How to you survive when your workplace is in crisis? How do you know when a work environment no longer serves you and it's time to leave? How can you hold on to what you believe is important when everything around you is in flux. Abigail Comber took over as Chief Marketing Officer six weeks before the pandemic began and the high street closed. Her decades of experience helped her navigate a time so unprecedented that the media wore out the word unprecedented. Listen in to hear how she stayed afloat and what she has learned about sticking to her values throughout her career.
Abigail is the Chief Marketing Officer at Cignpost Diagnostics and former CMO of Debenhams before the brand was sold to BooHoo. Prior to this Abigail enjoyed a 24-year career at British Airways (BA) where she has held senior marketing roles since 2002, notably excelling as Global Head of Brands and Marketing. In this role, Abigail was responsible for BA’s overall marketing strategy at a global level with a portfolio including Brand Strategy, Marketing, Customer Experience Design, Partnerships, Sponsorship, and Community Relations. She built BA’s brand strength to a 17-year high, with four consecutive years as a UK Consumer ‘Superbrand’. Abigail was the driving force behind the ‘Don’t Fly, Support Team GB’ campaign, commissioned by BA for their sponsorship of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games. This campaign was critically acclaimed has since been nominated as one of the best sponsorships of the last 25 years. She also pioneered customer programmes including ‘Marks and Spencer Buy on Board’ and ‘New Club World’, as well as delivering dynamic new digital service initiatives for the BA app. She lives in Surrey with her husband and is both a Fellow of the Marketing Society and Alumni of the Marketing Academy Fellowship.