Corporate communications / affairs managers co-ordinate the presentation of the public face of a company or organisation to a variety of interested parties, including shareholders and potential investors, employees, government departments, regulatory bodies, the media, local communities, pressure groups and campaigners.

What corporate communications managers do

• present annual reports or interim results
• design company documents or websites
• may work on internal communications
• arrange shareholder meetings and press conferences
• present corporate response to various incidents, such as a workplace accident, a threatened strike or a proposed piece of legislation.

Key skills

• ability to gain the trust of people inside and outside the organisation
• coolness under pressure
• excellent written and verbal skills; in some organisations foreign languages may also be an advantage
• flexibility and adaptability
• honesty and integrity.

Training to be a corporate communications manager

Because many firms outsource a large part of their public relations and communications activity, the entry point is often with a specialist PR company, rather than directly with a major corporation, with on-the-job training.

Entrance via the media is also possible, so training and qualifications in journalism may be relevant.

The Chartered Institute of Public Relations offers certificate and diploma courses, and a few colleges offer postgraduate qualifications, although these tend to be related to advertising or marketing, rather than communications-led.

Salaries

Top-end salaries for experienced professionals are considerable; for trainees, they may be quite low.

Professional bodies

• Chartered Institute of Public Relations

Related jobs

• Marketing manager
• Public relations officer