Swiss Life head to run first Royal Liver team

Royal Liver Assurance, the UK’s second-largest friendly society, has created its first comms team, as the company tries to improve internal and product branding.

The mutual insurance company has spun off a new corporate communications team from its marketing and comms function and appointed Swiss Life head of communications Liz Romnes to the new position of head of corporate comms.

Romnes reports to Royal Liver chief executive Steve Burnett, who was formerly CEO at Swiss Life and joined the company in 2002.

The four-strong corporate comms team – which includes deputy media communications manager John Fahey – has been created in response to a strategic review, launched by Burnett last year, and the separate creation of six different business units at the time of his appointment.

Citypress PR handles media relations for Royal Liver’s press office, as well as dealing with product PR for the business units.

Romnes said she had no plans to change Royal Liver’s external PR advisers, but also added that she would be looking at the firm’s role as part of a general review of communications.

Romnes said she would retain an advisory role on the appointment of all other external PR support, but that the final decision would remain with the marketing directors of individual business groups.

As a result of the strategic review, Royal Liver is introducing computing systems in the new year that will enable company employees to download HR documents.

The corporate communications team is responsible for encouraging staff to use the new functions and making sure managers know how to use the system for HR issues.

Royal Liver’s corporate communications team is also responsible for corporate branding across the company’s central services, corporate services, home service UK & Ireland, UK retail, Republic of Ireland retail and independent financial adviser business units.