Jane Lawrie

Global Head of Corporate Affairs
KPMG
UK

Jane Lawrie joined KPMG in the newly-created role of global head of corporate affairs towards the end of 2019 after leaving Tesco, where she had been communications chief since 2016.

Lawrie – who was the recipient of a SABRE award for Individual Achievement in 2021 – sits on KPMG’s global management team and reports to global chairman and chief executive Bill Thomas, who said at the time of her appointment: “With over 25 years' experience in helping organizations protect and grow their reputation, Jane brings with her a wealth of experience in corporate, digital and employee communications, public policy and sustainability.”

Continuing that focus on sustainability, Lawrie and her team are instrumental in supporting KPMG’s ‘Our Impact’ plan; commenting on the 2023 update, she said: “Our aim is to make ESG the watermark of the business, running though everything we do. It takes commitment and time and there’s some way to go, but I’m very happy that we are heading in the right direction.”

Lawrie’s 30-year communications career has seen her lead communications and corporate affairs at a string of global brands. Between 2016 and 2019, she was a member of the executive committee at Tesco, where she led the group communications function through the company’s turnaround, overseeing the board’s corporate responsibility committee and establishing a new sustainability program.

Throughout her experience, Lawrie has focused on stewarding businesses to make the right decisions to protect and shape reputation, overseeing the full spectrum of transformation from policy decisions through to digital investments. Prior to Tesco, Lawrie spent almost a decade with Coca-Cola, where she was public affairs and communications director for Europe, and has also held senior roles at Diageo and Boots.