Retail giant Marks & Spencer has poached corporate PR veteran Flic
Howard-Allen as its new director of comms.
The store announced last week Howard-Allen would take the top PR job at
its Baker Street HQ following the departure of incumbent Cheri Lofland
after just 18 months.
Howard-Allen, former Hill & Knowlton MD of corporate and B2B, will take
control of a 55-strong comms function at the most distinguished name on
the UK high street.
Her remit includes press and external affairs, internal comms, CSR and
public affairs. She will report to chairman and CEO Luc Vandevelde, who
was hired to rescue the company after a spell of falling sales and
declining profits two years ago.
His success in turning the company around was underlined last week with
an upbeat trading statement for the Christmas and New Year period that
saw M&S regain market share and apparently put its recent woes behind
it.
One sign of the emphasis the stores group is placing on PR is the fact
that Howard-Allen, a 13-year H&K stalwart who recently led the
successful pitch for the United Biscuits corporate PR account, will sit
on the UK retail board and work closely with that division's MD, Roger
Holmes.
