Chief of PR & Communication

About the Role:

The Chief of PR & Communication serves as the Group's senior communications authority and principal adviser on media relations, public relations, corporate messaging, reputation management, and stakeholder communications. The role establishes and leads a high-performing communications function that protects and enhances the Group's reputation while ensuring accurate, timely, and effective dissemination of information to the media, government entities, investors, business partners, employees, and the wider public. The position leads Group press-office operations and provides executive oversight of press releases, media statements, leadership communications, crisis responses, public affairs initiatives, and reputation-management strategies. Acting as custodian of the corporate narrative, the incumbent ensures that strategic initiatives, major projects, organizational achievements, leadership perspectives, and material corporate developments are communicated consistently and credibly across local, regional, and international markets. The role requires extensive expertise in journalism-style writing, editorial judgment, media engagement, executive communications, issues management, and communication governance. Marketing experience remains a supporting advantage and does not substitute for the required depth in PR, press relations, and corporate communications.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Press Office & Press Release Leadership

Direct the Group press office and establish an enterprise-wide editorial agenda covering corporate announcements, strategic partnerships, investments, leadership appointments, project milestones, awards, events, and material business developments. Lead the end-to-end preparation, fact-checking, approval, distribution, and media follow-up of press releases, official statements, holding lines, briefing notes, and corporate responses, ensuring every communication is accurate, newsworthy, timely, and aligned with disclosure requirements.

2. Media Relations & Organizational Positioning

Build and sustain trusted relationships with editors, journalists, producers, correspondents, news agencies, and relevant industry media across priority local, regional, and international markets. Proactively develop credible story angles, media pitches, interview opportunities, and thought-leadership placements that strengthen the Group's visibility, institutional standing, and strategic positioning without compromising editorial credibility.

3. Corporate Communication Strategy & Messaging

Develop and continuously evolve the corporate communications strategy, annual communication plan, messaging architecture, and editorial standards in line with Group priorities and stakeholder expectations. Translate complex strategic, operational, financial, and organizational developments into clear and accessible narratives while preserving factual accuracy, confidentiality, and consistency of the corporate voice.

4. Executive Communication & Spokesperson Support

Prepare speeches, talking points, executive quotes, opinion pieces, interview briefs, Q&A documents, presentation narratives, and stakeholder messages for senior executives and designated spokespersons. Provide communication counsel and media preparation for interviews, press conferences, public appearances, and sensitive engagements, including message rehearsal, challenge-question preparation, and alignment on approved positions.

5. Issues, Crisis & Reputation Management

Lead communication planning and response for emerging issues, operational incidents, misinformation, reputational threats, and crisis situations in coordination with executive leadership, Legal, Risk, Operations, and HSE stakeholders. Maintain crisis communication protocols, escalation routes, response templates, stakeholder maps, monitoring arrangements, and post-incident reviews, and advise leadership using verified facts and clear risk analysis.

6. Communication Governance & Editorial Quality

Establish and enforce enterprise standards covering tone of voice, terminology, factual verification, approvals, confidentiality, spokesperson authority, embargoes, publication controls, and records retention. Maintain a controlled repository of approved corporate facts, profiles, biographies, key messages, photographs, press materials, and frequently requested information to improve consistency, responsiveness, and quality.

7. Media Monitoring, Measurement & Insight

Oversee monitoring and analysis across print, broadcast, online, and social channels to identify sentiment shifts, misinformation, competitor activity, emerging narratives, and matters requiring intervention. Report performance through indicators such as message penetration, quality and relevance of coverage, response time, spokesperson visibility, share of voice, and reputation-risk trends, converting findings into practical recommendations.

8. Internal Communication & Stakeholder Alignment

Provide strategic direction for major internal announcements, leadership messages, organizational updates, and employee communications requiring alignment with the Group's external narrative. Coordinate with business units and functional leaders to validate facts, clarify stakeholder implications, sequence communications appropriately, and ensure priority audiences receive consistent and timely information.

9. Brand, Digital & Marketing Alignment

Partner with marketing, brand, events, and digital teams to align corporate announcements, campaigns, sponsorships, executive visibility, and official social content while preserving the standards of earned media and corporate disclosure. Apply marketing knowledge selectively to strengthen audience insight, channel planning, and message reach without weakening the accuracy, authority, or credibility of corporate communications.

10. Communications Team, Agency & Budget Leadership

Build and lead a high-performing communications function with strong capability in press writing, media engagement, executive communications, digital content, monitoring, and crisis response. Set operating standards, develop team capability, manage budgets, and govern PR agencies, monitoring providers, writers, translators, photographers, and specialist partners against defined scopes, service levels, quality expectations, and measurable deliverables.

Education and Qualifications:

• Academic Qualification: Bachelor's Degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, Media Studies, English, Marketing, or a related discipline.

• Advanced Qualification: A master's degree in Strategic Communication, Corporate Affairs, Business Administration, or a related field is preferred.

• Professional Development: Advanced training in crisis communication, media relations, business writing, spokesperson preparation, or reputation management is advantageous.

Experience Requirements:

Senior Communications Leadership: Typically 15+ years of progressive experience in public relations, journalism, corporate communications, media relations, or corporate affairs, including leadership of a substantial press or communications function.

Press Release & Editorial Expertise: Demonstrated record of producing and governing high-quality press releases, official statements, executive messages, briefing materials, and sensitive external communications.

Media & Reputation Exposure: Extensive experience working directly with journalists and senior executives, managing complex media inquiries, and advising on issues with significant reputational implications.

Multi-Entity Environment: Experience coordinating communications across a diversified group, major corporation, government-linked organization, agency, or similarly complex stakeholder environment is strongly preferred.

Marketing Exposure: Previous marketing, brand, or integrated campaign experience is an advantage where it complements, rather than substitutes for, core PR and communications expertise.

Knowledge & Skills:

Press Writing & Editorial Judgment: Exceptional command of news writing, headlines, quotations, fact verification, message hierarchy, and editorial standards for high-stakes corporate announcements.

Media Relations & Newsroom Understanding: Deep knowledge of media operations, editorial decision-making, journalist requirements, news cycles, interview formats, and effective earned-media engagement.

Strategic Corporate Communication: Ability to connect organizational priorities with clear stakeholder narratives, communication plans, executive positioning, and channel strategies.

Reputation, Issues & Crisis Counsel: Sound judgment in assessing communication risk, managing ambiguity, protecting credibility, and advising leaders during sensitive or rapidly developing situations.

Executive Influence & Stakeholder Management: Strong presence and discretion when working with senior leaders, legal advisers, operational teams, public-sector stakeholders, agencies, and external media.

Technical Competencies:

• Media Relations & Press Office Leadership - Level 5: Sets enterprise standards for press engagement, news prioritization, media response, spokesperson coordination, and relationship management across priority markets.

• Press Release & Corporate Editorial Management - Level 5: Provides final editorial direction for press releases, official statements, executive content, and corporate publications, ensuring factual integrity, narrative strength, and approval compliance.

• Crisis Communication & Reputation Risk - Level 5: Leads communication strategy during significant issues and crises, integrates legal and operational inputs, and protects organizational credibility through timely, evidence-based responses.

• Executive Communication & Spokesperson Preparation - Level 5: Shapes leadership messaging and prepares executives for interviews, speeches, press conferences, and challenging stakeholder engagements.

• Communication Governance, Monitoring & Analytics - Level 5: Establishes policies, controls, monitoring frameworks, and performance measures that strengthen consistency, response discipline, insight quality, and continuous improvement.