What is your name and what is your role?
My name is Ellie, and I’m the Head of Corporate Communications at B4NZ. I lead on our day-to-day external communications, including media relations and social media, as well as in the run-up to events.
Where are you from?
I grew up in Queen’s Park, London, but I now live in Berkshire. I like a couple of busy days working in the city and a couple of days working from home in quiet countryside!
What were you doing before you joined B4NZ?
My last role was in the press team of the aviation regulator, and prior to that at the membership body for the construction industry, the banking trade body and for an MP.
Tell us the most interesting comms campaign you’ve worked on?
In my last role, we worked on the UK’s first orbital space launch. There was a lot of interest from media and a lot of misunderstanding around how it worked, as well as a lot we couldn’t discuss, so that was a really interesting challenge and particularly unique.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself?
I’m (technically) in the Guinness World Records part of the largest coconut ensemble of 5,877 people who played their coconuts (à la King Arthur in the Holy Grail) to the tune of Monty Python’s Always Look on the Bright Side of Life. The event was organised by the west end production of ‘Spamalot’ to celebrate St. Georges Day at Trafalgar Square, London in 2007.
How do you think communications can play a role in advancing an organisation’s ESG objectives?
There’s a unique relationship in organisations between communications and boards or executive leaders and the importance of managing multiple stakeholders and publics in ESG. Companies and organisations are expected and required to communicate and report on their environmental activities. When striving for alignment between companies in their climate-related activities, communications can be central in keeping objectives, strategies and external communications coordinated and on-message.
What are the main challenges in getting your message across in relation to your current or previous’ organisation’s priorities?
Getting our message across was a lot easier at a regulator as we already had a degree of authority throughout the industry. Now, even though few underestimate the importance of taking action to tackle climate change, getting everyone to do work in alignment is going to be a challenge as everyone has their own ideas for how to achieve it – we just need them to all be doing it the same way.
