The Natwest Group’s corporate PR team is reassessing the bank’s
external PR support in a bid to increase its control of communications
across the group’s 14 business units.
This follows Natwest Group’s internal restructure earlier this year,
which saw the creation of a new group head office, 14 business units out
of the previous six units and a strengthened communications function
under group corporate affairs director Terrence Collis.
A Natwest spokesman said: ’This is primarily an information-gathering
exercise to find out if we are getting best value and fully have
control.
The business units as they were had a fair bit of autonomy.’
He added that the likely outcome of the review will be guidelines drawn
up at group level on how agencies should be appointed and used by
Natwest’s business units. He said the group would not seek a single
national agency.
Natwest’s agencies include: Lansons, which handles life assurance
services and stockbroking; Lefevre, for insurance services; Hill and
Knowlton, which Natwest corporate banking uses for communicating the
implications of the euro and Citigate, which handles PR for the private
equity division.
