CBI announces shake up of senior team

The CBI has announced new appointments that will play key roles within its Executive Committee from 2022. Syma Cullasy-Aldridge joins as the Chief Campaign Director, with Deborah Fraser becoming Chief Commercial Director. 

Syma is joining the CBI in March from PUBLIC where she is currently Director of External Affairs and will oversee the organisation’s public affairs, communications, digital and marketing operations. Meanwhile, Deborah is promoted to the CBI’s top commercial role – beginning in January – having been a CBI director with responsibility for the regions, events and sponsorship. She joined the CBI in 2014.  Biographies are available in notes to the editor. 

John Foster has been appointed as Director of the CBI’s new Policy Unit (previously interim Chief Campaign Director), set up to respond to emerging and immediate policy crises.

Announcing the changes, Tony Danker, CBI Director-General, said:

“It’s an exciting time at the CBI as the strategic plans we have been working hard on begin to roll out, putting us in a great position to influence and best represent the views of businesses across the UK. 

“I’m delighted that we can strengthen our senior management team with impressive individuals who will bring creativity, drive and experience.

“The CBI’s role should be to take a more independent view; to speak for and to business; and seek to be the engine room of a more competitive, dynamic and future-focused UK economy.

“So, we are changing how we work to be as much about agency as we are about advocacy. We will continue to inform debate about local economic growth and we will launch our new Centre for Thriving Regions and Clusters programme, to show how this can be done.  

“We will keep arguing for government to publish details on implementing their net zero strategy, including hydrogen and carbon capture business models and, at the same time, enable every CBI member to assess and map out their path to net zero. We will call for a more radical skills policy to better match the publicly-funded supply side to the private sector demand side. Yet we will also mobilise business leaders around the subject of adult retraining where we are best placed to lead.  

“We will seize the moment and play our part too.” 

On her appointment as Chief Campaign Director, Syma said:

“I am excited to support UK businesses to not only overcome the challenges they face but to make the most of the opportunities in front of them too, attracting the right talent, investing in innovation and getting to net zero. I am looking forward to bringing a fresh perspective and way of thinking to deliver for our members and am thrilled to join an organisation that shares the vision and values I believe in."

On her appointment as Chief Commercial Director, Deborah said:

“I’ve been with the CBI for nearly eight years and it’s a privilege to now take on the role of Chief Commercial Director. I’ve worked in numerous roles here which give me a close insight into what our members need and expect from us. I’ll be continuing to operate from the southwest and want to ensure we keep representing members in every corner of the country. With plenty of exciting new ventures to come, I’m eager to build our membership base further and provide a top-class service to our existing members.”

Syma Cullasy-Aldridge 

Syma is currently Director of External Affairs at leading govtech consultancy, PUBLIC, working across the business to build campaigns, drive engagement and deliver events, including the GovTech Summit. Leading the team responsible for corporate affairs, advocacy and media, she maximises the impact of PUBLIC's research, programmes and expertise. Before joining PUBLIC, Syma held policy and communications roles across central government, including in the Cabinet Office and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. She also set up and ran the external engagement team in the Department for Exiting the European Union. She has worked in aerospace, defence, security and space as director of policy and communications in the industry’s trade association and is a trustee of the Taylor Bennett Foundation.    

Deborah Fraser 

Prior to her promotion, Deborah led the CBI’s Regions, SME and Events teams. She was responsible for representing members, keeping them informed, and delivering the membership offer. The teams respond to sector-led and regional policy requirements for SMEs (pan-UK), North East, North West, Yorkshire & Humber, Midlands and South West regions to ensure that businesses across the country have a strong voice within the CBI’s campaigns.

Deborah joined the CBI in 2014. Prior to her current role, Deborah was Regional Director for the SouthWest where she increased by half the CBI membership base. 
Before joining the CBI, Deborah amassed more than 15 years of experience running a profitable social enterprise, managing a regional branch of a national charity, and spent a number of years in the civil service.