The appointment is the first permanent role for Fitzgerald at Siemens, where she has worked since 2001 as a freelance manager on a variety of projects. These have included a revamp of the website and producing the company’s annual review.
Before working at Siemens as a freelancer, Fitzgerald worked as an account manger at Text 100.
Fitzgerald said one of her priorities was to review the firm’s sponsorship and events work. She added: ‘This is something I want to look at to see if there are opportunities. The firm is currently not involved in sponsorship activity at a corporate level.’
The company currently has no corporate-level retained PR support, and Fitzgerald said this situation was not under review. ‘We may take on agencies for project work, but no more than that,’ she added.
No specific corporate-level campaigns are planned, according to Fitzgerald, who said she expected future efforts to concentrate on the firm’s variety of services. She added: ‘I want to promote the added value that we can give.’
Fitzgerald replaces Fionnuala Tennyson, who left in July to join Kraft Foods as director of corporate affairs for Europe (PRWeek, 27 June). She reports directly to Siemens chief executive Alan Wood and takes a seat on the company’s UK executive management board.
Part of her responsibility is to advise and work alongside comms staff in Siemens’s 26 autonomously run business practices, as well as to oversee the work of the ten-strong central corporate communications team.
Since Tennyson’s departure, the role had been held by head of PA Claire Jarvis on an interim basis.
