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Avril Appleyard: One of the best communications executives in the travel retail business |
UK. Alpha Group Group Communications Director Avril Appleyard has left the company to join the board of London design consultancy Aricot Vert in the newly-created position of client services director.
Appleyard worked for Alpha for 17 years in a variety of marketing and communication roles across the group. Her most recent position embraced responsibility for both internal and external communications.
Her career highlights have included implementing and managing the corporate identity for Alpha Group plc worldwide; as well as developing Alpha’s award-winning employee reward and recognition programme “˜Alpha Heroes’.
Her new company, Aricot Vert ( www.aricotvert.co.uk) was instrumental in designing the brand identity and internal communication campaign for the Alpha Heroes programme. Aricot Vert Design creates successful communications that capture the spirit of brands. Established nearly 20 years ago, its client base includes Royal Bank of Scotland, Greene King, City University, Grant Thornton and the NHS.
Appleyard commented: “I am of course sad to be leaving Alpha after all this time and I have met some fantastic people throughout the industry but I have been offered a very exciting opportunity at Aricot Vert and I am very much looking forward to the new challenge ahead”.
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Avril Appleyard (pictured with former Alpha management colleagues David King and Jo Evans at the 2005 awards) was a key influence in the acclaimed Alpha Heroes programme | |
Alpha Group Marketing and communications at Alpha will continue to be headed by Group Marketing Director Karen Broughton.
Avril Appleyard can be contacted at avril@aricotvert.co.uk
COMMENT: The Moodie Report deals with many communications specialists, both in-house and through agencies. The standard fluctuates dramatically. Avril Appleyard is one of the best we have ever dealt with, due to her understanding of both the company’s needs and the various communication channels, and her inherently creative spirit.
Simultaneously down-to-earth and vivacious, this delightful personality played a key role in some of the brilliantly innovative marketing, communications and employee recognition schemes that have been a hallmark of Alpha Group, now an Autogrill subsidiary, in recent years.
The new group – embracing Aldeasa, Alpha and World Duty Free, as well as the HMSHost and Autogrill operations – could do worse than to examine the success of those efforts, particulary Alpha Heroes, which proved hugely beneficial for the company both internally and externally. In the complex task of integrating such a vast organisation, such a scheme would not be a bad place to start.
We wish Avril well in her new career.
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