands an enforceable code of conduct. Verified professionals must be distinguishable from unregulated operators.
- 03
Economic undervaluation
Without a credible signal of senior capability, government and GLCs cannot reliably identify quality counsel, and strategic communications is chronically under-priced.
- —
Going alone has failed
Twenty-five years of the same song, no traction. The profession needs a standard no single body owns — so no single body can stall it.
The tiers
Evidence over tenure.
Three ascending tiers, each assessed against the published competency framework — not years served.
Associate
Foundational execution and entry-level competence.
- Core PR practice
- Ethics & code-of-conduct
- Listed on public register
Practitioner
Strategic counsel and campaign leadership — the core professional grade.
- Strategy & counsel
- Campaign leadership
- Peer-assessed scope of responsibility
Fellow
Mastery, stewardship and mentorship of the profession.
- Sector mastery
- Profession stewardship
- Mentor & assessor
§14 — The Ask
First, from PRactitioners.
Before this goes to any other body, we ask our own council and members to back it.