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As a member of British Airways' Executive Club, Colin Farrington was incensed by the recent problems at Heathrow's Terminal Five. The director general of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) was not personally caught up in the mayhem but felt so strongly about the situation that he wrote informing the airline he would not book another flight until chief executive Willie Walsh had been fired.

Farrington was even more irritated by British Airways' response, however, describing it as 'the worst type of PR and crisis management'. He claims the airline retorted that, contrary to public perception, only a minority of passengers, flights and baggage had been affected.

'There was a complete inability to say, Sorry,' says Farrington. 'Obviously, the lawyers had taken over and removed from the letter anything that might be viewed as admitting liability. But the company should have acknowledged the scale of the problem and not tried to hide things. There will be long-term damage to British Airways because it is not accepting responsibility and admitting there was a problem.'

Although not a PR man by trade, in his 10 years as CIPR director general Farrington has picked up a tip or two about the profession. 'But I would not be qualified to practice PR,' he concedes. He is, however, passionate about public relations and determined that, before he finally retires from his position, the industry will have shrugged off the populist view that it is staffed by aggressive spin doctors and Max Clifford-style promoters of celebrity wannabes.

He has no time for political spin doctors 'who took a very aggressive macho approach and rebutted anything they were asked', and is conscious that many of the CIPR's members feel uncomfortable with the public association. 'There is a great sense of pride within this sector,' explains Farrington. 'We feel very strongly that we are an industry that contributes to the public benefit.'

Bringing up baby
It is also an industry that Farrington believes has grown up during his tenure. When he was appointed director general, the Institute of Public Relations (IPR) - as it was then known - had just over 5,000 members, seven staff and a turnover of less than £1 mn. Today the CIPR has 9,500 members, 38 staff and a turnover close to £4 mn.

'The institute needed a radical change in direction,' Farrington recalls. 'It wanted modernisation and to move away from its old image as a gentleman's club to become more representative of the industry, which is young, vibrant and diverse.'

A former civil servant, Farrington joined the IPR from the Institute of Revenue Ratings and Valuation, which dates back to 1880. 'I had experience of running a professional body and I liked the concept,' he says of his appointment. 'And I had always been fascinated by communications. As a civil servant, I often appeared on the Jimmy Young show to talk about issues. When I joined the institute, my first task was to improve our own communications and make members feel valued. It is a highly diverse industry so it was a big challenge.'

Farrington launched a members' magazine and revamped the institute's website, but he also had an ambitious plan: he saw no reason why the IPR could not attain a Royal Charter. First, however, the industry needed to improve its credentials. As Farrington saw it, the key was 'education, education, education. We needed to treat PR like a proper profession, and one way to achieve that was through educational qualifications.'

The CIPR now works closely with universities and colleges that provide PR degree programmes, and confers CIPR-approved status on those courses it deems sufficiently rigorous. It also runs workshops, operates a continuous professional development scheme and offers postgraduate diplomas and advanced certificates. PR organisations in 14 other countries, including Egypt, China and Ukraine, also offer CIPR's diplomas and certificates.

Farrington has worked to address the issue of diversity within the industry, too, and to promote senior career opportunities for women who, despite making up about 65 percent of the PR population, do not hold a similar proportion of senior positions. Farrington acknowledges that this is largely due to the pressures of motherhood and family life but he is still keen to work to rectify the imbalance.

First-class honours
Three years ago, Farrington's efforts were recognised when the IPR gained its Royal Charter, signifying a 'coming of age' for the profession, and acknowledging its role in providing leadership for the industry. 'It was recognition by the government that the public relations industry was a profession,' he says. 'It has an ethical code of conduct and a body of knowledge on how issues should be handled.'

Farrington also played a major role in the foundation of the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management in 2000. It now has 40 national and international association members, representing more than 100,000 PR practitioners around the world.

This year Farrington will chair the Global Alliance, and next month he hosts the UK's first World Public Relations Conference & Festival. He is particularly delighted to be doing so in the CIPR's 60th anniversary year. 'I am fanatical about the Global Alliance,' he says.

When people criticise the merits of the public relations industry, Farrington is reminded of a conversation he had recently with a Slovenian PR practitioner. 'He said that we in the West forget, when we are critical of PR and spin, that they are the price we pay for democracy,' recalls Farrington. 'He was used to PR being used as propaganda for the government or to explain its policies. We are here for the public benefit and to contribute to freedom of speech within society.'

Well, just as long as that 'speech' is not a whitewash about Terminal Five.

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