Which? has parted company with its director of communications and campaigns, who has exited the organisation with no job to go to after just six months in the role.
Vickie Sheriff joined the self-proclaimed consumer champion in October last year from Heathrow Airport, where she was communications director. Prior to that Sheriff headed up global comms for Diageo; she has also worked for the Department of Transport, 10 Downing Street, the DTi and HM Forces.
A Which? spokeswoman said: “Vickie Sheriff has now left Which? to pursue other career opportunities. We thank her for her contribution to Which? and wish her every success in the future.”
Which? lays great store by its new campaigning strategy, with the likes of “calling time on nuisance calls”, “better banking”, “better pensions” and “fair energy prices” among its initiatives.
However, the organisation has not had it all its own way of late. Having built a reputation for fingering companies over rogue data practices, it was forced to admit that its own data house was far from in order.
In February the Information Commissioner’s Office launched an investigation into Which? after it confessed that an email sign-up process broke two data protection laws.
However, the ICO subsequently dropped its investigation, sparking accusations that the regulator had “bottled it”. Which? did admit that it had flouted the law but insisted it was a one-off “technical error”, a defence that the ICO swallowed.
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