Lionel Zetter wins vote for 2014 presidency of the CIPR

Zetter, senior counsel at APCO Worldwide and former Conservative Central Office staffer, beat director of Miticom Miti Ampoma after polling 54% of the vote.

He will serve on the CIPR Executive Board in 2013 as president elect alongside next year's president Sue Wolstenholme.

Zetter campaigned on a platform of increasing co-operation between the CIPR and ‘another industry body’- widely interpreted as the PRCA.

He said: ‘It is an honour to be elected as the CIPR's president for 2014. I look forward to working with the CIPR's hugely professional staff, and to representing our members once again.’

Sally Sykes, 2012 CIPR president, said: ‘I am sure Lionel will lead the CIPR very effectively and build upon the work done by the team and the board in championing the PR profession and advancing professional standards. It has been a pleasure to work with Lionel already on the CIPR board and he will bring experience, enthusiasm and commitment to the role of president elect, becoming president in 2014. I wish Lionel every success.’

CIPR members also voted on seven seats on the institute's council. These will be taken by Anne Gregory, Deborah Copeland, Stuart Bruce, Pete Biggs, Dan Large, Eva Maclaine and Sandra Bauer.

Before joining APCO in his role as senior counsel, Zetter worked for the Media Information Group and Political Research & Communications International. He also stood for Westminster for the Conservatives in Edmonton in 2005.

Earlier this year the public affairs specialist told a Commons committee that the industry would embrace a statutory register of lobbyists, but warned against ‘bureaucratic and expensive regulation.’

This article was first published on prweek.com