New communications chief

Philip Morris Limited (PM UK), a subsidiary of Philip Morris International, said today that the former Burson-Marsteller CEO and McDonald’s PR chief Amanda Pierce had been appointed as its new head of communications.
‘In the newly created post, Amanda will lead on driving the overall communications strategies for Philip Morris Ltd to support the company’s ambition to create a smoke-free future,’ PM UK said in a press note. ‘Central to this is the company’s shift towards smoke free products like e-cigarettes and heated tobacco that will ultimately allow the business to stop selling cigarettes.
‘She will spearhead the company’s corporate public relations program in the UK and Ireland, as well as overseeing external communications, stakeholder engagement, corporate social responsibility, campaigns and employee engagement.’
PM UK said that Pierce was highly regarded in the PR industry and joined PMI with a first-class background in corporate communications and transformational change.
‘During her 16-year tenure at McDonald’s, she played a key role in designing and overseeing the delivery of a change strategy that reversed declining sales within the business and began restoring its reputation in the face of external criticism towards the firm. This work saw McDonald’s trust scores rise by 10 points over a two-year period…
‘In 2008, Amanda joined global communications agency Burson-Marsteller, going onto serve as its UK CEO, a role in which she advised some of the world’s leading companies including Shell, DeBeers, Kimberly-Clark, Danone, and GSK.’