CIPR Communications marks 16 years with AI focus and expanded team

Calgary-based CIPR Communications is celebrating its 16th year after growing from a one-person side hustle into a 20-person agency serving clients across North America. The agency says its AI work helped it win Gold for Most AI-Ready Agency at the 2026 Bulldog PR Awards as it expands training, consulting and a new visibility tool.

Why it matters: - CIPR Communications’ growth shows how a small digital PR shop can evolve into a broader communications and AI services agency. - The company’s Gold win for Most AI-Ready Agency signals that AI capability is becoming a competitive benchmark in public relations and marketing. - Clients are now asking whether brands appear in AI-generated answers, not just search results, which is reshaping how agencies measure visibility.

What happened: - CIPR Communications is marking 16 years in business in 2026. - Christina Pilarski founded the Calgary-based agency in 2010 while working a corporate communications job. - Pilarski initially registered CIPR Communications to house freelance work, and her business card said “Strategist” for the first several years. - Pilarski went full time in 2015. - Peter Pilarski moved from spouse to business partner during the founder’s first pregnancy and now serves as President. - CIPR Communications has grown to a team of 20. - The agency serves tourism destinations, hospitality brands, professional services firms and consumer businesses across North America.

The details: - CIPR Communications provides digital PR, media relations, AI-enabled marketing and strategic communications. - The agency’s AI practice includes readiness assessments, custom implementation and training for nontechnical teams. - CIPR Communications received Gold for Most AI-Ready Agency at the 2026 Bulldog PR Awards. - Bulldog Reporter presented the award, and an independent panel judged the competition. - The award recognized work ahead of agencies, brands and in-house teams across North America. - CIPR Communications is building a proprietary Digital Authority Platform. - The tool measures brand visibility across traditional search, AI-generated results and editorial channels. - The agency is also expanding AI training and consulting for tourism and service-sector clients. - CIPR Communications continues to produce its Digital PR podcast and a monthly webinar series with WSI experts. - More information is available on the company’s website: Learn more.

Between the lines: - The agency’s anniversary is being used as a marker of a bigger pivot from traditional PR work toward AI-centered communications strategy. - The new platform and training push suggest CIPR Communications is positioning itself around measurement, implementation and education, not just content delivery. - Peter Pilarski’s comment points to an operational shift inside the agency, with AI used to rebuild workflows rather than simply add new tools.

What's next: - CIPR Communications plans to keep expanding its AI training and consulting programs. - The Digital Authority Platform is next in line as the agency looks to help clients understand how they appear across search, AI and media channels. - The company also plans to continue its podcast and webinar programming. - Peter Pilarski says the agency has “rebuilt every workflow around AI” and suggests the next check-in will come at age 17.

The bottom line: - CIPR Communications is celebrating its 16th year by leaning harder into AI, with new tools, training and recognition that reinforce its repositioning as a modern PR and marketing agency.