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GENEVA – Rebecca Lowell Edwards, who has been with the International Olympic Committee for the past 18 months·· has joined Schneider Electric as the company's first global communications chief.
In his new effort, which begins today, Edwards will initially focus on expanding the communications capabilities of Paris-based Schneider, with a focus on building the global profile of the energy management giant and its executives. She also plans to expand the department by hiring new employees.
Edwards said Schneider's commitment to energy-efficient systems will be at the heart of her efforts. "This is a pivotal moment for the company and a pivotal moment for [the planet] because one of the biggest issues we have to address is climate change," she said.
Edwards will stay in Switzerland until next summer, where she will watch her children spend the school year before moving to her home state of Massachusetts. A key factor in Edwards' departure from the IOC was her ability to get closer to her mother, who was suffering from cancer.
During his tenure as IOC's Director of Strategic Communications, Edwards worked on the development and implementation of a new communications strategy. Prior to that, she held several leadership positions at General Electric.
Schneider's recent focus on public relations is the latest step in implementing a system to measure its impact on business. The company's extensive global network of internal and external PR vendors has included as many as 47 agencies.
As Schneider approaches its 200th birthday, Schneider is trying to further transform from a traditional supplier of products such as switches and relays to a technology-centric supplier of energy-efficient and intelligent power systems. Last November, the company hired H+K Strategy to drive its global PR strategy, while Text100 was responsible for Schneider's operations in the United States.
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