NEWS: Moody wins top post at Royal Bank of Scotland

The Royal Bank of Scotland has appointed its first corporate affairs

chief in almost 18 months, filling a gap left vacant by the departure of

John Eyre last year.

Howard Moody takes up his post as director, corporate communications in

January, with overall responsibility for media relations, internal

communications, investor relations, sponsorship and community

initiatives, and a total staff of 36.

In addition, he will take on a new role in co-ordinating Royal Bank’s

marketing activities, ranging from its high street retail branches and

Direct Line subsidiary to corporate banking clients.

Moody joins from CzechInvest, the investment promotion agency for the

Czech Republic where he has been chief executive for the past two years.

Prior to that he was director of Scottish Enterprise, formerly the

Scottish Development Agency.

Royal Bank’s previous in-house PR chief John Eyre - now at Kingfisher -

jumped ship in July 1994 after just a year in the job to head Financial

Dynamics’ corporate unit (PR Week, 15 July,1994).

Financial Dynamics is still retained by the bank as its City

consultancy.

Assistant director, corporate communications John Moulding said there

were no immediate plans by the bank to change its PR arrangements.‘There

are no plans for a major shake-up at the moment,’ he said. ‘But Mr Moody

will probably look at the situation when he comes. Whether or not we

take on any new agencies remains to be seen.’