GREAT Britain & Northern Ireland Campaign appoints Kate Taylor Tett as new Director

The Government Communication Service has confirmed the appointment of Kate Taylor Tett as the new Director of the GREAT Britain & Northern Ireland campaign.

Taylor Tett’s appointment follows a rigorous recruitment process led by Gatenby Sanderson with hundreds of applications from within Government and the private sector.

As Director, Taylor Tett will be responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of the GREAT campaign which promotes the UK as a world-leading destination for business, tourism and education in over 150 countries. 

Central to Taylor Tett’s vision for GREAT is strengthening and expanding the campaign’s partnerships with organisations and individuals from across the private sector, to help promote the very best of the UK. The campaign has previously partnered with the likes of the BBC, British Airways, the Premier League, Universal Music and Darktrace as well as a host of small businesses and high profile individuals.

Commenting on her appointment, Taylor Tett said: 

“I am honoured to have been chosen as the Director of GREAT. It has never been more important to project a consistent and compelling image of the UK on the world stage. As part of my vision for the campaign I’m keen we work closely with more private sector partners to showcase the full breadth of creativity and innovation the UK has to offer. I urge individuals and companies to get involved, join the campaign and help us to encourage the world to ‘see things differently’.

Ewan Venters, Chair of the GREAT Private Sector Council and a member of the selection committee said: “

GREAT is a proven national success story consistently delivering an astonishing ROI of 15:1 and punching above its weight on the world stage. Kate’s experience both in the private sector and government equips her well to navigate the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for the GREAT campaign and ensure its continuing success’.

Simon Baugh, Chief Executive of the Government Communication Service said:

“GREAT is a tremendous British success story. The fact that the French Government recently cited GREAT as the inspiration behind their new “Choose France” campaign is a demonstration both of our success and the need for us to constantly innovate to stay ahead of the competition. Kate is the perfect person to take GREAT to the next level.”

Prior to her new appointment, Taylor Tett was Deputy Director of GREAT in which role she led the successful rebranding of GREAT with the new brand proposition ‘See Things Differently’. The campaign invites an international audience not only to see the UK in a fresh light but also highlights the UK’s creativity and innovation, resulting from a diversity of viewpoints, opinions and experiences.

Prior to joining GREAT in 2020, Taylor Tett was Marketing Director at House of Fraser and also spent ten years at AMV BBDO. 

Taylor Tett has taken up her new role of Director with immediate effect, hosting a reception at Number 10 last week. The reception was attended by UK celebrities including Stephen Fry and Dame Joan Collins as well as leading figures from the world of business, entertainment, sports, hospitality, music and the arts. 

The GREAT Britain & Northern Ireland campaign is an apolitical programme which exists to enhance UK reputation and drive economic growth across the nation by encouraging an international audience to visit, study, trade and invest in the UK. Established in 2011, GREAT promotes the best of the UK in over 150 countries around the world. Since its launch, GREAT has consistently generated a strong return on investment averaging 15:1.

The campaign is advised by the GREAT Private Sector Council, an advisory council of CEOs from some of the UK’s leading businesses and organisations including the Premier League, BBC, British Airways, HSBC, the British Fashion Council and Adam & Eve DDB. GREAT is also supported by a huge network of influential individuals as part of the GREAT Ambassadors programme. These individuals give their time to support the campaign in a variety of ways, including providing advice and advocacy, image rights, content creation and supporting specific events and projects. In the last 18 months, David Beckham OBE, Stephen Fry, Dina Asher-Smith, Nadiya Hussein MBE, Katherine Jenkins OBE, Sir Ben Ainslie CBE, Thomas Heatherwick CBE, Rio Ferdinand OBE, Gordon Ramsay OBE, Dame Joan Collins DBE and Barbara Broccoli CBE, among others, have all directly supported GREAT.