Birbeck College seeks director of external affairs

London University’s Birkbeck College, which specialises in

part-time courses for mature students, is seeking to fill the post of

director of external affairs, its top communications job.

The new communication head will report to the Master of the college,

Professor Tim O’Shea, and oversees a team of four people covering media

relations, advertising, publications, electronic communications and

PR.

The incumbent director of external relations, Bo Priestley, joined

Birkbeck over a year ago from Save The Children and is leaving to pursue

a full-time degree in publishing.

’The communications post has been strengthened over the past year and

now has a greater external focus - it’s a more modern approach,’ said

media and publicity officer Shonagh Wilkie, whose post, along with that

of new PR officer Julia Elias, is new to the external relations

department.

As part of its drive to raise its profile and maximise student

recruitment, Birkbeck launched an advertising campaign last April

highlighting its status as a college for mature and part-time students.

The college celebrates its 175th anniversary in December.