Laura Harvey, former director of public affairs at Centrica, has been appointed corporate affairs director and chief of staff to chief executive Stuart Haire at the Skipton Group.
She started her new role earlier this month and is responsible for the group’s corporate strategy.
The group includes the Skipton Building Society, estate agents Connells Group, AI-software firm Jade, Skipton International and Skipton Business Finance.
Harvey will also continue the group's work to raise awareness about the part mutuals play in society and shaping the policy debate around the needs of the UK housing market.
She spent more than 12 years at Centrica prior to joining the Skipton Group. During her time at the energy giant she was deputy director, corporate communications and global policy; and director of public affairs. For the past year she was chief of staff to Centrica chief executive Chris O’Shea.
Earlier in her career Harvey was public affairs and policy manager at insolvency trade body R3, which she joined as a public affairs officer in 2010.
Commenting on her new role, she told In.Comms: “Skipton Group is driven by a clear purpose: helping people have a home, making their money work harder, and ensuring membership truly matters. Across the organisations that make up the group, there is a strong commitment to creating positive societal change and delivering real value to the communities we serve.”
Harvey added: “With businesses spanning financial services, technology, and property, the group is uniquely positioned to support people through some of life’s most important moments from buying their first home to saving for their future. I look forward to helping raise awareness of the crucial role mutuals play in society and contributing to the wider policy conversation.”