Interviews.

Iain Donaldson, colleague communications manager for CEO and leadership comms at NatWest Group, discusses writing for time-poor colleagues, keeping channels credible and supporting senior leaders in fast-paced communications.

The executive director – head of EMEA internal communications for technology at Morgan Stanley joins the dots of her career in IC.

Shalini Gupta, head of internal communications UKIMEA at Arup, shares how people, purpose and inclusion have influenced her journey and leadership philosophy.

What does it take to thrive as an internal comms contractor? Sejal Popat reveals the skills, mindset and realities behind a career built on short-term roles.

New IoIC president Dominic Walters champions clarity and conversation and urges internal communicators to get people talking.

Cass Martin, group head of employee communications at Balfour Beatty, shares insights on internal comms, innovation and purpose-driven storytelling in a dynamic infrastructure giant.

Kalpesh Joshi, director of internal and corporate communications at ViiV Healthcare, shares his insight around motivating a passionate community to achieve an ambitious healthcare goal.

Shetal Joshi, head of internal communication at Ørsted, discovered a passion for audience engagement early in her career. Here, she shares how her role within the innovative and fast-changing renewables sector has given her fresh drive and purpose.

From journalism to strategic communications, Joe McMann’s career journey has brought him to his latest destination: EMEA director of internal and executive communications at Marriott. Here, he tells us how he is supporting a diverse, dispersed workforce and embracing innovative channels to foster employee engagement.

With roots in branding and comms, Rachel Cain, senior director for global operations and IT communications at AstraZeneca, has helped technology teams in some of the world’s biggest companies get their messages out.

After a turbulent couple of years, the travel industry is on the up. Here, Tor Goldfield, senior director of internal communications at Expedia Group, shares what she has learned moving from PR to IC and about connecting employees to the business strategy.

Trained to tell stories, whether through creative writing or as a journalist, Sam McCaffrey has made the career journey to his most rewarding role of internal communications manager at Network Rail.

Changing industries can be daunting, but the adaptability of internal communication means big moves are never out of the question for experts. Just ask Laura Colantuono, who recently joined the world of fintech as global head of internal communications at Klarna, after years working for luxury and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies.

National charity Hospice UK runs Compassionate Employers, a programme for companies to put into practice support for colleagues affected by grief. Here, head of workplace support programmes Paul Fraser shares the best practice learnings that have come out of the programme over the years, and the role internal communicators can play in delivering this.

Following decades of internal comms experience working in-house for various telecoms companies, at the end of last year Joe Salmon ventured into new territory as he became associate director of people and purpose at PR agency Hill+Knowlton Strategies.

DHL Supply Chain in the UK and Ireland established its internal communications team in 2015. Its first few years were spent growing and establishing a solid foundation. When Anne-Marie Griffiths took over as head of internal communication & engagement in 2018, the focus became building IC’s reputation and value.

As a world-leading telecommunications and network service provider, BT knows well the importance of connecting people. While the company creates innovative solutions that keep its customers connected externally, BT Enterprise’s head of internal communication Anna Bowen works hard to do the same internally. Here, she shares the ways in which the IC team engages BT’s people, and the challenges they must overcome to do so.

As the one-person central comms function at Stagecoach, Gemma Puricelli has the tough role of not only reaching a majority workforce that spends most of its day behind the wheel, but also taking leaders and colleagues on a journey to communicate their own messages.

Jo Bland, head of strategic engagement and internal comms at NHS Digital, shares how she and her team have supported colleagues as they all navigate shifted priorities in a remote world.

Diving deep into unconscious organisational life allows leaders to see more clearly and communicate more effectively, says Tom Cotton, psychologist and programme director at leadership development practice Mind Environment.

Is internal comms ever a laughing matter? Steven Cody, comedian and founder and CEO of strategic communications agency Peppercomm, thinks it can be.

According to bereavement charity Cruse, one in 10 people in the UK is likely to be affected by bereavement at any one time. Amy Green, operations manager at Cruse, discusses grief in the workplace, and the importance of providing employees with the appropriate support.

Students and tutors are getting used to a very different academic landscape to that of 12 months ago. Alice Oliver, head of internal communications at the University of Derby, explains how her team is supporting staff through the new approaches forced by Covid-19 and making the most of in-house resources.

When you work for an organisation renowned for its high-quality customer service, you need to make sure the employee experience is just as exceptional. Scott Lynch, head of internal communication at Selfridges, explains how it’s done.

Public Health England’s (PHE) mental health platform Every Mind Matters (EMM) helps people make small changes in their lives to improve their mental health and wellbeing.

Sunny Sandwell, director of fun at Fun at Work, shares her thoughts on why organisations should avoid encouraging all work and no play.

In a career of responding to crises and supporting public need, group head of internal communication at Defra Anthony Kluth has discovered that there’s still plenty to learn.

For those who continue to work remotely, it’s vital to monitor your own mental health and look out for your colleagues’ wellbeing. We asked Emma Mamo, head of workplace wellbeing at Mind, to offer some guidance to employees and managers for managing the impact of the change on our mental health – both during the crisis and when things return to “normal”.

Engaging operational staff out on steel plants is no easy task. Tim Rutter, head of communications for Tata Steel in the UK and inaugural winner of IoIC’s #WeMatterAtWork award, believes you can have maximum impact if you just get out there and talk to people.

Is your organisation proactively building a culture that prevents harm? Organisational development consultant Tom Burke talks about the need for safeguarding at work.

Jennifer Thomas, head of internal communications and experience at DLG, tells Voice how openness and authenticity is creating a positive, passionate culture.

As well as being a futurist, Ed Gillespie is an author, entrepreneur, sustainability expert and founder of business transformation agency Futerra. We asked him how IC can help companies face the future.

Hands up if you’ve ever had a conversation at work about the menopause. Juliet Saimbi from Henpicked: Menopause in the Workplace says it’s vital we all start talking about it.

Too often, employees wait for change to happen, but, for real results, encourage them to be "change active", says Scott McInnes, founder and director of Inspiring Change.

Chief executive Jennifer Sproul explains how changes in society have impacted internal communicators' role – and how the Institute's work and new purpose is here to help.

Natalie Bickford, group HR director for Merlin Entertainments, explains human resources’ role in motivating and talking to staff.

Paul Osgood discusses the importance of being engaging and succinct for communicators competing with external content, while explaining how storytelling can help.

You need a thick skin to work in a controversial sector. Colin Archer, who leads internal communications at Imperial Tobacco and its parent company, Imperial Brands, explains how the organisation’s values guide employees to respond to criticism.

Not all staff speak English fluently. Richard Hale, MD of language agency Tongue Tied (Manchester) Ltd, explains the value of translated content.

Technology has become so central to the way we communicate every day that it’s easy to take it for granted. Jonny Oser, Facebook’s head of internal communications EMEA, reflects on how tools designed to keep us in touch with others internally and externally can be both inspiring and functional.

Think of digital projects as boats and user experience (UX) as your paddle, advises Robert Fransgaard, VP of experience design at Sage. Voice put Robert under the Q&A spotlight to find out exactly what he means.

Making a good living financially is not the be all and end all. Increasingly, people are choosing jobs that make them feel good about what they do. Sally Otter, head of internal communications at Oxfam GB, reflects on the rewards and challenges of working in the charity sector.

EY, one of the world’s largest professional services firms, has been recognised for the positive environment it creates for employees. Hywel Ball, assurance managing partner for the UK and Ireland, considers leaders’ vital role working with communicators to grow a healthy internal culture for a modern workforce.

Stress, anxiety and distractions are all in the mind, says Nick Buckley, mindfulness consultant at The Potential Project.

Britain and the world is an ever-changing landscape. Krishan Lathigra, head of internal communication and engagement for the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, discusses the challenges of dealing with the unexpected and reaching colleagues in the most far-flung of locations.

Freelance illustrator Ben O’Brien explains how a more visual and colourful outlook can bring corporate messages to life for an internal audience.

Heading up internal communication and engagement for the world’s leading public service broadcaster demands a willingness to embrace challenges. Heather Wagoner talks to Voice about working in a fast-paced environment.

A quick chat and gossip about events, gigs and puppies with Meredith Bloom, account manager from events agency Top Banana.