Media Round-Up: Skills England, CIM-ZIM announcement, The Pitch challenges, AI in marketing

In recent weeks, we have continued to act as the voice of the profession and managed to receive media coverage on a range of topics, featuring in publications such as Learning News, FE News and the New Digital Age.

Our partnership announcement with the Zambia Institute of Marketing gained a considerable amount of coverage – and topics including cookies v AI search engines, the need for AI upskilling, The Pitch 2026 challenges, and apprenticeships and Skills England, were also of interest to the media.

See below for a summary of some of the media articles featuring CIM, its views and latest news over the past few weeks:

Apprenticeships and Skills England –

Learning News: CIM's response to the Spending Review and marketing skills in 2025

CIM director of qualifications and partnerships Maggie Jones spoke to Learning News following the Government’s £1.2 billion investment in skills and apprenticeships through Skills England.

Other topics covered in the interview: CIM’s view on Skills England so far, why Skills England should work with employers and professional bodies like CIM, apprenticeships, how a skills-led economy can be created and what CIM’s upcoming priorities are.

Marketing in the Age of AI –

FE News: Marketing in the Age of AI: The New Skillset Shaping Tomorrow’s Professionals

CIM chief executive Chris Daly recently wrote a piece on the rise of AI in marketing, why it’s crucial for marketers to upskill as the technology continues to evolve and the importance of keeping up to date with the latest and upcoming legislation, including the Data Use and Access Act and AI Regulation Bill.

Changing consumer behaviour and AI search engines –

New Digital Age: The end of Search as we know it: why marketers now earn trust, not clicks

With users increasingly bypassing traditional search engines and turning to AI models like ChatGPT, CIM CE Chris Daly wrote a byline piece for the New Digital Age, explaining why marketers must now earn trust, rather than clicks.

CIM’s four guiding principles for AI usage were included in the article, developed to help marketers navigate the ethical complexities of AI.

International Partnerships –

FE News: The Chartered Institute of Marketing and Zambia Institute of Marketing Announce Partnership

CIM chief executive Chris Daly spoke to FE News following our partnership announcement with the Zambia Institute of Marketing:

"We are pleased to announce our alliance with the Zambia Institute of Marketing (ZIM), reaffirming our commitment to promoting excellence and best practices in marketing on a global scale. Together, we are dedicated to supporting and enhancing the skills of marketers in both the United Kingdom and Zambia, building upon the solid foundation established through our existing strategic partnership with the African Marketing Confederation (AMC)."

"Our shared message to marketers is clear: we are here to support you at every stage of your career. The Marketing Club, which has already benefited many eligible junior marketers, will continue to assist aspiring professionals entering the industry. Furthermore, the development and networking opportunities arising from this partnership will empower marketers to continually reskill and upskill in an ever-evolving sector."

Ethical Marketing News: The Chartered Institute of Marketing and the Marketers Association of Zimbabwe Form Alliance

We also continue to receive coverage of our partnership announcement with the Marketers Association of Zimbabwe.

African Marketing Confederation Conference – 

AMC Website: African Marketing Confederation co-founders awarded CIM Honorary Fellowship

CIM director of qualifications and partnerships Maggie Jones and director of strategy and commercial James Sutton recently attended the African Marketing Confederation Conference – and awarded the AMC’s co-founders Nigel Tattersall and Helen McIntee-Carlisle with CIM Honorary Fellowship.

The Pitch 2026 challenges – 

Ethical Marketing News: CIM and IBM to Challenge Marketing Students in Global Competition to find the Marketers of the Future

CIM have partnered with IBM for The Pitch 2026 competition, with the latter setting the challenges for this year’s undergraduate and postgraduate participants.

These challenges, which were revealed recently, were reported by Ethical Marketing News as part of their wider coverage of The Pitch.