(MENAFN- PRovoke) LONDON - William Reed, the family-owned food and drinks media business which has been publishing industry bible The Grocer since its launch in 1862, has appointed Oliver Druttman as its first communications director.

Druttman joins William Reed – which also owns The World's 50 Best Restaurants, Retail Week, the Morning Advertiser and food and drink industry insights firm Lumina Intelligence – from Zeno London, where he spent four years as director of corporate reputation.

A former journalist at Al Jazeera English, Druttman has also held worked at Red Consultancy and Burson-Marsteller (now Burson), and has advised global brands such as Kraft Heinz, Viagogo, eBay, and Malaysia Airlines through high-stakes issues, corporate reputation, and transformation programmes. He was co-chair of the PRCA Crisis Communications Group from 2021-2024.

In his new in-house role, Druttman will lead the development and delivery of William Reed's first integrated communications strategy, working closely with CEO Tracy De Groose – who was appointed last year – and the leadership team to align messaging across internal and external channels, drive employee engagement, and build corporate reputation globally.

Druttman's remit will span corporate storytelling, media relations, internal communications, change management, and stakeholder engagement. He will also play a key role in supporting William Reed's commitments to sustainability, diversity, equity and inclusion, and responsible business practices.

De Groose said the appointment marked“a new chapter” for William Reed, which has more than 400 employees across its offices in the UK, France, the US and Singapore, as it seeks to elevate its voice in the global food and drink industry and further scale the business internationally.

“As a family-owned B2B business, we are proud of our heritage and the role we play in powering the global food and drink industry,” she said.“This is the first time we've invested in telling our story to the world, and Ollie's experience across journalism and corporate reputation makes him uniquely placed to help us do that.

“Communications will be central to how we bring people along on our journey – internally and externally – as we accelerate the growth of our brands, deepen our expertise, and future-proof the organisation under new leadership.”

Druttman added:“I cut my teeth pitching stories to The Grocer and The Morning Advertiser, and it's a privilege to now work alongside these journalists as well as the events, exhibitions and intelligence experts that comprise William Reed.

“This is a business with incredible heritage and global ambition, and I'm thrilled to be joining at such a pivotal moment, working with the leadership team to deliver our 'Food for Growth' strategy and helping tell the story of the people, brands and values that make William Reed so special.”

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