Role Introduction
Reports to: General Manager Corporate Affairs
The Head of Corporate Communications position is accountable for the overall corporate communications strategy to protect and promote the Cathay Group’s reputation and brand image. It is responsible for managing the reputation of the Cathay Group by building strong trusting relationships and engaging with media and general public in Hong Kong, Chinese mainland and worldwide, as well as both internal and external stakeholders.
The Head of Corporate Communications must have an insightful understanding of the media landscape and public sentiment and will be responsible for developing corporate communication plans and content and message to effectively communicate the Group’s strategy and initiatives, and respond to issues and media enquiries to ensure accurate information is shared in order to protect and maintain the positive image of the Cathay Group.
Key Responsibilities
Corporate Communications Strategy
- Develop the overall corporate communications strategy, implementation plans and establish applicable targets to protect and enhance the Group’s reputation and brand standing
- Build and maintain strong, trusted relationship with local, Chinese Mainland and international media and to enhance credibility, transparency and sustained engagement
- Proactively manage media relations to achieve positive coverage on promotional efforts and to secure understanding during less favourable or sensitive developments
- Lead a team of managers to handle day-to-day media enquiries, issues management and proactive storytelling
- Ensure external communications are executed according to agreed corporate communications strategies and plans; and evaluate the need for external PR agency and to lead the sourcing process, engagement and performance management where required
Formulation and execution of Corporate Communications
- Represent the Group as our media spokesperson and ensure our responses to media enquiries are timely, accurate and aligned with the Group’s strategies
- Build and maintain strong trusting relationship with senior leaders and internal stakeholders to keep informed and abreast of all corporate initiatives and affairs in order to ensure corporate communication plans and contents are in place and executed to achieve positive media coverage
- Lead and execute strategic storytelling initiatives to articulate the Group’s vision, brand propositions and key priorities across multiple platforms and audiences; and be a trusted advisor and craft messages and communication contents for senior leaders, as and when required
- Work with internal business units, subsidiaries or stakeholders to formulate communication plans and contents to ensure accurate information is shared with media to secure understanding on less favourable story/news related to the Group and to mitigate and minimise the negative impact of any issues related to the Group’s policies, measures or initiatives
- Promote the standing of the Group by elevating communication on customer propositions, sales and marketing initiatives, sustainable development as well as the corporate position on all key topics of interest through all communication channels/platforms
Requirements
- University degree or above, preferably with major in communications, journalism or related disciplines
- A minimum of 10 years of working experience in corporate communications, background in journalism, public relations or marketing communication is also an advantage
- Strong communicator who has experience in advising senior management on strategic communication
- In-depth understanding of socio-political landscape and keep abreast of current affairs
- Proven storytelling expertise, with experience shaping compelling narratives for corporate, brand and reputation management
- Good team player with strong people management and interpersonal skills; and demonstrate strong media network, with proven ability to build and sustain trusted relationships with local, Chinese Mainland and international media
- Dynamic, adaptable and resilient, with the ability to work quickly and effectively in the fast‑changing aviation industry and high-pressure situations
- Exceptional leadership skills with a track record of building engaged and high‑performing teams and a positive employee experience
- Excellence command in written and spoken English and Chinese. Fluency in Putonghua is a plus; strong communication, writing and editing skills
- Understanding of the airline business is an advantage
Personal & Application Information
Cathay Pacific is an Equal Opportunities Employer. Personal data provided by job applicants will be used strictly in accordance with our Applicant Personal Information Collection Statement and for recruitment purposes only. Candidates not notified within eight weeks may consider their application unsuccessful. We keep records of your data for no longer than is necessary for the purpose for which we obtained them and any other permitted linked purposes. If your application is unsuccessful, we will keep your details on file for as long as is necessary to process your application or for the purposes of further job opportunities if you agree to such longer periods.
