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Page 4 of 7 Alicia Custis, head of comms, Christies Hospital
Icelandic bank issues must have been to the fore of Custis' in-tray these past few months. Following a spell teaching English in Spanish companies, Custis spent six years working for PR agencies back in the UK. Joined the NHS as a comms officer in Nottingham in the 90s before moving to Christies in 2001 as comms manager.
Jamie Dixon, corporate marketing manager, Wirral metropolitan council
Heads up a team of eight at Wirral. Previous jobs with the HSE and Merseyside Police. Prior to moving into the public sector, he was in comms with the Royal & Sun Alliance and in a marketing role with Budget Rent a Car.
Sheena Henthorne, comms director, Manchester Chamber of Commerce
Oversees a busy department for the UK's largest chamber. In addition to its own agenda, the chamber is also actively involved in several JVs with Manchester city council's various economic development bodies. In between time, she edits the chamber newsletter.
Corinne Lewis, director of marketing and student recruitment, LIPA
Previously at Aston University where she rose from press officer to head up comms. She joined LIPA (Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts) in 2000, four years after its launch. Her role encompasses marketing, comms, digital and recruitment. Heads up a team of ten.
Carla Todd, head of comms and marketing, Central Salford URC
Well regarded by her peers. Assumed the role in January 2008 having previously provided the team with comms and marketing support in relation to the MediaCity project at Salford Quays. At the BBC her roles included broadcast, new media, corporate relations and policy. Prior to that, she was the campaign adviser for the BBC's charter review team in London.
Victoria Tyrrell, head of press, Lancaster University
Media savvy Prof Cary Cooper is Pro-VC for external affairs but Tyrrell oversees comms in a full time capacity. Has been at Lancaster for almost a decade. Joined as a press officer and now manages a team of six covering comms and marketing.
Gareth Cosslett, head of news, Cumbria county council
Heads up a surprisingly modest team of six. Says his key and recurring issues are nuclear, rural and tourism. His areas of responsibility include corporate Issues, finance and central services, strategic partnerships and emergency planning. Has been in situ since January 2006. Was previously in London where he was latterly a producer with Sky News.
Peter Rushton, director of corporate comms, Merseyside Fire & Rescue
Joined the service in 2004 in an unusual development having previously been head of comms for Central TV and Carlton Communications. He heads up a team of nine overseeing the service’s website, internal comms and external PR.
Kate Jeffery, head of comms and marketing, MBS
Jeffery is helping the (Manchester Business) School to try to regain some of its former glories. Things seem to be happening. In the past three years, it has climbed back up the charts and is currently ranked around 40th in the world. At one stage in the 80s, MBS was in Europe’s top 5. Jeffery has been with MBS for three years. Was previously with agencies in Manchester and London.
Richard Farnell, principal news officer, Liverpool city council
Former journalist and weekly newspaper editor in Lancashire, he has now spent over 20 years working in public sector comms. He is an associate member of the Institute of Public Relations and lectures at Salford University on media matters. He edits City magazine which is delivered to every house in the city. The director of comms still remains vacant.
Erica Boardman, head of comms, NWDA
Her team has been expanded recently to include public affairs and copywriting and now numbers eight. Boardman joined the NWDA four years ago and it’s clear journalists and others value her. Was previously in London working for Save The Children as a media manager in the policy team.
Fin McNicol, director of comms, Aintree University Hospitals
Joined the trust last year having spent the previous five years in a similar role with Pennine Acute Trust and Oldham Primary Care before that. Began his career as a journalist in local papers before moving into PR. A member of the CIPR with a degree in law. The post at Aintree is newly-created. McNicol’s peers say he is a passionate communicator who leads on several region-wide initiatives.
Nicola Said, commercial director, Visit Chester and Cheshire
A recent replacement for Barrie Kelly, the former commercial director. Said manages a large team covering marketing, press, digital, events and research. Has worked her way through the ranks, latterly overseeing rural development projects for VCC.
Keith Oliver, e-gaming, telephone and marketing director, Tote Sport
Joined Wigan-based Tote as marketing director in 2005. Telephone and internet betting have subsequently been added to his portfolio. Was previously marketing director at Ladbrokes E-Gaming and has also worked in various marketing roles at William Hill and Skybet where he eventually became deputy MD. A marketing budget of several millions.
Kamal Ahmed, group director of comms, EHRC
Runs a large team for the Equality and Human Rights Commission which is split between Manchester and London. Ahmed joined the EHRC from the Observer where he worked as political editor for seven years. Prior to that, he spent four years at its sister title the Guardian. Oversees a sizeable budget of circa £5m plus which spans branding, advertising, design, digital, print and outdoor. Much of this will be spent in the region.
Diane Brislen, group marketing and web manager, Places for People
Heads up marketing since the earlier departure of her previous boss Tony Anderson. The Preston-based housing group with circa 60,000 homes in its portfolio is one of Europe’s largest but has been through some restructuring in recent years.
Kate Harrison, marketing director, Manchester Airports Group
Appointed 2006. Oversees marketing at all four of the group’s airports and is responsible for a budget of several millions. Previously with Sainsbury’s Bank in Edinburgh where she was director of personal lending and direct marketing. Harrison’s experience in CRM was a key factor in her appointment as MAG was keen to enhance its customer services experience and engagement.
Deana Morris, head of media and internal comms, University of Bolton
The relatively young University has 11,000 students and 700 academic staff. Morris looks after a team of five which includes PR, publications and marketing. As with others, digital is increasingly occupying her and the University has plans to upscale its student portal significantly in coming months.
Susan Osborne, director of marketing and comms, University Hospital of South Manchester
Appointed 2008. Former journalist who began her career in newspapers before she moved to the BBC in Manchester. Previously held senior comms roles with leading public bodies including Cancer Research UK and the Royal National Institute for the Deaf and in a senior comms role for the education department. An associate member of the IPR.
Lesley Lomax, head of regeneration marketing, Manchester city council agencies
Appointed in January this year. Was previously with Manchester Knowledge Capital and Midas where she held marketing and development positions. Prior to moving into the public sector, she spent ten years with Hewlett Packard. In her new role, she has responsibility for the marketing of a growing number of ambitious regeneration projects lined up the council.
Lucy Bradwell, comms manager, Envirolink
Based in Warrington and funded b y the NWDA and others. Envirolink is a body tasked with marketing the energy and environmental technologies sectors in the North West. Manages a team of six.
Ginette Unsworth, senior marketing and comms manager, Encams
Based in Wigan, Encams is the body behind Keep Britain Tidy. Encams has also recently won the contract to manage the Green Flag initiative. Unsworth runs a team of comms and marketing folk and also works with several external regional agencies. An increasing focus on matters digital is to be expected and also increasingly ambitious PR initiatives which capture national headlines.
Simon Mann, development director, Chester Zoo
Comms and marketing report in to him. Has a substantial budget and he generally commissions regional agencies. His current major project is progressing the Zoo’s planned £225m expansion programme. Click next page for the third page with details on the the 70 individuals our judges elected to include -but with no ranking or order implied.
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