23 June 2008
Orange revamps its communication structure
Two new teams announced as part of brand and communication mix.
Network provider, Orange, is set to completely overhaul its communication structure. The firm plans initially to expand the communication team with some retail and customer service roles being folded into internal and external communication.
The move follows the arrival of new CEO, Tom Alexander, last year – a CEO looking to re-energize and streamline Orange after the company’s previous drop in profitability. Alexander is well-known for co-founding and then floating the Virgin Mobile business.
Internal and external communication to work more closely
Orange’s director of communications, Stuart Jackson (pictured, right), told the Hub that internal communication and PR had already come together within the communication team about a year ago.
“This new proposal is designed to better utilize the internal and external functions and ensure they work even closer together,” Jackson says.
Good Day's work
Alexander has made a number of senior-level appointments, including Steven Day as chief of staff and communications – responsible for communication and culture across Orange’s UK operations. He has worked with Alexander previously.
Jackson says that having communication represented at the senior executive level means “it's recognized as a key part of the brand and communication mix.”
New core communication teams
Internal and external will remain as distinct entities within the communication team. “But the creation of two new core communication teams – one for business, one for consumer – will see certain pieces of content creation being handled by those teams and then passed over to the internal comms team to deliver through a series of internal channels,” says Jackson.
Having communication represented at the senior executive level means 'it's recognized as a key part of the brand and communication mix.'
Jackson sees internal and external communication working together in 4 business streams under his leadership:
- internal communication, brand and culture;
- core communication – consumer;
- core communication – business; and
- corporate social responsibility (CSR).
Digital gurus to be hired
Two "digital gurus" will be appointed to work within the internal and external consumer teams.
Jackson says this will result in “much more engaging audio and visual work both from an experiential and an intranet perspective.”
Alexander outlined the business plan for Orange earlier this month, which includes shifting some call centers from India to the UK, and creating 500 more retail and other customer-facing jobs to increase company visibility.
More details of Orange’s UK plans can be found on its website.
Have your say
Orange’s move to bring internal and external communication together is an interesting direction – particularly given the debate over where internal communication should sit.
Increasingly, companies are spotting the need for internal and external communication functions to work closely, but few have taken the step of putting them together in the same team.
Where do you think internal communication should be positioned – with HR, marketing, PR, or is there a better place? But wherever internal communication is situated, the message is clear – it must have very effective links with externally facing communication colleagues.
Discuss these issues with other comms practitioners by joining the Internal Comms Hub members' group on the Communicators' Network.
Other recommendations:
UK to host first World PR festival
How healthy is your company’s communication?
Got a news story? Contact the newsdesk