DUSSELDORF—Metro Group is combining its corporate communications and public policy functions in a single group under the current group director corporate public policy Michael Wedell. Wedell joined Metro Group in 2009 as the founding director of the group’s office in Berlin and has been responsible for the group’s global interests and foreign affairs since 2014. Wedell continues to report to Olaf Koch, chairman of the management board of Metro AG. Rüdiger Stahlschmidt, currently director external communications of Metro AG, will be heading corporate communications within the new group, taking on responsibility for internal and external communications. He will report to Wedell.

LONDON—TVC has won a three-way pitch to lead summer campaign activity for Heathrow Express, the train link between Heathrow and central London. TVC will implement an integrated campaign across earned, owned and paid channels, aimed at an ABC1 audience and focussed on the speed and convenience of the service which carries 16,000 passengers a day on the 15-minute journey between Heathrow and Paddington.

LONDON—Tullett Prebon, one of the world’s leading interdealer brokers, has appointed Rebecca Shelley as global head of corporate affairs. Shelley was previously group corporate affairs director at Tesco and group communications director at Prudential. She also spent four years as a partner at Brunswick. The appointment comes ahead of the completion of Tullett Prebon’s anticipated acquisition of the ICAP global hybrid voice broking and information business later this year.

NEUCHATEL—EPCR, the organiser of the European Rugby Champions Cup and Challenge Cup, has appointed Martyn Hindley as head of communications and public relations. Hindley joins from European football's governing body, UEFA, where he was corporate communications specialist after a previous role developing multi-platform content. Earlier, he was a BBC cricket correspondent.

LONDON—Hanover has reappointed Daniel Gilbert as a senior policy adviser, following a 14-month period as special adviser in the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, serving the Minister of State for Universities & Science Jo Johnson. Gilbert was previously a senior account director at Hanover.

OXFORD—CubanEight has been appointed by Selligent, a leading independent provider of one-to-one relationship engagement solutions for marketers, as it ramps up its focus on the UK market. CubanEight's UK campaign will focus on building trust and credibility, rising brand awareness and supporting sales leads. The Selligent team will be led by Annabel Parkinson-Lee, account director.

LONDON—Aspectus, a communications agency serving the energy, financial services, technology and engineering sectors, has promoted Laura Iley to the role of head of energy. Iley joined the company in 2013. She was previously head of oil and gas at Aspectus.

JOHANNESBURG—Tribeca Public Relations has added global performance improvement specialist FranklinCovey South Africa, which provides training and coaching to organisations across public and private sectors and will also be hosting international trust expert Stephen Covey at a conference in October.

LONDON—So What Global, a specialist PR and marketing communications group in the health, wellbeing and lifestyle space, has formed a strategic partnership with patient engagement expert Kathy Redmond to help healthcare companies make the most out of patient centric opportunities. So Patient will draw on its patient engagement know-how and access to a network of patient opinion leaders, while Redmond brings 20 years of experience in patient relations, notably in oncology.

DUBAI—APO, a leading press release wire in Africa, is launching MENA Wire, a new press release distribution and monitoring service dedicated to the Middle East and North Africa. The MENA Wire distribution network reaches influential print media, broadcasters, websites, blogs and social media in 18 countries, with a potential reach of 250 million people in the Middle East and North Africa.