Dawn Walker Email & Phone Number

England, United Kingdom

Solihull, West Midlands, Gb

Reporting to the Group Head of Marketing, I am responsible for the development and delivery of the Group external and internal communications strategy in order to grow and protect the Bank’s reputation with colleagues and external stakeholders, in line with the bank’s strategy. Working closely with the senior leadership team, key areas of responsibility include internal communications, social media and ESG. I also as play a key role in corporate and investor communications including reputation management.

Solihull, West Midlands, Gb

Reporting to the Group Head of Marketing, I was responsible for the development and delivery of the Group external and internal communications strategy in order to grow and protect the Bank’s reputation with colleagues and external stakeholders, in line with the bank’s strategy. Working closely with the senior leadership team, key areas of responsibility include internal communications, social media and Responsible Business. I also as play a key role in external and corporate communications including reputation management. Key achievements: Winner in the Best Benefits Communications category at the Employee Benefits Awards in 2019 for a communication support for STB’s employee benefits offer as well as being named an STB Outstanding Achiever in the same year. I was also shortlisted in the Best In-House Team Internal Communications at CorpComms 2020 CovidComms Awards in recognition of internal communications work during the pandemic. I have been instrumental in developing STB Group’s first Responsible Business strategy.

Lichfield, Staffordshire, Gb

Reporting to the Head of Corporate Affairs, I was responsible for the development and delivery of corporate and internal communications for one of the UK’s largest independent retail co-operatives with 9,000 employees and an annual turnover circa £1b. This involved driving the Society’s suite of internal publications, including its Members’ Magazine (circ: 211,000), in addition to providing corporate and internal communications support across the Society's family of businesses and for one-off strategic projects, including Corporate Responsibility. My role involved providing communications expertise to senior management, internal business partners and external stakeholders on joint projects. I also sat on two of the Society’s four CR work groups which drove the CR strategy and Key Performance Indicator delivery.Key Achievements: I won a series of national awards for strategic internal communications campaigns and publications as well as corporate communications work, plus two for feature writing. I worked as part of the Funeral strategy delivery team, leading a review of internal communications and advising on successful delivery of the new business strategy to colleagues. I delivered a communications campaign instrumental to the successful merger of two Societies in 2012, creating one of the largest independent UK co-operatives.

As a senior member of the department, I was responsible for leading a number of primarily consumer focused PR teams at this top agency in order to develop and deliver strategic programmes which met the client’s business objectives. I also helped to develop and grow the agency PR business, including new business development, department strategic planning, staff training and recruitment. Key Achievements:Whilst at the agency I won a series of national PR awards for work in support of a number of clients. I delivered consistently high client satisfaction levels leading to account retention way above the industry average. I developed a tailored departmental assessment, training and mentoring programme designed to maximise staff potential. Beiersdorf UK (NIVEA and Elastoplast) were so impressed by my professionalism, that I was appointed to advise on the development of its in-house PR team. I was asked to deliver Pan-European work for Newell (Swish window furnishings) based on the success of UK work.Client Experience:Beiersdorf (NIVEA), Islamic Bank of Britain, Newell Window Fashions (Swish), Wedgwood, Johnson Brothers, Christy Home, Black & Decker (Europe), Mitchells and Butlers (Goose Pubs and Sizzling Pubs brands), Beiersdorf (Cancer Research UK Race for Life Sponsorship), Sailors’ Families Society.

Heading up a number of teams, I worked across consumer, corporate and b2b campaigns. I also worked with the management team to develop the PR business.Key Achievements:I won a series of PR industry awards for Smith and Nephew CICA-CARE scar treatment, Myson (electric heating) and Parkinson Cowan Cookers (Electrolux). The CICA-CARE campaign was so successful that I was asked to present an overview at Smith & Nephew UK and international marketing conferences as an example of best practice. I improved the PR performance of Merck, Sharp and Dohme’s Midlands region, moving it from worst to top performing in the UK.Client Experience:Smith and Nephew, BSN Medical, Elastoplast, Merck Sharp and Dohme, Pharmaplast, Myson Heat Exchangers, Beazer Homes, Xpelair, Yale Security Products, Parkinson Cowan, Laughton and Sons, Homecraft Disability Living Aids, Boots Opticians.

Biss Lancaster was one of the largest consumer PR agencies in the UK when I secured a place on the agency's graduate trainee scheme. I was responsible for the implementation of PR programmes across a number of clients: Volvo, Evian, Unipath (Persona, Clearblue and Clearplan pregnancy/ovulation tests).

I provided daily reactive and proactive liaison with a broad range of media, as well as having sole and joint responsibility for developing and delivering strategic PR projects.