MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA — Symantec’s chief communications officer Harry Pforzheimer has departed the company as it restructures its comms team under new leadership. 

Pforzheimer, a communications veteran with experience at Intuit and Edelman, joined Symantec last summer to lead all internal and external communications. He reported into CEO Steve Bennett, who was named Symantec’s chief in July 2012.

The two previously worked together at Intuit where Pforzheimer led comms and marketing from 2004 to 2011 and Bennett was CEO from 2000 to 2007.  

Pforzheimer told the Holmes Report he’s “just departed after a great year of helping Steve develop an overall company strategy and announcing it in January.”

As part of Symantec’s new communications leadership, Lorraine Hamby was promoted to VP of global PR and Yvonne Thomson was named VP of internal communications last month, confirmed a Symantec spokesperson. Both were formerly directors.    

Both Hamby and Thomson will report into chief operating officer Stephen Gillett. He is leading the search for a CMO and/or CCO who both Hamby and Thomson will ultimately report into. The streamlined communications team now counts 160 people globally, after eliminating 20 positions earlier this year, confirmed the spokesperson.  

Pforzheimer also oversaw the integration of Symantec's communications team, eliminating silos based on product category. This is in response to the company's larger plans to integrate its consumer and enterprise offerings with a stronger bent towards mobile and cloud solutions.  

Last year, Symantec consolidated its consumer PR duties globally with Edelman. The company works with Weber Shandwick as its corporate AOY and with Connect PR on enterprise. Globally it works with 38 PR agencies.

It is understood the company is considering consolidating agencies as part of its restructuring.