Is it a surprise PRs are getting top marketing jobs?

When John Lewis announced its director of comms Peter Cross had been promoted to director of customer experience, a few eyebrows were raised.
After all, John Lewis is a brand built on advertising. So the decision to turn to its most senior PR to help lead its marketing department was a bold one.
Two years ago, Linkedin made a similar move when it promoted Shannon Stubo from VP of corporate communications to chief marketing officer. At the same time it brought its comms function into the marketin