News & Views

Freshfield has joined some of the UK’s most successful PR businesses by joining the Public Relations Consultants Association (PRCA).

The PRCA is a professional trade association that was founded in 1969 and aims to raise standards in the PR industry.

The PRCA is particularly known for its Consultancy Management Standard (CMS) accreditation which combines elements of ISO9001 and Investors in People with criteria specific to a PR consultancy. The standard is internationally recognised and used by PR businesses in 12 countries.

Preston-headquartered Freshfield is the first PR consultancy from Lancashire to join the group and only the 11^th member in the North West.

Simon Turner, managing director of Freshfield, said: “The PRCA’s values fit perfectly with our mission to be recognised as a leading professional services business.

“It’s a membership that pushes you hard and its CMS accreditation will improve our business significantly. It will ensure we have recognised systems and structures in place, demonstrate to our staff our commitment to their development, and give peace of mind to clients they are buying from a PR company that’s committed to excellence.”

Francis Ingham, PRCA chief executive, said: “The North-West has a wealth of PR talent and so we’re especially delighted to welcome Freshfield to the PRCA family and look forward to working with them to promote the value of PR in the region.”

The PRCA counts over 200 UK agencies as members – including the majority of the top 100 – as well as 50 in-house communications teams, and have recently welcomed international members and freelancers.

Simon added: “PRCA members include some of the best PR agencies in the world so this investment will be a brilliant benchmarking exercise, highlighting our commitment to developing Freshfield.

“CMS-accredited PR agencies are well-run businesses that adopt best practices in all areas of their organisation and we are looking forward to being part of that select group.

“Once we have attained the CMS standard, we will be formally reviewed every two years by an independent auditor so it’s a continuous process. It will be a rigorous journey but the results of it will play an important role in our future development.”