In-house corporate affairs news, January 2021
UK:
In November, the Competition and Markets Authority hired Anthony Wright as their new Director of Communications. Anthony previously worked as Head of Special Projects at the Association of British Insurers, where he led the development of new commercial opportunities for the organisation.
Catherine Armstrong has been appointed Director of Communications at Hambro Perks, a European venture capital investment group. Catherine joins from her role as Head of External Affairs at Schroder, the asset management company.
Clayton Hirst, former Global Head of Corporate and Public Affairs at John Lewis, has become Director of Corporate Affairs at Halma. The FTSE 100 company specialises in providing life-saving technology across various sectors, and in this newly created role Clayton will lead the group’s internal and external communications.
Biffa has hired Cory Reynolds as Director of Corporate Affairs. Cory previously worked at Southern Water for five years, where she most recently held the position of Director of Communications, Brand and Public Affairs. Cory joins the FTSE 250 company as a member of the Executive Committee and will help to strengthen their corporate affairs function.
Aviva has appointed Stephen Doherty as Chief Brand and Corporate Affairs Officer. Stephen will start this new role in March, and he will report directly to Amanda Blanc, Aviva’s CEO. Stephen is currently Managing Director, Group Head of Corporate Relations at Barclays, and he was previously Director of Communications at Diageo.
Chris Hogwood joins Landsec from Portland to become their new Managing Director of Corporate Affairs, starting in February. Chris’ appointment is part of a recent restructuring of Landsec’s leadership team and is representative of the company’s intentions to deliver its new strategy, which aims to position the company for long-term growth.
Sarah Bailey, former Director of Media Relations at London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), has just started her new role as Managing Director for Corporate Affairs at UK Finance. Sarah will be responsible for strategy and delivery within the corporate affairs function, and she will report directly to David Postings, who joined UK Finance as their new CEO at the beginning of this year.
Intermediate Capital Group (ICG), the FTSE 100 asset management firm, has hired Fiona Laffan as Global Head of Corporate Affairs. Fiona previously worked as Managing Director at Prosek Partners, and at ICG she will manage internal and external communications, as well as corporate brand, reputation and public affairs.
Alice Macandrew has been appointed Corporate Affairs Director at Primark, having previously worked as Group Corporate Affairs and Communications Director at Thomas Cook. Alice will be responsible for Primark’s internal and external corporate communications, and she will join the company’s leadership team.
Candice Macdonald has been hired by Klarna, the European online banking company, as a Communications Director. Candice joins Klarna from Unite Students, where she worked as Head of Communications for three years.
Europe:
Munich-based aviation company Lilium has appointed Meredith Bell as its new Vice President, Communications and Marketing. Meredith is a global communications expert, and she worked most recently as Global Head of Communications at On, the Swiss sportswear brand. Meredith will report directly to Remo Gerber, Lilium’s new COO.
L’Oréal has appointed Blanca Juti as their new Chief Communications and Public Affairs Officer. Starting in April, Blanca will move to Paris, having worked as Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Heineken until recently.
US:
Nissan announced the appointment of Ashli Bobo as Director of Corporate Communications in December. Ashli previously led US employee communications for the company, and in her new role she will focus on future advanced technology, multicultural communications, manufacturing, labour and policy communications and financial services.
Matt Anchin, former Chief Communications Officer for Consumer Reports, has become Head of Communications at Vimeo. Based in New York, Matt will be the company’s first communications leader. He will aid Vimeo’s transformation from a video sharing platform to a subscription service provider which offers editing tools and distribution support to content creators.
Subway, the American sandwich chain, has hired Lorri Christou as Vice President, Public Relations, Communications and Public Affairs. Lorri joins Subway from Choice Hotels International, where she held the position of Vice President, External Communications and Public Relations for three years.
Crystal Brown has been named Chief Communications Officer at the National Geographic Society. Crystal will play a key role in advancing the society’s mission, and will oversee the organisation’s strategic communications, brand strategy, content integration, digital and social media, public policy, and all creative assets, including photography and video.
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