John Burns has been appointed CEO of the Communicorp-owned radio station 98FM. Burns joins the station from Diageo where he worked on the Guinness brand as communications and content lead for Europe as well as leading the strategy and P&L for the new innovations from Guinness including Hop House 13. Before holding this role, Burns acted as global strategy and communications manager for Baileys and Guinness marketing manager.
According to Gervaise Slowey, group CEO & director of Communicorp Group, “John will be a great appointment for 98FM. His experience mixes both strong traditional marketing strategy with the techniques and thinking of next generation marketing. He is a leader with many years’ management experience and strong commercial ability and I have no doubt he will continue to drive 98FM’s growth.”
“It’s exciting to lead the hugely successful team at 98FM at a time when the station is experiencing growth in listenership. 98FM is a big part of the fabric of this city and has kept Dubliners engaged, entertained, and talking for over 25 years. I look forward to working with the team here to bring continued success to Dublin’s favourite radio station,” says John Burns.
Communicorp has also appointed Caroline Reynolds as COO for the Communicorp Group. Reynolds joined Communicorp in July 2014 as director of acquisition & investment assessing and identifying opportunities for the group. Since January 2015, Caroline has worked closely with many of the companies across Communicorp supporting their management teams. In her new role as COO, she will be responsible for planning, directing and implementing group wide initiatives and business strategies, working closely with Communicorp senior management and the company’s CEOs. Prior to joining Communicorp, Reynolds held the position of head of corporate finance with Digicel in Jamaica.
“Caroline’s appointment to the role of Group COO is an important one for Communicorp. She has been instrumental in developing our strategic direction over the last few years and having worked with our business units, she has a deep understanding of our business,” says Gervaise Slowey.
