CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS
What were you expecting when you came into post ?
Leading the comms team of a global organisation that creates magical and memorable live experiences , while building business for its customers , was a huge attraction for me .
It would be an understatement to say that things didn ’ t quite go to plan .
My initial brief was to focus on making the corporate RX brand a stickier proposition and to improve internal communications between our global HQ , local offices and show teams . On my first day I was told that Hugh Jones had been appointed as the new CEO and was starting at the beginning of February , so my focus quickly switched to introducing him and laying out his vision for the company . Then Covid happened . My onboarding came to a premature halt as I joined our teams to work hard to explain what was happening from week to week .
As the pandemic developed , external communications rapidly became a much bigger part of my remit . It became clear that we quickly needed to balance the media coverage around cancellations and postponements with positive news . RX had moved very quickly into using digital products and developing virtual events to keep our communities and customers connected . So , while we couldn ’ t avoid talking about cancellations , we could share these incredible feats of innovation , talk about the
Nathalie Haxby
amazing talent within our organisation , and highlight what we were doing to enrich our industry and support it through the pandemic .
How has RX changed since then ? When I arrived at RX there was little connection with the outside world at a corporate
Brand ambition
Nathalie Haxby had never worked in face-to-face events before starting her role as global head of corporate communications for the world ’ s second largest exhibition organiser . She came in to oversee the rebrand from Reed Exhibitions to RX , before being thrown headfirst into the deep end with a new CEO and the total cessation of live events . The global head of corporate communications at RX , talks to EN about unifying the company and show brands and her pride at seeing their stories shared
level , it was all about the show brands and RX took a back seat . We decided to take a more integrated approach to our communications to create a stronger connection between the RX brand and our market-leading show brands .
That had to start with our look and feel , what we stood for of course , and how we behaved as a global company . In September 2020 , Hugh asked me to review our brand identity and platforms , internally and externally , to reflect the company in a post-Covid world . We were transforming ourselves into a more unified , nimble , diverse , and innovative company . We
36 — Summer