Marisha Leon
Strategic Communications & Corporate Reputation | Mining & Natural Resources
Professional Status
Freelancer
Available
About Me
Senior communications professional with 10+ years of experience across international corporate communications, public relations and journalism, including six years leading communications for a global mining business across Europe and West Africa. Experienced in aligning communications with business priorities, advising and supporting senior leaders, managing reputationally sensitive issues, and translating complex operational, technical, commercial and ESG topics into clear narratives for diverse stakeholders. Proven ability to coordinate cross-functional teams and international agencies, develop executive messaging, and deliver communications across multilingual and culturally diverse environments.
REGIONAL COMMUNICATIONS LEAD, EUROPE & WEST AFRICA
Nordgold
Since 2020
Full-time
Remote / Serbia
- Led regional corporate, external and executive communications across a complex international mining business, partnering with headquarters and operational teams across Europe, Russia, Kazakhstan and West Africa.
- Developed and delivered regional communications strategies aligned with business priorities, corporate reputation objectives and operational developments, maintaining coherent narratives across multiple markets and stakeholder groups.
- Advised and supported senior leaders on positioning and leadership communications, preparing key messages, talking points, Q&As, briefing packs, presentations, speeches and interview materials for high-level engagements.
- Managed sensitive communications related to operational disruptions, regulatory developments, safety issues, environmental concerns and community tensions, coordinating inputs across leadership and relevant functions.
- Partnered with Legal, Operations, Government Relations, ESG, Community Relations, HR and HSE to assess communications risks, align messaging and support accurate, timely responses to complex issues.
- Led media relations across English- and French-speaking markets, identifying news opportunities, developing story angles and coordinating press materials, interviews and journalist engagement.
- Managed relationships with international PR agencies in London and Paris, aligning communications priorities, story development, media outreach and market-specific execution.
- Supported 4+ senior leadership visits and high-level engagement programmes annually through strategic messaging, briefing materials, media content and event communications.
- Coordinated communications professionals and local contributors across a regional portfolio of up to six operations, including three mining operations in Guinea and Burkina Faso; supported consistent messaging across headquarters and site-level teams.
- Developed corporate narratives and communications materials on business, operational, sustainability and community topics, translating complex information into accessible content for different stakeholder groups.
- Delivered 100+ multimedia assets across video, photography, editorial content, interviews, podcasts and digital communications, working in English, French and Russian.
Selected strategic communications projects
- Corporate and market-facing communications: Prepared IPO-related communications materials in collaboration with London-based PR agency Powerscourt, supporting corporate storytelling and media engagement.
- Crisis and issues communications: Supported communications relating to the Taparko operation in Burkina Faso, including sensitive operational and security-related issues.
- Executive and operational storytelling: Led the development of a documentary about the transition to underground mining in Guinea, taking the project from concept to final production despite having no initial production budget.
- Cross-cultural communications: Adapted messaging and formats for diverse workforces and communities, using local-language support and visual storytelling where appropriate.
- Developed and delivered regional communications strategies aligned with business priorities, corporate reputation objectives and operational developments, maintaining coherent narratives across multiple markets and stakeholder groups.
JOURNALIST | CONTENT PRODUCER | MEDIA PROFESSIONAL
France Télévisions / France 2 Moscow Bureau, AVIVA Films / Studio TON Plus, Fashion Network, Health Publishing House and other editorial projects
2013
to 2020
Remote
France
- Built a strong foundation in editorial judgement, research, interviewing and narrative development across broadcast, digital, print and documentary formats.
- Researched, developed and wrote news stories, interviews, features and analytical content on business, public affairs and social topics.
- Interviewed experts, executives and public figures, translating complex subjects into clear and engaging stories for broad audiences.
- Developed story angles, scripts and editorial narratives, working to demanding deadlines and across different editorial formats.
- Contributed to documentary production and multimedia projects, coordinating research, interviews, scripting, footage and post-production.
- Worked across Russian-, English- and French-speaking environments, building the cross-cultural communication skills later applied to international corporate communications.
- Researched, developed and wrote news stories, interviews, features and analytical content on business, public affairs and social topics.