'Being a CIPR Corporate Affiliate gives us access to the best in-class training'

Name: David Miller
Job title and company: Director of communications, UK and North America, Postcode Lottery Group
Location: Edinburgh and London 
Time in PR: 10+ years 

What do you love most about working in public relations?  
I literally grew up in newsrooms, so I still tend to think of myself as a journalist. That’s no longer true but I’m definitely still a storyteller. And at the Postcode Lottery, we have so many amazing stories to tell. Life enhancing wins for our players. Vital funding for our charity partners. Being able to harness the power of great storytelling to raise brand understanding and encourage people to help raise vital funds for charities by playing the Postcode Lottery still gives me a buzz. 

What initially motivated your organisation to become a CIPR Corporate Affiliate? Whether that’s a challenge, goal or objective that led to you explore membership.  
It’s seven years since I joined People’s Postcode Lottery as head of communications. Back then, we were entering a period of strong and rapid growth. As the business grew, our in-house comms capabilities needed to grow too. Being a CIPR Corporate Affiliate gave us access to the best in-class training, which enabled members of the comms team to develop their skills, often in specific areas such as measurement or internal communications. It’s good for the team and it’s good for the business too. 

How does being a Corporate Affiliate support your team’s professional development? 
As a business, we’ve always prioritised training and development, so I am in the fortunate position of being able to fund bespoke training for team members. The CIPR training brochure is an essential resource when we’re planning these opportunities. Networking opportunities are important too and we’re looking forward to hosting a CIPR Scotland event at our Edinburgh offices later this year. On a personal level, the Influence newsletter, which arrives every Friday afternoon, always makes me think about the challenges we’re all facing in a new way. I love that. 

What value have you seen from your affiliation with the CIPR so far, whether through resources, training, networking, or credibility? 
All of the above. I have spoken a lot already about training, so I’ll focus on credibility here. I think comms teams always have to work harder than some others to demonstrate their contribution to a business. That certainly seems to be the collective view within the industry whenever I look at LinkedIn. Against that backdrop, being a member of a professional body is very important. And, obviously, it does no harm at all to have a CIPR Excellence award on top of the office bookcase when a new managing director arrives! 

Can you share an example of how CIPR membership has positively impacted your organisation's communications strategy or team culture? 
Absolutely. I have been around a bit. More than 25 years at BBC News, followed by a painful but incredibly valuable spell as a special adviser. It’s all too easy as a middle-aged man to assume you know everything. And I really do mean everything. Clearly, that’s nonsense. It might not always be comfortable, but I love it when a younger member of the team challenges my thinking – based on something they have learned as part of our CIPR membership. I just hide it well. 

What would you say to other organisations considering becoming a CIPR Corporate Affiliate? 
This is easy. Do it. There really isn’t a downside. 

What are your three top tips to ensure members make the most of their Corporate Affiliate membership? Time, time and time. We’re all super busy, so it’s easy to overlook the incredible resources that you have at your fingertips when you have Corporate Affiliate membership. This may explain why I have fewer CPD points than anyone else in the team here. Make time to seize the benefits would be my one piece of advice here – especially if you’re the boss. You’re never too old to learn. 

What do you think is the biggest challenge public relations faces in the future?  
At the Postcode Lottery, we like to talk about opportunities rather than challenges. For example, it would be easy for me to say AI was a massive challenge here. In reality, I think the torrent of information (and misinformation) we’re now confronted with in our daily lives means that securing earned media coverage, from trusted news outlets, can only continue to increase in value in the years ahead. Sure, we need to be more agile than ever to achieve that. But that’s what makes life interesting, right?

Find out more about a CIPR corporate affiliate membership

Strengthen your reputation and invest in your team’s success. Join as a CIPR Corporate Affiliate member - open to groups of five or more. 

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