Laura Vallance

Responsible for leading external communications, public affairs, stakeholder engagement, and purpose-led initiatives for Mars Petcare UK, with a strong emphasis on strengthening corporate reputation.

Key responsibilities include:

• Lead the delivery of the strategic communications and public affairs plan for the UK market in close alignment with global and regional Corporate Affairs teams under the ONE Mars model to ensure consistent, purpose-driven storytelling across the business.
• Leading on issues and crisis communications for the UK, including managing our internal crisis management system CALM, updating our incident management strategies, ensuring effective responses to escalated media and stakeholder inquiries and training core members of the CALM team through crisis simulations.
• Delivering large-scale integrated brand PR campaigns and content development for consumer events such as GoodWoof, including collaboration on broadcast content with Channel 4.
• Internal Communications - developed an internal communications strategy for the UK business to help drive our broader business strategy. Worked with the LT to develop content for various channels and touch points including monthly de-briefs
• Change Communications - supported the business through with communications strategy through a large internal restructure taking the UK from a one market business to a UKIN cluster. Closely partnered with HR to ensure message delivery to associates.
• Public Affairs - developing and managing key stakeholder relationships with political stakeholders across the UK to drive our business agenda including with MPs, government officials, policymakers, regulatory agencies, and other external stakeholders. Directly campaigning with Battersea through an advocacy campaign to influence the pet provisions within the Renters Reform Bill.
• Managing strategic charity partnerships, including with Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, to deliver shared social impact goals and earned media value and on sponsored consumer events including Walk to Rescue and Muddy Dog.
• Driving Mars Petcare thought leadership strategy in the UK through a strategic communications and engagement programme for our senior leadership team.
• Collaborating with global and regional teams on sustainability initiatives such as Sheba Hope Grows coral restoration, featuring Paralympian Ellie Simmonds, to build brand trust and environmental leadership.

I led JBA's team of communications and engagement consultants across the UK, to deliver strategic advice and planning on all aspects of public affairs and stakeholder engagement activities for clients on multi-million-pound climate resilience projects across the UK.

• Key responsibilities included: developing public affairs and stakeholder engagement strategies for clients that advance the priorities of their projects; developing and delivering multi-faceted campaigns that engage a variety of key stakeholders; conducting stakeholder mapping & analysis, community engagement and events; digital engagement; crisis communications and public affairs and support for communicating with government and politicians. I significantly increased the satisfaction ratings given by our clients from 'average' to 'exceeding expectations' - delivering our services on time, on budget and in scope.
• Internal Communications - worked with the JBA Board to develop and deliver the internal communications and engagement strategy looking holistically at how employee engagement can be delivered. I managed the Internal Communications Consultant as part of this delivery.

Key responsibilities included:

• Corporate Reputation Management: delivery of communications & stakeholder engagement campaigns to promote Purina's reputation and corporate social responsibility initiatives particularly on sustainability issues - plastics, responsible sourcing, and transparency in the supply chain
• Crisis and Issues Management: delivery of crisis preparedness on topics that could impact company reputation, including: sugar in products, ingredients within products, sourcing issues, recycling & sustainability and Purina factory issues. This included position statement development, FAQs, and alignment with marketing, regulatory affairs, legal, customer teams, social teams and EMENA.
• PR and Communications Campaign Delivery: delivered several PR and communications campaigns ranging from concept, PR development, story generation, journalist engagement, press events, and agency management. Successfully secured coverage for the business in key national media including Sky News, BBC Business and BBC World and acted as Spokesperson
• Public Affairs & Stakeholder Engagement: held the role of Vice Chair of the Communications Committee for our industry representation body, the Pet Food Manufacturers Association (PFMA) to shape and drive communications workstreams improve and enhance the reputation of the pet food industry. Responsible for driving public affairs campaigns related to purpose activities including the Purina in Society Report
• Internal Communications: supported the development of our internal communications strategy linking values to purpose and bringing the ‘story’ to life for employees. Created content for various internal communications channels including email, workplace by Facebook, internal events including Townhalls & virtual events and conferences. Worked with the Senior Management Team on crisis or sensitive issues including mergers, acquisitions and redundancies to create messaging and communications packs and support delivering this news.

Key responsibilities included:

• External Communications & Media Relations: Led the development and execution of all B2B communications campaigns for NPD & financial results, including development of media materials, media briefings, coordination and management of press conferences, media enquiries, spokesperson preparation, and campaign evaluation.
• Crisis Communications: organised the delivery of media training and regular crisis briefings/scenarios for the General Manger and ExCom. Prepared a crisis management handbook which was rolled out to the company, ran crisis scenarios to test the robustness of the handbook.
• Public Affairs: monitored and reacted to local, European and global political developments on a variety of issues including: Branding Bans, annual revenue increases, World Duty Free issues, health issues and regulation
• Internal Communications: responsible for growing the capacity and effectiveness of the internal communications function within the business. Designed and implemented a new Culture Communications change project with the leadership team to inform staff on JTI’s updated values, attitudes and behaviours. Created and delivered a multi-channel content plan (with analytics for each channel on performance) aimed at increasing employee engagement.

Key responsibilities included:

• Public Affairs: responsible for all aspects of the charities public affairs strategy and engagement (including team and budget management) with politicians and Ministers across Westminster, Devolved Administrations, and the EU. Coordinating and writing Dogs Trust submissions to Government consultations and Parliamentary inquiries - including select committees
• Helped secure new legislation/regulations or have legislation amended on a number of issues including: Compulsory Microchipping, illegal importation of puppies from Eastern Europe, the Animal Welfare Act, Puppy Farming, Dangerous Dogs and Greyhound welfare
• Acted as media spokesperson on numerous occasions.

Key responsibilities included:

• Public Affairs: brought in to set up the charities public affairs and campaign team. Developed all aspects of public affairs strategy (including team and budget management) for JDRF to influence the Department of Health, MPs, Devolved Administrations and the media. This included drafting all external briefing documents and devising a lobbying campaign ‘the ONE campaign’ to which all aspects of the strategy & communications would fall under
• Provided the joint secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Diabetes

Key responsibilities included:

• Public Affairs: led and delivered all aspect of public activities across Westminster and Devolved Administrations. Successfully secured a ban on electronic shock training devices in the Welsh Assembly after a 4 year lobbying campaign.
• Crisis communications: part of a small team that led on all aspects of crisis communications following Pedigree Dogs Exposed. This included managing and responding to media enquiries; appointing and managing an agency to support the team; briefing senior staff on how to prepare and respond to issues on a wider stakeholder level to mitigate further damage reputation.

Part of a team responsible for managing the day to day running of Greg Mulholland MP's parliamentary office in Westminster including – organising diaries, researching and writing speeches, drafting parliamentary questions, drafting national and local press releases, liaising with journalists other MP’s and policy advisors.