Spotlight on Mione Collins
Mione Collins
Head of Marketing & Corporate Affairs, Tasman Environmental Markets
How did you get started in corporate communications?
Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve always loved storytelling and writing, and after graduating uni with a media/communications degree, I began my career as a journalist at a magazine publishing company. Some of the many magazines I wrote for included employee magazines for companies (back when they were a thing) and that was my first foray into the world of internal/corporate communications.
I later moved to London and worked in various internal communications roles, and since then have had a number of different roles spanning internal communications, external communications, PR and marketing, mostly in financial services, and now the ESG space.
What does corporate communications entail at your organisation?
I currently head up the marketing and communications team at an environmental company called TEM. My team covers everything from internal communications, external communications, PR, events, social media, our website, advertising, SEO, branding, customer communications and marketing, to advising our customers on their sustainability related marketing/communications.
What aspects of corporate communications do you most enjoy, and why
I love the strategic aspects of corporate communications, especially creating company communications strategies and working with the C-suite to help make a difference. It’s so rewarding to see these strategies help achieve big, exciting company goals and, ultimately, achieve great outcomes for employees, stakeholders and customers (and in my current role – the environment and communities also). I really enjoy leading and mentoring teams as a key part of this.
I also enjoy the breadth and variety. One day you’ll be working with the CEO on a crisis response, the next moment an event, then a strategy for a new product launch, the next M&A communications, then a restructure or ESG strategy communications.
What advice would you give to communications professionals who are starting out in their career?
Invest time in building relationships. Communications is all about people. When you’re starting out, it can be easy to focus heavily on building your technical skills, but it’s important to spend time building relationships - the other aspects will happen over time. This helps you have your finger on the pulse of an organisation so you can operate more strategically and often helps you to get your next role.
Be curious and ask questions. Get to know as much as possible about your company and its goals, plus how employees and other key stakeholders feel and what their key issues are.
Read widely/ stay on top of trends. The world of communications is changing all the time, so it’s good to stay on top of the trends as much as possible. This could mean listening to podcasts, reading blogs, attending conferences or following influential people in the industry on LinkedIn. It’s also important to read beyond just the corporate communications world – there’s so much we can learn from other fields.
Build your professional network. Networking isn’t always something people love doing, but it’s so valuable. I love getting to know other similar professionals and hearing their perspectives, and learn so much this way.
Tell us about some great communication resources to help people stay connected and informed in the industry
Being part of the IABC and utilising their resources and going along to their events
For internal communications: The All things IC website and Rachel Miller’s great new internal communications book
LinkedIn