Spin Unspun: An Instinctif podcast

Episode 6

Corporate Affairs on a global scale – with Unilever’s Paul Matthews

Starting as a journalist, Paul Matthews was headhunted from a travel PR agency to work at Unilever in 2008. After 15 years, Paul now heads communications at the global brands giant and this episode reveals what it takes to lead corporate affairs across 190 countries worldwide. Paul shares his views on Unilever’s commitment to sustainable living and the challenges of getting the message right to diverse stakeholders and what he’s learned from the issues the company has faced in recent years.

Episode 5

From advising Boards to being a member of them – with Rebecca Shelley

Rebecca’s long and varied career at the forefront of corporate affairs has seen her take the helm for reputation at The Prudential, Tesco and TP ICAP. She has tackled the thorniest issues in financial communications and investor relations, the knottiest problems in corporate affairs and communications and a welter of crises and issues that have hit some of Britain’s biggest boardrooms. In episode 5 of Spin Unspun, Rebecca discusses these and many other topics including how she has transferred her skills into the world of NEDs with three PLC directorships.

Episode 4

Vodafone, values and being a trusted advisor – with Nicki Lyons

Before becoming Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Vodafone UK, Nicki worked for Walgreen Boots Alliance, PepsiCo, Unilever and a stint in government communications. Here she talks to Damian Reece and his Instinctif co-host Katie Gabriel about her fascinating career on both sides of the Atlantic. She discusses authenticity, the weight of responsibility as a corporate affairs lead and the skill of brilliant messaging.

Episode 3

Reputation and communications in healthcare with Rupert Gowrley of Bupa

How did the COVID-19 pandemic impact the healthcare sector’s reputation? Where is the public versus private healthcare debate going? What is the role of corporate affairs in healthcare? Rupert Gowrley, Director of Corporate Affairs at Bupa, discusses these questions and much more in conversation with Damian Reece and his Instinctif co-host, Dulcie Keates-Miles in our latest episode.

Episode 2

An appetite for sustainability – with Sam Fulton of Nomad Foods

Damian and his co-host Annabelle Duke speak to Sam Fulton, Director of Corporate Affairs at consumer goods giant Nomad Foods, which owns brands including Birds Eye and Findus.

Drawing on her experience at Nomad, Apple, Kellogg’s, Nestlé and McDonald’s, Sam discusses making it in corporate affairs and the increasingly heated debate about corporate approaches to ESG.

Episode 1

Booze makers, banks and brokers – a life in corporate affairs with Aviva’s Stephen Doherty

In our first episode, Damian Reece and co-host Ellie Day speak to Aviva’s Chief Brand and Corporate Affairs Officer, Stephen Doherty, about his career in communications.

From managing issues at Diageo, the hugely successful drinks giant, to dealing with the fall-out from several high profile crises and issues at at Barclays bank, Stephen has been central to many dramatic stories that go to the heart of reputation management.