Book of the Night Awardsview Book of the Night Homepage
PR Professional of the Year
WINNER
Flic Howard-Allen
Director of communications,
Marks & Spencer
Two years ago, Marks & Spencer was the embodiment of the failing high-street giant, an ageing British institution unable to cope with increasing numbers of consumers preferring to go out of town, or shop online. Over 2005-06, however, director of communications Flic Howard-Allen has stuck to a PR strategy that has contributed to the retailer re-emerging as a major force on the high street. The transformation has included M&S moving from being one of the most negatively reported UK brands to one of the most positively reported high-street retailers.
Howard-Allen joined M&S in April 2002 from Hill & Knowlton, taking over the running of internal and external comms, government affairs and CSR.
Straight-talking and unassuming, Howard-Allen has given M&S a consistent approach to communications across all stakeholders: business, food and fashion media; NGOs; government and employees.
Howard-Allen oversees three dedicated PR teams - food, fashion and corporate - which were each independently rated (by MORI) as being the top one or two in the retail sector. Her mix of corporate and consumer PR experience, along with internal communications, crisis and media training skills, has also recreated 'joined up' thinking at the retailer.
Strategies have included rebuilding M&S's style credentials by organising the brand's first men's and women's catwalk shows over the past year - a turning point in generating positive fashion coverage.
Howard-Allen also instigated the 'Look behind the Label' campaign - a communication plan which has re-established M&S's ethical and environmental credentials, including a programme to build better understanding among M&S's 65,000 employees. This has included relaunching the company's employee magazine and launching the M&S staff intranet.
Today, her boss, chief executive Stuart Rose, is consistently one of the most positively received CEOs in the British media and City.
Her career spans 22 years in the PR industry including time in WH Smith's press office and ten years as a board director at H&K, where she was later MD of its corporate and business division. During this time she has been heavily involved with environmental and social policy issues.
Click here to see the interview with the winner
