Public Relations Consultants Association of India (PRCAI), declared the results of the 2022 Winter round of Accreditation in Indian Public Relations (AIPR).  22 young PR professionals earned their certification, which brings this year’s coveted group of certified practitioners to a total of 40. In the 2022 Winter batch, over 100 PR professionals applied to the program, with 51 moving on to the Final Jury round after successfully completing the preliminary Aptitude Test round. The rigorous process, overseen by the School of Communications & Reputation (SCoRe), the technical partner for PRCAI, tested the knowledge and skills of these professionals in all areas of public relations.

“I am happy to see a strong pool of PR professionals earn their Accreditation, I am sure this will help in not only raising the benchmark for this profession but also help in our pursuit of making this industry more professional, ethical and prosperous,” said Atul Sharma, President of PRCAI. “This certification is a testament to their dedication to the profession and their commitment to upholding the highest standards of professionalism.”

The selection process for AIPR ran from October till December of this year, wherein professionals could apply for two levels of Accreditation based on their work experience in Public Relations and Communications. Fourteen professionals have been accredited under Level 1 (1-5 years of PR experience) and eight were accredited under Level 2 (6-10 years of PR experience).

Deeptie Sethi, CEO of PRCAI, added, “As an industry association, we are working towards raising the standards of skills in our profession and AIPR is designed to identify the best in the profession and recognise them as certified and skilled experts. I am hoping that AIPR accreditation will be aspirational for our young community, and will motivate them to invest in themselves with the constant upskilling that our profession truly demands. It is heartening to see these 22 individuals earn their accreditation and join the ranks of the top PR professionals in the country.”

The selection criteria were built on essential pillars of competence highlighted by leaders, and the process itself is modelled around prominent global accreditation frameworks. The final process comprised two key contributions. While the first section was the submission of professional capability and experience profiles, essays, and statements of purpose, the second was case study presentations to five seasoned jury members comprising leaders from PR consultancies, corporate communications, HR, and academia across four cities.

Hemant Gaule, Dean of SCoRe, said, “SCoRe is committed to supporting the professional development of PR professionals in India, and we are honoured to be the technical partner for AIPR. We congratulate these 22 individuals on their achievement and look forward to seeing the impact they will have on the profession.”

The Results of AIPR Winter Round 2022

Of the 22 professionals who were accredited, the top three across both levels (on the basis of their aggregate performance across the process) are:

• Level 1 candidates: Julia Joseph, Avian WE topped with the highest aggregate score of 75.3%, followed by Tanisha Mallya of Genesis BCW with a score of 70.8%. In third place, is Srishti Vasudeva of Edelman who earned 69.3%.
• Level 2 candidates: Oeindrila Biswas, Avian WE was the top scorer with the highest score of 71.6%, followed by Bhavika Arora of On Purpose with 67.2% and Mayurakshi Barua of Edelman at 64.7%

The Accreditation in Indian Public Relations is the premier certification for PR professionals in India, recognising those who have demonstrated the highest level of knowledge and expertise in the field.