Aviva CMO Amanda Mackenzie to run charity initiative with Richard Curtis
Aviva says it will not replace Amanda Mackenzie as CMO when she takes on a two-year secondment to run a charity initiative with Comic Relief founder Richard Curtis but oversight of marketing will be passed to the chief executive of its global insurance business Chris Wei in her absence.
It was announced yesterday (14 November) that Aviva is a founding partner of the initiative, which will attempt to achieve some of the United Nations’ ‘Sustainable Development’ goals on poverty and climate change, and that Mackenzie will work with the Love Actually director and charity executive Curtis to steer the work.
Mackenzie will be tasked with developing a global campaign “to galvanise as much public awareness and support as possible for the new goals”, according to Aviva.
She says: “It is a real privilege to have this opportunity to work with such an inspirational and creative person as Richard Curtis and to take up this fantastic opportunity with the full support of Aviva.
“I am extremely excited about the future but obviously it’s tinged with sadness as I won’t be working with my colleagues and team so directly. Aviva is an exceedingly special company with wonderful people.”
Her responsibilities for customer and brand will be passed to CEO of global life insurance and chairman of its Asia business Wei, who joined just last month from rival insurer Great Eastern.
Mackenzie has been chief marketing and communications officer and executive board member at Aviva since 2008. She received an OBE for services to the marketing industry and is also active in the marketing community as a former president of The Marketing Society and a mentor to Marketing Academy scholars, of which Marketing Week is a partner. She was also recognised in Marketing Week’s Vision 100.
