Release: First Bus joins CIM’s Company Affiliate Partnership Programme

• Transport operator partners with CIM to elevate their marketing team’s capability
• First Bus marketers to gain access to best-in-class learning, resources, and professional development
• Marketers also set to secure CIM membership, setting them on a path towards Chartered Marketer status

27th May 2026: The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) is delighted to announce a formal partnership with First Bus, which sees the transport operator join CIM’s Company Affiliate Partnership Programme.

As part of the programme, designed to enhance marketing capability and connect organisations with the best of CIM, First Bus’s marketing team will gain access to CIM’s professional development resources and open courses. This forms part of a broader development journey focused on building consistent marketing practices and upskilling – allowing First Bus’s marketing team to grow and develop as the business does.

By joining CIM's Company Affiliate Partnership Programme, First Bus’s marketing team will gain CIM membership, unlocking access to CIM's CPD programme, designatory letters, content, events and mentoring.

Following the announcement of this partnership, James Sutton, CIM’s Strategy and Commercial Director, commented: "We are delighted to welcome First Bus to the CIM Company Affiliate Partnership Programme, the first of the ‘big six’ transport operators to partner with CIM in this way. 

"Having seen how committed they are to building for the future, strengthening capability, supporting staff, and raising marketing standards, we are excited to embark on this journey with First Bus. We are also excited to provide them with access to resources and content that will not just keep their marketing team up-to-date with the latest developments in the sector, but ahead of the curve as the marketing landscape continues to evolve at speed."

Virginia Barnes, Director of Marketing at First Bus, added: "This partnership reaffirms our commitment to attraction, retention, and talent development, providing our marketing team with the resources and guidance required to elevate their capability and drive our organisation's performance. We are particularly excited to embark on this programme with a reputable development partner like CIM.

"CIM will not only help to develop our individual marketers with CIM membership, but they will also help to make our team more collaborative and effective, providing them with transferable skills that can be used to drive organisational performance."

As part of the partnership, CIM will increase marketing capability at an individual and organisation level by:

• Delivering a range of training courses for individual staff
• Creating a marketing playbook to define what best practice marketing looks like within First Bus
• Running training sessions to drive consistency of methodology and approaches
• Helping the newly centralised marketing team develop standardised best practice
• Supporting First Bus’s marketers towards Chartered Marketer pathways

Alongside team capability initiatives and CIM membership, First Bus staff will also have access to an e-learning course and a dedicated Relationship Manager, while the organisation will be able to display the CIM Company Affiliate logo, showcasing their commitment to growing marketing talent.

For more information on CIM’s Company Affiliate Partnership programme, please visit the CIM website: https://www.cim.co.uk/for-business/company-affiliate/.

-ENDS-

For CIM media enquiries
James Delves 
Head of PR and External Affairs, CIM 
james.delves@cim.co.uk   

Adam Jones 
PR Executive, CIM 
adam.jones@cim.co.uk  

About CIM  
For over 100 years, CIM has been the universal voice of marketing, championing our industry and its positive impact on organisations, economies, and the wider society. Today, we play a more significant role than ever in supporting, developing, and representing our members and the profession around the world. Always on top of the latest developments, we offer inspiring insights and thought leadership to generate transformative discussion and ideas. 

On an individual level, marketers at every stage of their career find us a trusted and people-centred provider of clear guidance, training, and professional qualifications - especially on their path to being accredited as a Chartered Marketer. If it carries a CIM stamp, it’s taken seriously: proof of the essential skills that boost long-term success for any business.  

We’re at the forefront of all that’s exciting about marketing. Our services build careers and boost businesses. We continue to speak out for our industry, working alongside like-minded organisations to bring on the latest generations of talent and set professional standards for the entire marketing ecosystem. Find out more about CIM by visiting www.cim.co.uk.