Consolidated appoints Webb to media strategy

Adrian Webb has left his role as head of communications at on-line,

all-in-one mortgage and bank account company VirginOne to join

Consolidated Communications.

He takes the role of media strategy director, and is tasked with

developing Consolidated’s digital strategy. He will lead a team of

three, dubbed the ’digital working party’, which is looking at the

impact of new technology on the PR industry.

Alastair Gornall, Consolidated MD, said: ’The digital revolution will

have a massive impact, and we have to ensure we have the right IT

systems, the skills and the monitoring systems.’ The team will make

recommendations on both practical and strategic levels.

Webb will also advise clients on dealing with new media, particularly

reputation management. He said: ’The reputation of a company can now be

trashed in an afternoon, through the internet. Organisations have to

start thinking broadly.’

He cited examples such as the viral e-mail campaign against banks, in

which customers were told to write five cheques to five friends for one

penny, in an attempt to cause chaos in the banking system.

Webb has actually been working at Consolidated’s London office, while

employed for two years in-house at Virgin One, which is a client of

Consolidated.

Before joining Virgin, he was head of group PR at Directline.