Blanaid Colley is Managing Director of Policy Communications in Edelman’s Public and Government Affairs team in Brussels. She is a senior strategic advisor to global companies navigating complex reputational, regulatory and political environments across Europe and beyond. With over 30 years’ experience in strategic communications, she helps clients connect corporate reputation with stakeholder expectations to protect and grow their licence to operate.
Blanaid works with executive teams to shape compelling narratives, manage sensitive issues and communicate with authority in high-pressure settings – from regulatory flashpoints and media scrutiny to leadership transitions and societal debate. She has expertise across the food and drink, FMCG, healthcare, technology, transport and financial services sectors, supporting multinationals and national organisations to engage with clarity and confidence.
Before joining Edelman, Blanaid held senior leadership roles at international communications consultancies in London and Brussels. She spent eight years in the US advising on corporate positioning, media strategy and brand reputation for global and national clients. She began her career in the European Parliament, working on political communications and stakeholder outreach for a major EU political group.
She brings a distinctive combination of international insight, political instinct and commercial pragmatism. She is a trusted partner to communicators and corporate leaders navigating reputational risk, regulatory pressure and rising public expectations in today’s connected, contested environment.