In-house corporate affairs news, December 2022
Since our last in-house corporate affairs news in September, we have published our latest report on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Corporate Affairs. The report identifies that female managers were a whole 15 points less positive about career progression than their male counterparts and 43% of women in communication leadership roles intend to leave their organisation within the next two years. Therefore, this in-house corporate affairs news is dedicated to celebrating the women championing change for diversity in their sector and beyond.
At the start of the quarter, Rachel Bremer moved to Balderton Capital as Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, following her extensive global experience at Milltown Partners, Asos, and Twitter.
On the international stage, Miranda Higham started at Channel 4 as the Director of Corporate Relations. Previously, Miranda was SVP and Head of Communications International at WarnerMedia and SVP, Corporate Communications at 21st Century Fox. Miranda has been recognised for her success in creating inclusive workplaces which champion diversity and women’s development.
Mars welcomed Naomi Jones in October as the newly appointed UK Corporate Affairs Director. Naomi started her career in agencies before moving in-house, with 20 years of experience in leading teams for global organisations.
In November, Caitlin Hayden was promoted to ExCo as the Group Communications Director at BAE Systems, leading global communications for the aerospace, defence, and security firm. Caitlin is a member of the company’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council and is an executive sponsor for the Brand Leadership Institute at BAE, focused on coaching women into senior positions.
In the financial sector, Dania Saidam started at PAI Partners as the Head of Communications, a private equity firm that invests across the globe, following her time at Mastercard as VP of Communications and as Director at Brunswick Group.
Tina Batchelor, a leader in healthcare communications across both the NHS and pharmaceutical industry, started in her role as the newly appointed Director of UK Communications at Astra Zeneca in December, alongside this she is also a volunteer for the Hertfordshire Domestic Abuse Helpline.
2023 looks to be off to an exciting start with Alice Macandrew joining the BBC Executive Committee as Corporate Affairs Director. Alice’s global career spans agency, media, travel, and retail, and she also spends time as a volunteer at UpRising Leadership, supporting talented young people from diverse and under-represented backgrounds.
Have a very merry Christmas and we wish every success to the people in corporate affairs trailblazing their way into the new year.
Birchwood Knight congratulates everyone on their career moves. We help CEOs to hire their corporate affairs leaders, and we help corporate affairs directors to hire their direct reports.
If you would like to receive a full copy of our report on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the corporate affairs sector, please email us at hello@birchwoodknight.com.
If you have moved into a new Corporate Affairs role then you may be interested to read our report “If Only I’d Known That Then”, and listen to our podcast “What does it take to be a great corporate affairs leader?’ (28 minute listen).
If you are considering a career move or hiring for your team, we’d love to hear from you. Click here to get in touch.
This is a ‘snapshot’ of career moves in the time frame and not intended to be a comprehensive list.