Essity, a leading global hygiene and health company which supplies products from brands including TENA, Tork, Cushelle and Bodyform, has appointed a new senior public affairs manager for the UK and Republic of Ireland (ROI).
Kate Prince will be responsible for establishing Essity as a credible contributor in matters of public policy and societal interest as well as enhancing the business’ relationships with key decision-makers and opinion leaders.
Prince brings 25 years of experience spanning PR, public affairs and sustainability to her new role at Essity, along with a contact book of key industry stakeholders.
She joins Essity following a 16-year stint at Kellogg’s, where she was responsible for driving social impact and sustainability programmes in the UK and Europe with stakeholders including non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and policymakers.
At Essity, she will be responsible for setting and driving forward the business’ public affairs and societal impact agenda across the UK and ROI including the company’s 20+ year relationship with charity partner In Kind Direct through whom Essity donates over 2.2m essential hygiene and health products each year. Prince will work closely with teams across consumer goods, health and medical, and professional hygiene business units, as well as Essity’s five UK manufacturing sites, to anticipate and influence public policy through strong stakeholder and partnership management.
Lee Doherty, VP Consumer Goods UKI & MEA at Essity, commented: “Recent years have seen the healthcare policy and regulatory environments across the UK and ROI shift at scale and pace, impacting our industry from manufacturing operations to end consumers in turn.
“Now, with a new government in place and a series of healthcare challenges – and opportunities – ahead of us, we need to ensure that future decisions are informed by industry insight. As a leader in the hygiene and healthcare space, Essity must be front and centre of these discussions, helping to contribute to policy for the betterment of the consumers and organisations that benefit from our products.
“We’ve been investing in our corporate team and functions this year to ensure we have the right people to drive forward Essity’s ambitious future, and it’s fantastic to welcome Kate on board to head up our public affairs activity across the UK and ROI. Kate brings a wealth of experience and we’re looking forward to drawing on her expertise to help Essity continue making a meaningful difference for those that our operations and products impact.”
Prince will be based in Essity’s Consumer Goods office in Didsbury, Greater Manchester. The North-West office is in close proximity to the business’ Trafford Park paper mill, which is responsible for creating Plenty kitchen roll, Cushelle toilet roll, and own-brand labels for major UK customers including Tesco and Asda.
Kate Prince, senior public affairs manager, UK and ROI, at Essity, added: “In the years to come, the challenges facing our environment will become increasingly pressing and the healthcare landscape will continue to evolve. With this in mind, it’s great to join a company that is leading the way when it comes to cultivating sustainability and embedding innovation into the heart of its operations.
“Essity has a real opportunity to enter and shape the conversation, making a tangible impact on some of the very real issues that our society faces today. I’m looking forward to lending my skillset and contacts to this new role, ensuring that Essity has a seat at the table and plays its part in future industry developments.”
Already playing an important industry role when it comes to shaping healthcare policy, Essity previously made the case for value-based procurement through its incontinence campaign. Through this initiative, Essity’s research found that choosing the cheapest incontinence products alone costs the NHS an extra £520,418,989 annually. Based on the insights of this study, the House of Lords introduced an upcoming policy change which will initially provide guidance for NHS Trusts, before making procurement shifts mandatory from Autumn next year.
