ELENA DI CESARE

Head of Internal Communication, Employee Engagement, Change

Management Expert
e. dic es ar e1 4 @ gm ai l . c om

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Ms. Di Cesare is an exceptional communicational professional. Her experience in international blue-chip corporates
has served SJIU well in identifying its desired targets. She has an excellent capacity for learning and assimilating
information rapidly and adapts to any environment. She is able to engage and influence at Board level and is equally
comfortable with mentoring junior team members. Her strategies are visionary, she considers corporate history in
developing future scenarios, conducts accurate research, evaluates risks and is meticulous in her execution. She is
inclusive and flexible extremely loyal to her employer who adapts her communication content so that it engages
individuals at all levels of the corporation. Ms. Di Cesare is ethical, mature and poised. She is articulate, focused and
has an appropriate sense of humor even under pressure. It has been a pleasure working with her and I highly
recommend her to any future employer. Dr. Allen C. Meadors, Higher Education Executive.

See more at http://www.linkedin.com/in/internalcommunicationsexpert

PROFILE
Native English speaker with 15+ years of success in high profile, international organisations &
leading global agency. Multicultural experience gained across complex stakeholder matrixes.
Strong on strategy but also hands-on.
Excellent relationship-building capabilities across business. Experience in managing global
teams, budgets and agencies, as well as starting up internal communications functions from
scratch. EU citizen, actively seeking new role in Europe thats better suited to skill set and
experience. Able to relocate within 30 days - willing to travel.
Results include:

Meeting Challenging Targets: Building relationships with senior stakeholders and partnering with
business to engage 39,000 employees and acquire 10m customers for Barclays Africa during a global
economic downturn and Group-wide downsizing. Target achieved in 2009.

Talent Retention: Increasing talent retention by 45% when leading HR Communications during
Barclays acquisition of Absa and the move of the formers African operations from Dubai to
Johannesburg (culture & operational change).

Increasing Productivity: Transitioning Africas largest power utility (Eskom) from a parastatal entity
(low productivity) to being One of the Top Five Utilities in the World (a stated target) by engaging
40,000+ employees across its African, South American, European & Asian operations.

Supporting Expansion & Change: Successfully supporting the expansion of Africas largest mobile
phone provider (MTN Group) into Africa, the Middle East and Cyprus. management of in-country
resources and creation of digital Communication Centre of Excellence to promote a dynamic, Groupwide knowledge sharing platform & adopt best-practice.

Supporting Expansion & Change: Gaining the buy-in of employees for the expansion of Italys largest
mobile phone provider (Telecom Italia) across Africa and the Middle East.

Winning Awards: Volunteering to manage additional communication portfolios that werent covered
due to budget & staff cuts; these include: HR, I.T. Sustainability, CSR, Corporate Affairs & Innovation
communications (Barclays Africa). Securing the Most Innovative Bank in Africa award by identifying the
event as an opportunity to position the bank and leading the submission process.

High-Level Project Management: Leading the task teams for the hosting of the Ninth United Nations
Conference on Trade & Development & related exhibition: 5,000 international delegates. See more at
http://www.elenadicesare.com
PROFESSIONAL SKILL SET in alphabetical
order

Agency briefing & management

Annual & financial results reporting
Best-company-to-work-for & other surveys
Budget management
CEO, CFO, COO communications
Change management communications
Content writer & editor (digital & print)
Corporate Coaching (International Coaching

Federation)

- Digital channels communications (implementation

- Innovation
- Intranet front-end architecture & contents
- Marketing & brand communications
- Media strategies & management (advanced)
- Measurement metrics & analysis
- Project management (high-level)
- Quality Management (ISO 9001 2008)
- Reputation management & crisis
communications
- Research & international benchmarking

& contents)

- Employee engagement (global)

- Event planning & management
- Executive communication counsel, coaching &
support
- Internal communication strategies &
implementation (global)

- Social media management (advanced)

- Spokesperson
- Stakeholder relations
- Supplier management
- Team & talent management, performance
management, succession planning

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
Jan. 2014 to date: Head of Internal Communication, St. John International University, an
American University in Turin, Italy: Employees: 64 | Students: 250 | EMUNI University Network
partner | 206 global members & 97 partner academic institutions. Responsible for developing and
executing internal communication strategies to engage Board members, managers, employees,
faculty and students in positioning the University as a leading global higher education institution. Chair
of the Board, CFO and the President & CEO communication support. Achievements: secured dualdegree agreements with other leading universities and fostered collaborative ties with the EMUNI University
Network and the Union for the Mediterranean.
Reason for wanting to leave: Contract assignment. Seeking a more challenging and complex
role thats better suited my skill set and international experience.
20122013: Chief Internal Communication Advisor, Eskom (Africas largest power utility) |
40,000+ employees | Africa, South America, Europe, India.
Engaged 40,000+ employees and supported the transition from a parastatal power utility (low
productivity) to operating as a competitive global organisation (change management communications):
Challenges included: silo operations, limited communication channels, varying literacy levels and a 471,000
square miles national footprint. Responsible for communication channels planning, selection and
contents. Supported the achievement of ISO 9001:2008 certification across Africa, South America, Europe
and India. (Step 1 in becoming one of the Top Five utilities in the world) by the target date. Improved
internal brand awareness by 62 percent. Set up a digital, best-practice Communication Centre
of Excellence platform to engage and align 18 global resources. Drove all regional & global
communications. Responsible for budget, agency and supplier management. Provided executive
communication counsel and support. Divisional spokesperson.
Reason for leaving: Contract assignment; subsequent emigration to northern Italy due to
personal security concerns associated with living in Johannesburg.
20082011: Senior Internal Communications Manager, Barclays Africa (previously Absa Bank) |
39,000 employees | 14.2m customers |Botswana, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania,
Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Responsible for communication channels planning, selection and contents. Crafted and
implemented employee communication strategies and worked with regional teams to gain buy-in for the
banks goal to acquire 10m customers target achieved in 2009
- global economic crisis
notwithstanding. Coached executives, teams and employees through major organisational change.
Increased talent retention by 45 percent. Led the HR communication team from 2010 to 2011
during Barclays acquisition of Absa and the relocation of the formers operation from Dubai to Johannesburg
(organisational & culture change). Volunteered to manage additional communication portfolios, i.e.
Sustainability, CSR, Corporate Affairs, IT & Innovation (not covered due to staff & budget cuts).
Provided communication counsel and support to the CEO, CFO, COO & Head of HR. Responsible
for writing and producing the Group Annual Report. Worked closely with Brand, Marketing, Media,
External Communications and Stakeholder Relations teams. Led a team of 8 senior & 12 mid-senior
resources. Acted as Group media spokesperson. Tasked with performance management and succession
planning. Responsible for agency, supplier & budget management.
Reason for leaving: Headhunted by Eskom upward career move to Head of Internal
Communications.
20072008: Independent Internal Communication Specialist, MTN Group | Africas largest mobile
telephony provider | Main sponsor of the FIFA Worldcup 2010 | 25,000 employees | Afghanistan,
Afghanistan, Botswana, Benin, Cameroon, Cte dIvoire, Cyprus, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Republic
of Guinea, Iran, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, South Sudan, Swaziland, Syria,
Uganda, Yemen, Zambia.
Headhunted to lead the internal communication and change management communication teams during
MTNs expansion into Africa, Cyprus, and the Middle East. Influenced the expansion strategy with
research and by harnessing cultural diversity across footprint. Guided the change management process to
adopt an inclusive, participative management approach to the Groups expansion. MTN is quoted as one
of the most successful expansion strategies globally as a result. Provided communication support at
CEO and Exco levels. Profiled these in leading industry-related global publications, e.g. The Financial Mail
(media roundtables). Responsible for communication channels planning, selection and contents.
Drafted and implemented internal communication strategy across footprint. Worked closely with
Investor Relations, Media, Brand, Marketing and Stakeholder Relations teams. Acted as Group
spokesperson. Led a team of 15 senior regional resources. Responsible for budget and agency management.
Reason for leaving: Contract assignment.
20052007: Account Director, Bairds CMC | Edelman the leading independent global PR firm |
66 offices | 4,5OO employees worldwide | affiliates in 30+ cities.
Joined Bairds CMC agency to gain exposure to its affiliate partner - Edelman - the leading independent
global PR firm. Account Director for Barclays, Anglo Platinum (the worlds largest producer of platinum),
BHP Billiton (multinational mining, metals and petroleum company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia)
MTN Group and Tsogo Sun Hotel Group. Led integrated communication, media & PR campaigns.
Achievements: drafted and implemented the global FIFA World Cup 2010 sponsorship strategy for
MTN Group (events main global sponsor); launched and managed the South African leg of the global
2

Brandstorm competition for L'Oral; minimised negative media coverage for Anglo Platinum and BHP Billiton
during prolonged, country-wide mass action and strikes. Provided CEO and spokesperson
communication counsel and drastically improved leadership visibility and employee
engagement in these organisations. Responsible for communication channels planning,
selection and contents and annual results reporting. Led 4 mid-senior resources and was responsible
for supplier and budget management.
Reason for leaving: To make a greater internal communication impact by working within
organisations, rather than through an agency.

20012004: Independent Communication Specialist, GESENU & the Italian Trade Agency |
freelance.
Led integrated communication, media, event and PR campaigns. Achievements: raised Gruppo
Gesenu's national media profile by 75 percent and bolstered visibility and international trade links for the
Italian Trade Commission by 37 percent. Responsible for communication channels planning, selection
and contents, global marketing, advertising and brand campaigns.
Reason for leaving: Better upward career prospects in Johannesburg, South Africa.
1999-2000: Communications Director, Events Dynamic Corporation | Founding partner | Major
global clients.
Secured major clients e.g. RAI International Television (Italys national broadcasting authority), the Southern
Equatorial Ferrari Club, Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) [managing authority for O.R. Tambo
International Airport Johannesburg, Cape Town International Airport; King Shaka International Airport,
Durban; Braam Fischer International Airport; So PauloGuarulhos International Airport, Brazil; Chhatrapti
Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai, India]; Aeroporti di Roma & global luxury brands. Led change
management communication team post Aeroporti di Romas majority share purchase of ACSA.
Created and implemented integrated communication, media, PR & event campaigns that brought
US$ 4.7m in revenue to the company over 2 years. Achievements: successful live launch of the RAI
television network in Sub-Saharan Africa before a 2,000-strong audience (high-level project
management); launch of the Airports Company South Africas retail promotion (exceeded clients
airport retail target by US$ 2.5m with only 20 working days to implement the campaign across
all airports). Led 8 senior resources in this role and managed contractors, suppliers, agencies and a US$
2.5m budget.,
Reason for leaving: Returned to Italy to nurse and support terminally ill father.
19971998: Internal Communications Director, Telecom Italia, Johannesburg | Italys largest
fixed and mobile telephony provider | 38,000 employees.
Headhunted to lead the internal communication teams during the Groups expansion into Africa
and the Middle East. Provided high-level communication counsel to the Country Director and
influenced the expansion strategy through research and communication best practice. Responsible
for communication channels planning, selection and contents, marketing and brand
communications. Acted as Regional Spokesperson. Led 3 mid-senior national resources and 8 midsenior regional resources. Tasked with agency, supplier and budget management.
Reason for leaving: Johannesburg-based operation closed down.
19951996: International Marketing Manager, Gallagher Convention Centre, seat of the PanAfrican Congress
Offered a communication role in the Office of the late President Nelson Mandela, which role was
frozen due to budget cuts after the first democratic election. Sought a communication role that would allow
me to use my diplomatic protocol training, international networking & project management skills.
Led the 25 member task team for the hosting of the Ninth United Nations Conference on Trade
& Development (UNCTAD IX); 5,000 international delegates, including Heads of State. Responsible for
communication
channels
planning,
selection
and
contents,
marketing
and
brand
communications. Managed a US$ 4m budget, suppliers, contractors and agencies. Prior to this role,
I was actively involved in the human rights movement in South Africa and was seconded to the
governments Transitional Executive Council (TEC) during the countrys transition to a fullyfledged democracy. Part of the communication task team for the reincorporation of the then
Bantu homelands into South Africa.

EDUCATION
B.A. degree, University of
Pretoria, (South Africa) 1994:
Psychology & Sociology majors

TRAINING
Advanced Media Management

LANGUAGES
English: native proficiency

English major, University of

Pretoria, 1995

Advanced Social Media

Management

Italian: native proficiency

ILS Master Coach, ICF

accreditation; honoured with the
Corporate Coach of the Year
award in 2011

French, basic proficiency

WORDPROCESSING - SOFTWARE - TECHNOLOGY SKILL SET

Adobe PageMaker Apple Mac - iWeb - MS Office OpenOffice - Social media platforms Web applications

I asked some of my past colleagues to define me in one word some used more.
Great interaction
& passion for
what you do.

Quick grasp of
complex
material.

S. Ralarala, Marketing
& Communication
Manager, Council for
Scientific & Industrial
Research

Dr. Julie MacLiam,

Group
Communication
Manager, Life
Healthcare

Integrity.
Ruben Platt.
Corporate Affairs
Manager, Sasol
Shared Services

Respect for all

races &
cultures.
Penny Naidoo,
Communication
Manager, Rand
Merchant Bank

Insight.
Jeff Hudson, Head
Market Delivery,
Barclays Africa

INTERESTS
personal development |philanthropy | sustainability | innovation & technology | photography | fiction &
screenplay writing | hiking |cycling.