Reed Elsevier comms chief defects to Centrica

May, who has been at Reed for six years, will join the British Gas parent on 11 September.

She will be responsible for internal and external comms, and has a place on the FTSE-100 company's executive committee reporting to CEO Sam Laidlaw, who joined in July.

‘I was approached by a search company and found the challenge genuinely exciting,' said May. She added: ‘We have to make the stakeholders aware of the changes facing the energy industry. For instance, there is a huge knowledge gap concerning the reasons for price rises.'

May - who replaces Michael Young after he joined Compass Group as corporate policy and comms director in June - said it was ‘too early' to say whether she would be conducting an agency review.

Before Reed, May was a partner at Luther Pendragon.

Reed deputy director of corporate relations Patrick Kerr will assume May's position on an interim basis.