CorpComms Magazine

It is three weeks since Flic Howard-Allen departed Marks & Spencer, where she was director of communications for more than seven years, but the elegant 49 year old is still remarkably on message.

Her shoes, beige courts with two-tone platform soles, are from Marks & Spencer, as are the colourful beaded bracelets that adorn her wrists. Her purple shirt-dress is, however, not from the nation's favourite high street store, but she promises to be head-to-toe M&S when the photographer arrives at a later date.

Sitting in the eclectically furnished meeting room at Hill & Knowlton, where she recently joined as a part-time client services director, Howard-Allen explains the reason for her surprise departure.

There was no falling out. Indeed, after resigning in November, Howard-Allen worked a further six months while a successor was found. (Her role was reconfigured and industry veteran Dominic Fry is now communications director.) And she has spoken to Stuart Rose, chief executive of Marks & Spencer, several times since her departure.

So, is she missing her old role? 'Six months was a very long time to come to terms with the fact that I was leaving,' she says. 'I really didn't turn my phone off for seven years, day or night. I can remember one conference call at 3am.' Has she now found the 'off' switch? 'I still haven't turned the phone off,' she concedes. 'And I don't know the official start time here but I arrive at exactly the same time, just after eight.'

AT THE COAL FACE

Her department at Marks & Spencer handled an average 10,000 phone calls 'in and out' per month. 'I suppose I'm not missing having to deal with the issues of the day,' she finally adds.

Instead, Howard-Allen left Marks & Spencer for both personal and professional reasons. Her three teenagers are now studying for their GCSEs. Over the next two years, the brood, which include a brace of twins, will take 35 public examinations. 'There is definitely a requirement to be around for that,' she says.

Rather than spend an hour and a half studying the newspapers on Saturday, and a further three hours on Sunday, Howard-Allen will have time to offer comfort to her fretting teens. And at Christmas time, the turkey will no longer be served alongside a four inch wad of press cuttings.

But after seven years in the hot seat, Howard-Allen really felt that she had covered every potential issue. She worked with three chief executives - Luc Vandevelde, Roger Holmes and the aforementioned Rose; lived through a lively takeover battle, when billionaire retail tycoon Philip Green made three unsolicited approaches (and allegedly had an altercation with Rose outside the head office); saw profits rise and fall and, more recently, the debate about succession planning and Rose's elevation to executive chairman status.

ROLLERCOASTER JOURNEY

Amid all that, Howard-Allen also launched Plan A, the retailer's groundbreaking corporate social responsibility strategy. 'We did cover quite a lot over the cycle,' she says. 'It was a rollercoaster journey a lot of the time.' She also experienced first hand the changing nature of media coverage, from daily newspaper articles and the occasional television news item, to round the clock coverage and the rise of social media.

But Howard-Allen concedes that when she first arrived at Marks & Spencer, from Hill & Knowlton, she had no concept of the thrills and spills on offer. 'Marks & Spencer is one of the plum jobs. When I arrived, Luc told me that Marks & Spencer was different, that it did not behave like any other organisation. The company is so much a part of the UK's psyche that it gets drawn into all sorts of issues, from age discrimination to food safety to garment sourcing.'

Howard-Allen learned to react to news in a different way. 'You initially look out for what news affects Marks & Spencer and what that means for business, but after three to four months you soon realise that nearly everything has an impact,' she says. A war in an obscure part of the world or the closure of a remote port could mean disruptions to the supply chain. 'Relatively quickly you recalibrate, and learn to pick up a newspaper and spot twelve news items immediately that could impact the business.'

But Marks & Spencer also has an incredibly engaged customer base, who regularly let their feelings known about bad service or poor products. Even Jeremy Paxman, the notoriously aggressive interviewer, was once minded to email Rose to air his concerns about 'widespread gusset anxiety' when it came to his M&S underwear.

It was the customers that alerted Howard-Allen and her colleagues to their interest in environmental issues. Marks & Spencer had launched a Look behind the label campaign, highlighting how the retailer sourced and made its products, which was greeted with 'incredible enthusiasm' by customers. 'They wanted to know more and to do more,' she says.

CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY

The reaction paved the way for Plan A, in which Howard-Allen played a leading role, a project that committed Marks & Spencer to a string of social and environmental targets. With the backing of Rose, who used the campaign to reaffirm Marks & Spencer's values, the strategy has been a huge success. The retailer has since won several awards for its ethical stance.

It is an issue that Howard-Allen is obviously passionate about. She plans to combine her three-day a week role at Hill & Knowlton with her interest in sustainability. The world's resources, she points out, are running out. 'We need to find a way to live our lives in a sustainable way,' says Howard-Allen. 'For example, how do we use water more efficiently to grow coffee? These things interest me.' She recognises that true sustainability, however, will require reshaping government policy, company strategy and the behaviour of individuals. Howard-Allen admires various initiatives, such as Procter & Gamble's Ariel Turn to 30, which raised awareness about climate change and persuaded customers to adopt a more sustainable washing practice. Research proves that consumers who 'turn to 30' save, on average, 41 per cent on their energy consumption.

The rest of the time she will enjoy a roving brief with Hill & Knowlton. She has already been called in to meetings with a variety of clients. 'It's week three and a half, and I've been discussing issues relating to food, banks, inward investment, government. I'm in a fantastically privileged position,' she adds. 'I can look in on lots of different businesses. You can't do that in-house.'

Is that the only difference, I push. Was there nothing that immediately struck you on the first day? 'I didn't have to see Stuart first thing after getting a call saying Where are you?,' she finally concedes. And then it's time to get back to work. Her old taskmaster may not be around, but Howard-Allen's incredible enthusiasm and energy are just as powerful. 

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