Transport for London (TfL) plans to combine its group marketing, media and communications departments under one umbrella as part of a major corporate restructure, six months after it promoted Nigel Marson to head of group marketing.
Marson will take on the new umbrella role in an interim capacity from March 2 with a successor expected to be appointed by April this year. It is not clear whether Marson will continue at the organisation. A TfL spokesman says he is “unsure” whether Marson will apply for the newly created role.
He replaced Chris Townsend, who left to join the London 2012 Organising Committee for the Olympic Games.
The organisation is looking for a managing director of marketing and communications to oversee the combined department and take over responsibility for its group marketing, media, internal affairs, public affairs, communications and events functions.
The corporate structure will be divided into three core areas – planning, finance and marketing – with TfL planning to recruit divisional heads to oversee each area.
The marketing department previously reported to the finance team headed by Jay Walder, who this week left the business after six years in the role to join the international management consulting firm McKinsey. He has been replaced in an interim capacity by director of corporate finance Steve Allen.
The internal review is being handled by the recently appointed Commissioner of TfL Peter Hendy. It is designed to make the organisation more “delivery focused” after it secured a deal that will see an investment of over £10bn to modernise and extend the rail network by the end of this decade.
The changes come amid upheaval in the marketing department. Paul Mylrea, current head of group media, left this month to take up a role at the Department of International Development; and Ben Plowden, managing director for group communications, is shifting to a new role within TFL focused on sustainable travel. Both positions have a direct reporting line to the new department head.