Sian Jarvis

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Twenty-pound-notes.jpg This article is part of the Lobbying Portal, a sunlight project from Spinwatch.
Revolving Door.jpg This article is part of the Revolving Door project of Spinwatch.


Sian Jarvis is a former director-general for communications at the UK Department of Health (DoH). She joined supermarket giant Asda in November 2011 after 12 years in the civil service. [1]

Jarvis was appointed Asda's group director of communications and public affairs. She stepped down from this role in January 2013. PR Week reported that Jarvis would continue to work with Asda as a consultant supporting their strategic communications sector. [2]

Revolving door

Asda was heavily involved in the DoH’s flagship healthy eating programme, Change4Life. The £250 million anti-obesity scheme, which Ms Jarvis oversaw, gave money-off vouchers for healthy products that could be redeemed on Asda’s own-brand food.

According to the Daily Mail, Jarvis left the DoH 'amid rumours of infighting as Health Secretary Andrew Lansley attempted to introduce reforms'.

Last night an Asda spokeswoman said the Cabinet Office had cleared Ms Jarvis’s appointment.

She said: ‘Sian’s appointment has been scrutinised by the business appointments committee in the normal way. It is satisfied there is no conflict of interest and has cleared her. There is a two-year ban on lobbying Ministers that applies to all senior civil servants, which safeguards against any potential conflicts.’[1]

Resources

Notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 Health spin doctor joins Asda... The supermarket that backed her £250m anti-obesity drive, Daily Mail.co.uk, 13 November 2011, acc Nov 2011
  2. Alec Mattinson Asda comms chief Sian Jarvis steps down PR Week, 17 January 2013, accessed 26 February 2015