Guild member Philip Connolly has stepped down from his role in the press and public relations department at animal health firm Merial to work as a freelance.
Philip entered agricultural communications when he joined Merial in 2005 as successor to the redoubtable Bert Burns. Before that, he worked as a journalist covering education, energy and science, and then moved to corporate communications with Shell and Glaxo.
At Merial, his main responsibility was to identify and manage potential issues arising in Europe and Asia. The most serious occurence was the foot-and-mouth outbreak of 2007 in Surrey, when Philip led the communications effort.
Philip left the company mid-January to work for himself, advising and helping clients on issues and crisis management; visit his website for more details.
During his time with Merial he arranged funding to establish the Guild’s Farming Media Centre website. This continues to provide a valuable resource for anyone wanting to contact a Guild photographer, journalist or commercial communications specialist with particular expertise or in a particular location.
He can be contacted by email or mobile 07722 167224.
