Hugh Gillanders is a communications, issues management, public affairs specialist with over 25 years experience in the industry advising at the most senior levels.

He held the position of Director of Public Affairs for Europe for GE (General Electric) based in Brussels from 2009. Previously he held the position as Vice President - Communications for GE Money’s EMEA region leading the company’s communications and engagement strategies across 25 countries.

Prior to joining GE he was Chief Operations Officer for Europe for Edelman, having held the position of Managing Director of the firms Irish operations for five years. Hugh has counseled leading national/international companies and business leaders as well as Government departments and state bodies. His areas of expertise are in corporate and financial communications, crisis and issues management, public and social affairs and stakeholder engagement. Award winning campaigns included; the Irish Government’s KnowRacism campaign, Citizen Traveller and the IPO of Telecom Eireann. Together with University College Dublin’s Social Research Unit he produced one of the first reports and pieces of research into attitudes towards CSR in Ireland.

He held the position of Chairman of the Public Relations Consultants Association of Ireland for two years. He has also acted as a judge for the Business2Arts Awards and the European SABRE Awards.