Vice President, Group Corporate Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Job Description - Vice President, Group Corporate Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) (240001SB)

Job Number:

240001SB

Job Purpose

The Vice President - Group Corporate Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) will be responsible for shaping and executing the company’s public relations and communications strategy as well as spearheading the company’s corporate social responsibility strategy. This role will ensure that Great Eastern continues to foster a positive corporate image, build stakeholder trust, and contribute meaningfully to the communities we serve through our CSR programs and initiatives. The ideal candidate will have a deep understanding of corporate communications, media relations, and CSR practices, with a proven ability to build brand equity and foster a positive corporate image.

You will directly lead the Singapore communications team and be responsible for overseeing corporate communications across all Singapore businesses, as well as the Group holding company based in Singapore. While entities outside of Singapore have their own local teams, you will have oversight and ensure alignment with Group-level communications strategies.

The Job

Corporate Public Relations Management

1. Responsible to identify emerging opportunities and issues, to develop and execute corporate PR strategies against these issues to enhance visibility and positive perception of our brand.
2. Curate and capitalize on appropriate opportunities to proactively raise our media profile, industry thought leadership position and executive profiling of our senior leadership team.
3. Proactively engage and cultivate relations with media, industry, and other relevant stakeholders to promote our corporate image and ensure coverage of our various business and programs.
4. Develop robust crisis communication framework, lead and act as key counsel for crisis communications and issues management to execute appropriate response plans to manage reputational risks.
5. Facilitate relevant media training for senior leadership to ensure they are better skilled to respond to media opportunities.
6. Responsible to develop suite corporate content such as Corporate Annual Report, Sustainability report, corporate profiles, branded collaterals and ensure these conform to the business overall values and messages.
7. To elevate our position as a responsible corporate citizen, develop group-wide CSR strategy and framework and drive programs aligned against our ESG factors.
8. Serve as the main media liaison for the Group, especially for Singapore, managing media relations, public announcements, and crisis communication.

Internal Communications

1. Drive employee and internal communications in collaboration with Human Capital Department to build brand aligned culture and support our brand and employee value propositions.
2. Develop regular newsletters and content pieces to keep financial representatives and employees updated on the group-wide initiatives across markets.
3. Craft communications for Senior Management such as key messages, speeches etc tailored to specific audiences.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

1. To elevate our position as a responsible corporate citizen, develop and implement group-wide CSR initiatives aligned against our sustainability strategy and to promote active volunteerism from staff, distribution partners and other stakeholders for these initiatives.
2. Lead and manage our corporate donation strategy, design and organize initiatives to deliver on our annual fundraising efforts.
3. Engage with stakeholders, including employees, customers, communities, and non-profit organizations, to drive meaningful CSR partnerships and initiatives.
4. Monitor, evaluate, and report on the performance and impact of CSR programs, ensuring transparency and accountability.
5. Foster a culture of social responsibility within the organization by encouraging employee engagement in community activities and sustainability practices.
6. Ensure compliance with relevant CSR standards and regulations and promote the company's CSR achievements internally and externally.

Oversight and Collaboration:

1. Ensure that communication and CSR initiatives across the various international entities of Great Eastern Life are aligned with Group-level objectives, offering strategic guidance to local teams.
2. Cultivate strong relationships with key internal and external stakeholders, including investors, regulators, industry bodies, and the broader community.
3. Act as an advisor to the executive leadership team on reputation management, CSR trends, and stakeholder engagement strategies.
4. Work closely with cross-functional teams, including marketing, human resources, and investor relations, to ensure communication and CSR initiatives are integrated and aligned with business goals.

Team Leadership and Development:

1. Lead, mentor and develop the Singapore-based communications and CSR teams, fostering a high-performance culture that emphasizes collaboration and innovation.
2. Work closely with the communication and CSR leads of the international entities, ensuring alignment of goals while empowering local teams to execute market-specific initiatives.
3. Set clear objectives for the team, track progress, and provide ongoing feedback to ensure the achievement of strategic goals.
4. As part of the leadership team, work with key stakeholders to proactively shape the organisation’s culture and conduct environment that is aligned to the organization’s Core Values.
5. Champion culture and conduct behavioral expectations within the Department/Division.
6. Takes accountability in considering business and regulatory compliance risks and takes appropriate steps to mitigate the risks.
7. Maintains awareness of industry trends on regulatory compliance, emerging threats and technologies in order to understand the risk and better safeguard the company.
8. Highlights any potential concerns/risks and proactively shares best risk management practices.

Our Requirements

1. Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Public Relations, Marketing, or a related field.
2. 15 years of experience in corporate communications, public relations, and CSR, with a significant portion of experience in leadership roles within the financial services or insurance industry.
3. A deep understanding of CSR trends, best practices, and regulatory frameworks.
4. Expertise in managing sensitive communications and crises with professionalism and discretion.
5. Digitally savvy in leveraging new mediums and formats to drive PR results and ability to produce engaging materials.
6. Highly articulate, with persuasive verbal and excellent written communication skills.
7. Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders including internal leadership and colleagues as well as external partners.
8. Strong relationships with media outlets in Singapore and the ability to manage media engagements effectively.
9. Exposure in Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) environments will be an advantage.
10. Demonstrates alignment with the organisation’s core values through expected behaviours.
11. High level of integrity, takes accountability of work and good attitude over teamwork.
12. Takes initiative to improve current state of things and adaptable to embrace new changes.

About Great Eastern

Founded in 1908, Great Eastern is a well-established market leader and trusted brand in Singapore and Malaysia. With over S$100 billion in assets and more than 16 million policyholders, including 12.5 million from government schemes, it provides insurance solutions to customers through three successful distribution channels – a tied agency force, bancassurance, and financial advisory firm Great Eastern Financial Advisers. The Group also operates in Indonesia and Brunei.

The Great Eastern Life Assurance Company Limited and Great Eastern General Insurance Limited have been assigned the financial strength and counterparty credit ratings of "AA-" by S&P Global Ratings since 2010, one of the highest among Asian life insurance companies. Great Eastern's asset management subsidiary, Lion Global Investors Limited, is one of the leading asset management companies in Southeast Asia.

Great Eastern is a subsidiary of OCBC, the longest established Singapore bank, formed in 1932. It is the second largest financial services group in Southeast Asia by assets and one of the world’s most highly-rated banks, with an Aa1 rating from Moody’s and AA- by both Fitch and S&P. Recognised for its financial strength and stability, OCBC is consistently ranked among the World’s Top 50 Safest Banks by Global Finance and has been named Best Managed Bank in Singapore by The Asian Banker.

To all recruitment agencies: Great Eastern does not accept unsolicited agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our email or our employees. We will not be responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.