3 Communications chief goes as revamp goes on
Mobile operator 3’s customer communications chief, Melanie Fenwick, has become the latest casualty of the management restructure at the company.
Fenwick, who was head of customer communications, left the company last week. It is not thought she has a job to go to. Her departure is thought to be linked to the 130 managerial redundancies that 3 announced at the end of last year (MW November 30, 2006).
The news follows a host of changes to 3’s senior management and marketing teams in recent months. Director of customer marketing John Penberthy-Smith has been promoted to marketing director to replace Graeme Oxby, who is leaving after five years. Penberthy-Smith will report to new deputy chief executive Kevin Russell, who joined from 3 Australia at the start of the year.
Director of brand and marketing communications Gary Pepler also left at the end of last year after just six months in the post, along with head of customer experience Sarah Haythornthwaite. Pepler joined in June last year (MW June 15, 2006) to replace Julian Hough, who returned to 3’s advertising agency WCRS after a two-year secondment.3 says the job cuts, which represent about 6% of its UK workforce, are a "rebalancing of resources".
Fenwick, who joined 3 from O2 in 2005, worked closely with 3’s direct marketing agency Claydon Heeley as head of customer communications. The agency was appointed to handle the multi-million-pound account last summer following a four-way pitch handled by the AAR.