Victoria MacCallum to cover Emily Tofield as Cabinet Office head of comms

The former BBC staffer is to leave midway through next month. Her role will be temporarily filled by Victoria MacCallum, currently senior campaign manager at the Prime Minister’s Office.

Tofield, who is expected to return to the role by the end of the year, said: ‘The team is working on some big and very exciting projects this year, so I’m pleased that Victoria will be covering during my maternity leave.  
‘This team has a unique structure in Whitehall, as it’s a fully integrated press office and strategic comms unit.

‘Victoria will bring with her some great experience from working on some of the Government’s key strategic comms campaigns, as well as from her time as a chief press officer in the Foreign Office and the Department of Health.’

PRWeek revealed in June 2011 that Tofield had been brought into the newly created role to help tackle, among other things, the issue of public sector cuts.

MacCallum currently plans and oversees strategic campaigns on cross-government policies. She joined theNumber 10 team in 2011 from the Foreign Office, where she led on consular media during the Arab Spring.