Avril

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Head of Health & Wellness Europe,
Zeno, & Chair, CIPR’s D&I Network

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awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the CIPR

Avril is the Head of Health and Wellness Europe for Zeno, and Chair of the CIPR’s Diversity and Inclusion Network. She has over 25 years’ experience of protecting corporate reputations and building brands for health companies. She is passionate about improving health equity for diverse communities and is a Trustee of Doctors of the World UK, a charity that campaigns for health access for disenfranchised groups, and a member of Our Future Health’s DEI Advisory Board

Avril has campaigned for over 15 years to improve diversity and inclusion in the communications industry, working with the CIPR as well as great partners like BME PR Pros and the Taylor Bennett Foundation. Avril was recently awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the CIPR, who have also recognised her work in global health communications and DEI with the Sir Stephen Tallents Medal. In 2023 she gratefully received the inaugural BME Pros Award for Lifetime Achievement!

q&a

Why did you sign up to be a judge for The Pros Awards 2025?

Because now more than ever we must turn up for equality and fairness – and you meet such good people in this amazing community.

What Insta, LinkedIn or Tik Tok account should every comms pro follow and why?

frauds_pr on Insta!

What was your favourite PR/comms campaign from 2024 and why? 

Word on the Curb’s Giggs ‘dairy-free’ collaboration for Oatly. Based on compelling insights (many people who are lactose intolerant miss desserts, and that people of black heritage are 2x more likely to say they are lactose intolerant), creative activations like the pop-up ‘Giggs’ shop, limited edition custard, and fantastic social content made it a great campaign that engaged a diverse community. It was authentic, creative and a fresh approach to engagement by a food brand.

As always, we’ve got a great DJ booked for The Pros Awards award ceremony in September – what’s your dancefloor-filler request?

Cross The Tracks by Maceo and the Macks