BEIJING — RAND’s  Jeffrey Hiday has joined the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to lead communications, succeeding Bob Pickard who left last June.

As the bank’s global chief of communications, Hiday is charge with raising awareness and understanding of AIIB, its operations and mission among internal and external audiences. He will also serve as AIIB’s official spokesperson and provide counsel to senior management on public relations, communications, and brand and reputation management, the bank said.

Hiday joined AIIB after serving as RAND’s media relations director, as which he oversaw strategic planning and daily relations with global media and provided media training and coaching.

Before joining RAND in 2008, he was director general for external relations at the Asian Development Bank in Manila. Hiday also worked at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London as advisor to the president, speechwriter and head of media relations.

Hiday is filling a role that has been open since last June, when Bob Pickard resigned as AIIB’s global comms chief, saying that as “a patriotic Canadian, this was my only course.” At that time, Pickard, who joined AIIB in March 2022, alleged in a tweet that the bank was overly influenced by the Chinese Communist Party and has “one of the most toxic cultures imaginable.”

AIIB denied Pickard’s allegations, saying in a statement that his "recent public comments and characterization of the bank are baseless and disappointing."