IABC EMENA 2025-26 Board
Simon Cavendish, SCMP® (United Kingdom)
Chair
Simon is an internal communication, change and engagement consultant, and has been actively involved in IABC since 2019, most recently serving as Past President of the UK & Ireland chapter.
Since 2007, Simon has worked with a diverse range of global and multinational organisations in more than 20 countries, across four continents.
Never happier than when he’s supporting change programmes – the more complex, the better! – Simon has worked with, among others, E.ON, Transport for London, Freshfields, Springer Nature, and IKEA. Simon is based in London, UK.
Kathryn Kneller, SCMP® (France/United Kingdom)
Vice Chair
Kathryn Kneller SCMP has over 15 years’ experience helping leaders some of the world’s biggest companies to communicate more effectively. She has held senior comms roles at companies including AstraZeneca, Unilever, and Shell, and has helped two different CEOs to be named “Most Trusted by Employees” on Glassdoor while she was managing their internal communications.
She also runs Internal Comms Mastery, an online resource platform helping communications professionals to do great work, make an impact and build brilliant careers. As well as being a trained coach, she is a lecturer in both the history of advertising and in stakeholder relations at ISCOM, France’s top university for communications professionals.
She has a First in English Literature from Cambridge and splits her time between London and the Dordogne. Her great passions are travel, cooking, wine, live music, and her faithful dog Rosie.
You can connect with her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathrynkneller/ or visit www.icmastery.com.
Monique Zytnik (Germany)
Past Chair
Monique Zytnik is an award-winning, global internal communication leader based in Berlin, Germany. She’s worked internationally, presented on best-practice communication at world conferences, and guest lectured at universities. Her campaigns have been recognized by Gartner, Mumbrella CommsCon, and the Digital Communication Awards.
Monique regularly shares her knowledge through communication industry publications and podcasts, drawing on her in-house and consultancy work with organizations including ebay, DHL Group, SBS Radio Australia, and the LEGO Foundation. She is the author of Internal Communication in the Age of Artificial Intelligence published by Business Expert Press, May 2024.
Gloria Walker, IABC Fellow, ABC (United Kingdom)
Secretary-Treasurer
Gloria is an Associate Lecturer at the London College of Communication. She’s an experienced communications consultant in both internal and external communications. Positions both in-house and in agencies have equipped her with wide perspective of the role of communications.
Experienced in research and planning work, as well as implementation. Interested in project work that uses communications effectively to achieve business goals. She has a MA in Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin. She is currently serving as Secretary-Treasurer for both the region and the UK & Ireland chapter. Gloria is based in London, UK.
Natalie Bartley, (United Kingdom)
Board Director
Natalie Bartley is a senior internal communications professional with experience in complex, multinational financial services organisations.
She has led strategic, employee-focused communications to support engagement, transformation, and inclusion, partnering with senior leaders to bring clarity and connection to business priorities.
Natalie is passionate about inclusive storytelling and creating communications that resonate, build trust, and strengthen organisational culture.
Ruxandra-Laura Bosilca (Belgium)
Board Director
Ruxandra-Laura Bosilca, Ph.D. is a global communication leader with over a decade of experience across EU institutions, international nonprofits, and research organizations in five countries.
At IABC EMENA, Ruxandra served as Community Lead and Advisor to the Board in Belgium. In this role, she built and led a network of 70+ communication professionals, creating spaces for industry dialogue, peer learning, and career development. She is also a strong advocate for inclusive leadership and mentors emerging communicators from underserved communities.
Ruxandra lives in Brussels, where she continues to connect people and ideas through the power of communication.
Lucy Eckley (United Kingdom)
Board Director
Lucy Eckley is founder of The Leading Story, a consultancy specialising in change communication strategy and storytelling. With more than 20 years’ industry experience, Lucy has led communication strategies for numerous global change projects, mainly in the financial services and energy sectors.
Alongside her corporate work, she coaches in-house professionals and independent consultants to build a unique brand story that helps to advance their communication career. She is also a podcast host and regular speaker on change communication and storytelling.
Ilze Raath-Thorburn (Belgium)
Board Director
