In today’s fast-paced and interconnected world, effective communication has become more important than ever for businesses to succeed. With the abundance of information available, companies worldwide struggle to develop impactful communication strategies that can cut through the noise and reach their target audience. As a result, the need for expert communicators who can craft compelling messaging and effectively deliver it has become increasingly crucial to business success. Modern communication requires several aspects, including agility, relevance, detail, and passion. Therefore, to stand out in public and media relations translates to being categorised amongst the “special ones”.
This can be said about Reynolds American Inc.’s recent appointee, Senior Manager for Science Communications, Eneya Phiri. Eneya, a Zambian communications expert, was recently appointed to Reynolds American’s Corporate Communications division based at their headquarters in North Carolina, USA. Reynolds is the largest portfolio and U.S. HQof the British American Tobacco Group.
Eneya is an award-winning communications strategist with more than a decade of experience crafting impactful communication strategies across various sectors. He has excelled in brand building, media relations, crisis communications, and digital communications integration for multiple organisations. His acumen in content creation and media strategy has secured features on international platforms like CNN, BBC, and Al Jazeera English, driving global conversations with the likes of the UN’s Deputy Secretary General and President Hakainde Hichilema.
Many in the public relations community remember Eneya as the face of WWF or FSDZ, where he was head of communications at both. Those in the telecom fraternity will remember him for his exposure to Liquid Intelligent Technologies, where he was Senior Manager for Public Relations on behalf of the APO Group, Cassava Technologies’ (Liquid’s parent company) appointed PR Agency. Eneya is also familiar as the face and brand ambassador for NOVACOM Summits, the annual, invite-only tech summit uniting titans in the industry like Google and Microsoft for Africa’s digital future.
Financial Insight had the rare opportunity to engage “EP”, as we fondly know him, to get a perspective on the evolution of his career from Non-Profit to Big Tobacco.
The following is an extract from our conversation.
On intern life at a global organisation – The first big break
“I started my career as an intern working for a UN-funded project under the Global Scaling up Nutrition Movement coordinated by UN–WFP. The project (which later evolved into a standalone global United Nations programme) focusedon public health concerns, primarily adolescent malnutrition levels. I was working in advocacy and communications to drive messaging about improved nutrition for mothers and their young children. A key achievement for me in this space was progressing from intern to head of communications and advocacy, eventually serving as the Civil Society representative on the technical committee that reviewed and repealed the National Food and Nutrition Act of 1967 to make it more responsive in the fight against chronic malnutrition in Zambia. The Act was signed into law in 2020”.
Pursuing passion in global organisations
“I moved to the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) as head of communications. There, I discovered my passion for environmental protection. In my role, I managed global campaigns around climate action and engaged with local and international communities to influence positive change for the environment.
I was proud to lead a global campaign aimed at safeguarding the Luangwa River as part of efforts to protect our planet’s biodiversity and manage water resources sustainably. By conceptualising a compelling narrative and securing international media coverage alongside domestic lobbying efforts, we were able to mobilise over 100,000 signatures in a petition against the proposed dam construction on the river (Luangwa is one of the last free-flowing rivers in the World), which ultimately led to a government decision to abandon the project. This successful campaign not only protected the river’s ecosystem but also raised awareness about the importance of sustainable environmental practices.”
Making a difference in Financial Inclusion – It’s about making an impact
“After WWF, I joined the UK-Aid-backed Financial Sector Deepening Network, where I worked on financial inclusion and how financial systems in Africa can help the most vulnerable. This was a new challenge for me, as I had to explain complex financial terms in an understandable and impactful way”.
“I led a team that developed innovative ways to make our communication effective, such as developing a radio programme that dramatised financial concepts. The results of this drama were astounding, with 97% of respondentspositively changing their financial lifestyle. The drama was so effective that, for the first time, the Central Bank of Zambia financed its expansion to reach a country-wide audience”.
Shaping the African Narrative
“In my recent work with the APO Group, I had the opportunity to engage with a wide range of organisations to tell a positive African story. I worked with the UN at multiple levels, spearheading several campaigns. One of which, the ‘I am Sahel Campaign’, aims to change the negative perceptions of the Sahel region. In this role, my task as a lead communications advisor was to amplify the positive stories and innovations emerging from the region, such as climate-smart agriculture and new technologies. The preliminary results of the campaign have been resounding, and audiences globally are beginning to appreciate the Sahel region positively”.
“As part of my work with UNDP, I worked on the outreach for the Africa Facility for Inclusive Transitions, which is designed to help African countries transition constitutionally from one government to another. One of my key highlights in this engagement was positioning the UN assistant Secretary General and head of UNDP in Africa on a global conversation with CNN, discussing the importance of democratic transitions of government for Africa’s prosperity. The interview happened at a time when there was transitional conflict in Sudan, so I had to carefully manage the discussionto drive a positive narrative about the continent”.
“In addition, as a lead Communications advisor for the UN Global Compact’s Global African Business Initiative (GABI), I led a team that developed the entire brand for the initiative from the ground up. GABI’s goal is to help Africa’s business landscape have a global presence that benefits African citizens”.
Overall, my journey in communications has been a testament to the power of impactful storytelling, constructive dialogue, and advocacy that inspires and influences positive transformational change on a global scale.
Reflecting on moving to ‘Big Tobacco’
“Of course, there has been a significant shift from my previous work to the tobacco industry, and some, have questioned whether it was the right move given my professional history. However, in understanding my role, throughout the stringent recruitment process, I discovered that the tobacco industry is changing drastically”.
“The industry is leading the journey towards potentially less harmful products, reducing its impact on the environment, and championing many social, governance and health efforts. As Senior Manager for Science Communications, my role is to communicate these ESG credentials and the efforts that British American Tobacco, known as Reynolds in America, is undertaking in science-proven alternatives to migrate 50 million adult combustible consumers to non-combustible products by 2030”.
“This aligns with my passions, as a key element of my work is unpacking technical information into transformativecommunication that creates understanding and positive action. This is what I have been doing for the past 10+ yearsin my career. It is an exciting time, a new journey into corporate America, and I hope that my expertise and experience will benefit the industry going forward.”
