'PEOPLE MOVES' - October 2011 edition
Cancer Research UK is recruiting a new head of PA and campaigning as Jon Spiersis leaving to set up a public affairs and campaigning consultancy with health PR firm Just::Health PR. He is due to start in January.
RenewableUK comms director Charles Anglinis leaving after four years in early December. He will join BTP Advisers in early 2012. He said Renewable UK had yet to finalise how he would be replaced but that recruitment would start shortly. Separately, Tony Juniperwas last week announced as chair of ‘Action for Renewables’, the recently launched alliance (PAN, June).
The Association of Convenience Stories (ACS) has recruited Jacqueline Graceyas public affairs manager. She succeeds Jenny Amphlett, who has moved to mobile-network Three as public affairs manager. Gracey starts at the end of this month, moving from the Financial Services Authority.
Bowel Cancer UK has recruited Nick Basonas head of policy and PA. He was formerly at the Employers’ Forum on Disability (EFD) for just over five years, latterly as acting director of policy and comms. The EFD’s director of policy and comms, Catherine Grinyer, is now back from maternity leave.
ABF The Soldiers’ Charity has named Nikki Lehel as head of comms. She was formerly at Which?, which she left in May. ABF’s former head of comms was Sophie McCready, who has joined Belu Water as head of marketing.
Freshwater Public Affairs’ MD Mike Katzhas left the agency. He told Public Affairs News that he is ‘exploring a range of opportunities, including freelancing’. Freshwater has promoted John Stevensonto head of public affairs and is recruiting two client managers for public affairs.
Microsoft has recruited Becky Foremanas a government affairs manager. She was formerly an associate director at the agency Portland.
Zurich Financial Services UK has hired David Swadenas an executive. He has formerly had a freelance contract with PPS Group and spent two years with Weber Shandwick’s PA team. He reports to Zurich Insurance’s head of government and industry affairs (UK general insurance), Sophie Spink.
Royal Bank of Scotland Group has appointed Sumeet Desai as head of group public affairs. Formerly a journalist at Reuters, he has spent the past eight months as senior adviser to RBS Group.
Lumos, a London-headquartered charity that works to end the ‘systematic institutionalisation’ of children in central and eastern Europe, has appointed Nolan Quigley to the new role of advocacy and campaigns manager. He was previously international policy and campaigns manager at Leonard Cheshire Disability.
The TMA (Tobacco Manufacturers’ Association) – currently in the midst of a ‘consolidation’ – has appointed Jaine Chisholm Cauntas its new secretary-general. She was previously director of stakeholder relations and policy at Cogent, the UK’s industry skills body for chemicals, pharma, nuclear, oil and gas, petroleum and polymer businesses. She officially starts at the TMA on 10 October, upon the retirement of CEO Christopher Ogden. The TMA – whose members are British American Tobacco UK, Gallaher (part of JTI) and Imperial Tobacco – has also recently recruited Ben McArdleas campaigns manager. He was formerly stakeholder comms manager at NHS South East London.
The Industry and Parliament Trust (IPT) has promoted parliamentary assistant Andrew Darby to comms officer and appointed Talal Rajabas parliamentary officer. He was formerly a copywriter at Pipon Solutions.
Advertising Association PA managerTom Bagehas been promoted to PA and comms manager. Glen Christie, previously in Helen Eadie MSP’s office, has joined as external affairs intern. Nick Randel, who formerly worked for Lib Dem MP Duncan Hames, has become policy exec, after a spell as PA intern. Also, the ad industry’s think-tank, Credos, has promoted Emma Taylorto junior research executive but lost research assistant Cathryn Mosesto a governance administrator role at Kensington & Chelsea council. Tom Bage features in ‘My Life’ (p30 of October edition hard-copy)
Kevin Lang has been promoted to director of comms, marketing and public affairs at the Law Society of Scotland. Formerly head of comms and marketing, a role he took up 13 months ago, Lang is an ex-head of comms for BAA Scotland.
Defence firm Chemring Group has hired Rupert Pittmanas director of group comms and investor relations. He started on 15 September. He was formerly MD of corporate and financial comms firm Cardew Group.
Fishburn Hedges has hired Natalie Batemanand Tom Wadsworthas consultants. The former joins from Luther Pendragon and the latter from Network Rail.
Public affairs and PR agency Chelgate has recruited Jim McClellandas a senior consultant. He is the former editor of Sustain Magazine.
Adam Lake, comms manager at PAN’s publisher Dods, has left to work in campaigns and marketing for Conservative MP Mary Macleod in her Brentford & Isleworth constituency.
Darren Murphy last month launched an agency called Centreground Political Communications. He was previously at APCO Worldwide, which he joined in 2005.
The agency Open Road has recruited Andy Mayas a consultant. He was most recently national staff manager for the ‘Yes to Fairer Votes’ campaign.
Go-Ahead group corporate affairs director John Shield is to become director of strategic comms at the Department for Work & Pensions. Shield, who joined Go-Ahead last year (PAN online, 21 May 2010), starts on 21 November.
In an appointment that made the front page of the Daily Telegraph(29 September; headline ‘Top civil servant lands planning job’), Richard McCarthy CBEis to leave his director-general role at the Department for Communities and Local Government next month to become executive director of Capita Symonds, starting in February. He has the standard two-year lobbying ban from the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments.
Blue Rubicon has brought in Craig Elder, a former Conservative Party deputy head of new media, as an associate director. However, the agency’s head of digital, Rob Blackie, has left to join US-headquartered online specialist Blue State Digital as London MD.
Fiona Grahamand Ferelith Gazehave been promoted from senior account executives to PA managers at Westminster-based agency Ranelagh International.
US-headquartered internet search giant Google has recruited Downing Street head of strategic comms Tim Chatwinto an unspecified senior role.
Bellenden has announced six new recruits: associate director (public affairs) Kris Verle(ex-the Whitehouse Consultancy); account manager (public affairs) Sophie Fernandes(has rejoined from the Institute of Directors); account executive (public policy) Annie Powell(ex-law firm Travers Smith); senior account exec in Scotland,Michael Dixon (ex-office of Nicola Sturgeon MSP); account manager and Wales office head, Clare Phillips(ex-aide to Alan Pugh AM); and associateJohn Lakin(an education sector specialist who is ex-PricewaterhouseCoopers).
Big Brother Watch has appointed Nick Picklesas director, replacing Dan Hamilton, who recently joined Bell Pottinger Public Affairs (PAN, Sep). Pickles, a Conservative candidate in Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford at last year’s general election, was most recently an account manager at Consolidated PR.
Norway-headquartered biotech firm Algeta has appointed Dr Mike Boothto the newly created global role of SV-P of comms and corporate affairs. Starting on 17 October, he joins from investor relations and corporate advisory firm Trout International.
London Communications Agency has recruited Nabil Hanafi as an account manager. He was most recently comms and public affairs manager at the London Development Agency, where he worked for four-and-a-half years.
10th October 2011 by PAN staff
