'PEOPLE MOVES' - March 2010 edition

Mental-health charity Rethink is recruiting for a director of communications as Paul Corry, the long-serving head of public affairs, prepares to depart.

NHS Blood & Transplant has appointed Leonie Austin as director of communications and public affairs. Austin joins on 1 April from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), where she has been director of comms for five years. At RICS director of external affairs Gillian Charlesworth will take over from Austin on an interim basis.

Market research firm ComRes has appointed Peter Harlock as chief executive, replacing Andrew Hawkins who becomes executive chairman. Harlock has formerly worked as CEO of the London Apprenticeship Company and as COO of Save the Children. He has also been COO of the Commonwealth Development Corporation and chief executive of Barclays in India and Singapore.

The Medical Research Council (MRC) has recruited Sophie Broster-James as public affairs and external comms manager. She was formerly policy manager at the BioIndustry Association.

Ofgem head of government affairs Rachel White (née Hatfield) is leaving at the end of this month to move overseas. She only joined last year from British Airways (PAN, Apr 09). Ofgem also recently lost head of communications Trevor Loveday, now head of external affairs at the Energy Networks Association. He has been replaced by Alex Lyon.

Vodafone is recruiting a new PA manager after the exit of Nicola Perkin. She has left the mobile-phone firm after more than five years to set up her own PR company.

Consumer Focus has promoted Kallon Basham to the newly titled role of PA manager. This follows the departure of Helen Newton, who held the unusually titled role of principal PA advocate, and is now head of communications at Money Advice Trust.

RSA (formerly Royal & SunAlliance) is recruiting for a new head of group public affairs after Lucy Yank’s internal move to the position of executive assistant to group CEO Andy Haste.

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) has recruited Laura Davies as policy manager. She was formerly an aide to shadow home secretary Chris Grayling MP. She replaces Stephen Hogg, who has returned to the Home Office.

The Portman Group, the social responsibility organisation for UK drinks firms, is hunting a new head of comms and external affairs as Michael Thompson prepares to depart after three-and-a-half years. He is set to leave in May to go travelling and do voluntary work in South America.

Coca-Cola’s public affairs and communications director Tim Wilkinson has left after 14 years with the company. He told PAN he was “in discussion with a number of great organisations about possible roles”. Charlotte Oades remains Coke’s director for corporate identity, PA and communications across Europe.

Virgin Atlantic has opted for an internal candidate to replace its former general manager of government and external affairs, Nigel Milton, who recently left for BAA (PAN, Jan). The airline has installed its head of business sustainability, Sian Foster, who has worked for Virgin Atlantic since 2003, in the position.

The Association for Financial Markets in Europe (AFME) has appointed Rob McIvor as director of comms. He is ex-the Financial Services Authority and Citigroup, which he left in 2008. AFME was created last year by the merger of the London Investment Banking Association and the European arm of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (PAN, Dec 09).

Breakthrough Breast Cancer has brought in David Barker as director of comms on a one-year maternity cover contract, replacing Fiona Hazell. Barker, who was formerly at the British Heart Foundation, heads a team of 18.

Lloyd’s of London has named Peter Fitch as its new head of communications. The former Fishburn Hedges associate director joins on 26 April from the Department for Work & Pensions, where he is head of news. At Lloyd’s he replaces Louise Shield, who joined RSA (PAN, Dec 09).

Gardant Communications analyst Bethan Halls, a former researcher to Labour MP Kate Hoey, has left to join New Century Media in the role of account manager.

The Museums, Libraries & Archives Council (MLA) has appointed Astra Farquharson as senior adviser for parliamentary and stakeholder relations.

The Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) has installed Kate Henderson as interim CEO, a temporary replacement for Gideon Amos OBE, who has joined the Infrastructure Planning Commission. Henderson joined the TCPA three years ago as comms manager.

Mark Ferguson has joined Edinburgh-based PA and comms agency Morhamburn as PA and media relations assistant. He was previously a policy officer at the Scottish Sport Association.

Geoffrey Bowden, MD of healthcare PR firm GBCPR, has been appointed as one of seven directors of the Health Hotel, the membership organisation that arranges ‘mini-conferences’ and fringe meetings at the party conferences.

PA and comms consultancy Westminster Advisers has appointed former parliamentary researcher and adviser to Tory MP David Amess, Victoria Parker, as an account executive.

Freshwater Public Affairs (known as Waterfront Public Affairs until last summer) has appointed Emily Kavanagh as a senior client manager. She was formerly at the Institute of Internal Auditors and before that worked for Conservative MPs including Richard Ottaway and Tobias Ellwood.

Lisa Thomas last month joined the consultancy TLG as a consultant. She formerly handled press for the Conservatives’ environment and climate change team.