Deputy head of press at NMEC to leave this month

Graham Taylor, deputy head of press and parliamentary affairs at

the New Millennium Experience Company, will leave the Millennium Dome

press office later this month.

He was acting head of press during the Dome’s troubled launch at the

beginning of the year, when chief executive Jennie Page was sacked and

replaced by Pierre-Yves Gerbeau; and Gez Sagar, was removed from his

post as head of press and parliamentary affairs.

More recently, two senior staff at Edelman - chairman Nigel Whittaker

and managing director John Mahony - have helped to reorganise the

24-strong NMEC press office, with greater emphasis on promoting the Dome

as a visitor attraction, rather than handling crisis management. Edelman

continues to work on corporate reputation and issues management for the

NMEC on a project basis.

In February, Fiona Cline was promoted over Taylor to the role of head of

communications (PR Week, 11 February), from her position as head of

broadcasting. Sagar has since been moved to the position of head of

media strategy.

Taylor, who joined the Dome as a freelancer, refused to confirm his

departure. He has a background in local government communications.

Despite an increase in the number of visitors to the Dome and longer

opening hours, there are still doubts as to whether or not the revised

target of 10 million visitors will be met by the end of the year.