'PEOPLE MOVES' - November 2011 edition

Starbucks UK has appointed former McDonald’s UK head of public affairs Hugh Milward in a senior public affairs/comms role. He joins next month from the agency TLG, which he joined last year as deputy MD (PAN, Aug 2010). Milward will be replaced internally at TLG by the firm’s head of regional stakeholder and political relations, James O’Leary.

The Electoral Commission has completed its search for a head of media and public affairs, appointing Ann Blackmore to the role. She was previously head of campaigns and comms at the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, which she left in March. At the Electoral Commission she succeeds Owen Williams, who was on secondment from the role of head of press and media for the House of Lords, a role to which he has now returned.

Severn Trent has hired Andrew Fairburn as head of government relations. He was formerly a director at Regester Larkin and, before that, a managing consultant at Hill & Knowlton. Separately, Andrew Marsh, who was Severn Trent’s public affairs head until leaving in April, is now director of Calvino Communications, which has alliances with firms including Stratford-upon-Avon-based Strategic Judgment, the consultancy launched by former Severn Trent corporate affairs director Peter Gavan (PAN, Aug).

JFL Search & Selection has announced a recruitment of its own, hiring Max Wiltshire as senior consultant with responsibility to lead on public affairs recruitment. He was formerly at Electus, part of PAN-owner Dods.

The Scottish Grocers’ Federation has appointed David Martin as public affairs adviser, a replacement for Katie Mackie, who joined Molson Coors (PAN, Sep). Martin formerly worked for the Conservatives in the Scottish Parliament.

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) is on the hunt for a successor to its chief executive, Jeremy Beadles, who is to leave in the New Year, after six years, to become corporate relations director for Heineken UK. The WSTA represents more than 340 companies.

Climate Week – which will next take place from 12-18 March 2012 – has named Maria Lam as head of comms. She joined last week, moving from a media manager role at Diabetes UK. At Climate Week she succeeds Phil Drew, now a consultant at Fishburn Hedges.

The Association for Financial Markets in Europe (AFME) is using executive search firm Ithaca Partners to look for a new director of comms to replace Rob McIvor, who has moved to the same job at business lobby group London First.

Macmillan Cancer Support is recruiting for a head of policy and public affairs after the promotion of the charity’s head of campaigns, policy and public affairs, Mike Hobday, to the new position of director of policy and research. Macmillan’s campaigns team now reports to ‘Inspiring Millions’ project lead Michelle Soan.

PLMR has recruited Lisa Bailey, a former press officer at Conservative Party HQ and consultant at TLG Communications, as a senior account manager. The agency has also promoted senior account manager Elin Twigge to account director and account executive Peter Elms – who joined just a few months ago (PAN, July) – to account manager. Also, see next item

Coadec (the Coalition for a Digital Economy) has appointed Sara Kelly as policy and development manager. She is the organisation’s first full-time staffer and joins after nearly two years with PLMR.

Diabetes UK has installed Louise Ansari as interim comms director, a newly created role, after the departure of fundraising and comms director Andy James to join the Civil Service Benevolent Fund in the same position. Ansari, who has spent the past six months as a project consultant at Diabetes UK, is an ex-director of comms at the British Embassy in Madrid, as well as a former deputy director of comms at the Council of Europe.

Graham Capper – most recently comms director at London First, which he left earlier this year (PAN, July) – has joined the Law Society as interim head of comms on a nine-month contract. Capper has responsibility for PA and is overseeing a team of seven.

Utility firm Dwr Cymru Welsh Water has appointed Alun Shurmer as director of comms and Tony Harrington as director of environment. Joining from BBC Cymru Wales, where he has been head of comms for four years, Shurmer led comms for Plaid Cymru ahead of the 2007 National Assembly for Wales elections. Harrington joins from the role of director of policy and regulation at the Food and Environment Research Agency.

UK Sport has recruited Vanessa Wilson for the newly created and unusually titled role of director of commercial and communications. Formerly head of strategic comms, campaigns and marketing at Defra, Wilson’s new role includes responsibility for public affairs.

The National Trust has named Daniel Dodd as director of media and external affairs, reporting to director of brand and marketing Clare Mullin. Dodd was previously at the BBC where he held various roles during 24 years with the organisation. His new role amalgamates a director of external affairs role formerly held by Helen Browning (now at the Soil Association) and a comms director role last held by Ivo Dawnay (now London director). Ben Cowell, who had been covering the new role, remains with the National Trust, leading on external affairs, reporting to Dodd.

UK defence trade body ADS has appointed Eric Beech as head of media relations after the departure of director for PR and campaigns Matthew Knowles to join Boeing as comms director for the UK & Ireland. Beech has recently worked in comms/media for BAA and the FSB.

Supermarket chain Asda has recruited the Department of Health director-general of comms, Sian Jarvis, to the newly created role of director of comms and PA. Jarvis, who left the DH earlier this year, will report directly to CEO Andy Clarke on corporate affairs and to international chief marketing officer Rick Bendel on PR and community. Strategic comms director Nick Agarwal and external affairs/corporate responsibility director Paul Kelly will report to Jarvis.

Westminster-based healthcare PA firm Advocate has hired Christiane Kellner as a consultant. She is a former trainee consultant at APCO Worldwide in Brussels.

The British Library has appointed Miki Lentin as head of comms, a role that includes responsibility for public affairs. He leads a team of eight and reports to director of strategic marketing and comms, Frances Brindle. Lentin, formerly head of media relations, had been acting in his new role since the British Library’s former comms head, Gill Webber, left this summer for RIBA (PAN, July). The British Library has recently been recruiting for a head of advocacy.

APCO Worldwide’s deputy UK MD, Razi Rahman, was last week reunited with former APCO colleague Darren Murphy at the latter’s recently launched Centreground Political Communications. Rahman was promoted to deputy MD at APCO last year (PAN, May 2010).

Roche Pharmaceuticals has hired Louise Abbott as public affairs manager. She was formerly an account director at Insight Public Affairs.

Telefónica Digital, the global business unit created by Telefónica to ‘lead the company’s growth in the digital world’, last week named David Nicholas as director of global comms and Steve Bartholomew as director of public affairs. Nicholas was previously director of comms for Telefónica Europe and Bartholomew is a former head of public affairs for O2 UK.

Bell Pottinger Public Affairs has promoted account director Claire Jakobsson to director; promoted senior consultant Liz Lynch to account director; recruited Will Blair from Weber Shandwick as an account director; and appointed Henry Watson and Doug McIlroy as consultants. But the agency has lost director Neil Stockley, who is departing after just under a decade to join telecoms firm Arqiva on 21 November as head of comms strategy (smart metering).

Global Counsel, the WPP-backed consultancy launched by Lord Mandelson and his former aide Ben Wegg-Prosser almost a year ago (PAN, Jan), has reportedly hired two of Mandelson’s former aides: Stephen Adams and Duncan Buchanan. The former worked for Mandelson at the European Commission and at BIS, and the latter was previously head of UK Trade & Investment’s South Asia unit.

Mobile firm Everything Everywhere communications director Stuart Jackson has become director of comms and corporate affairs as the mobile network’s corporate comms director, Robin O’Kelly, left the company last week. Head of corporate affairs Richard Rumbelow now reports to Jackson. Meanwhile, Everything Everywhere’s public affairs manager Aleyne Johnson recently moved to rival firm Vodafone as senior government affairs manager.

Comms agency the Madano Partnership has recruited Catherine McGrath as an account manager. She was formerly senior associate in government business at Ofcom and, before that, parliamentary researcher to former Labour MP Dr Tony Wright.

Hill & Knowlton has recruited Matt Bright as an associate director, reporting to the agency’s MD for financial and professional services, Ben Curson. Bright was previously in the same role at Open Road.

Fleishman-Hillard (F-H) has appointed James Murray to the newly created position of MD for corporate comms, PA and financial services. He starts on 21 November, moving from the role of head of corporate comms at RBS Insurance. PA head Nick Williams has been promoted to senior partner and will work closely with Murray. F-H has also hired Ben Furnival as a senior account executive. He has previously worked for the Conservative Party’s Parliamentary Resources Unit.

BG Group has ended its trawl for a comms director, appointing Stuart Bruseth to the role. Previously V-P for global media relations at Shell, Bruseth replaces Matt Peacock, who left for Vodafone (PAN, Apr).

Tetra Strategy has hired former News of the World deputy political editor Jamie Lyons as director and head of media.

Ceri Evans, who has formerly worked for the Strategic Rail Authority, in Whitehall comms and for Channel 4, has become an associate at Luther Pendragon.

7th November 2011 by PAN staff