Paddy Gillford
Lord Paddy Gillford is the 8th Earl of Clanwilliam.[1] He is a lobbyist and former special advisor for the Conservative Party.
- Paddy founded The Policy Partnership in 1993. He started his business career with Hanson plc and was seconded from there to the Home Office to advise the Rt. Hon Douglas Hurd CBE, then Home Secretary. He returned to Hanson as manager of their public affairs unit before joining one of the UK's leading firms of lobbyists.
- Over the years, Paddy has acted as a consultant to leading companies in the UK and US, such as UPS, BT and Prudential. Paddy has worked for companies in emerging markets such as Interros, Sistema and Yukos, and advised governments around the world.
- He is a non-executive Director of Polyus Gold, an international gold mining company and sits on the advisory boards of Cedar Partners, a 'fund of funds', and AGM Transitions, specialists in advising business leaders on how to manage their careers.
- Paddy is active within the Conservative Party and a former councillor in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea. He also sits on the Board of Governors of The Knightsbridge School in London.[2]
- He is the non-executive Chairman of Cleveland Bridge UK Ltd, Europe's leading bridge & large steel construction company and chairs the transport committee of the London Chamber of Commerce.[3]
The Guardian reports:
- Lord 'Paddy' Gillford (45) - Old Etonian lobbyist and field sports enthusiast. Son of Earl Clanwilliam. Threw £3,500 conference party for Cameron last year(2005).[4]
Bahrain
In March 2011, Private Eye reported that Gillford had defended the Bahrtaini government's response to demonstrations in an interview on al-Jazeera:
- He was coyly introduced as a “member of the British House of Lords” who “also advises the UK Bahrain All-Party Parliamentary Group”. In fact this peer doesn’t actually sit in the Lords. But could he be related to the Paddy Clanwilliam who founded Gardant Communications, a consultancy and lobbying firm which works directly for the Bahraini embassy (see Eye 1283)? Why yes he could![5]
Affiliations
References
- ↑ Partners & Associates, accessed 18 March 2011.
- ↑ Biographical note in the Policy Partnership website
- ↑ UBCC Advisory Council accessed January 2007.
- ↑ David Leigh The donor list Guardian, 2 June 2006.
- ↑ BUFFING UP BAHRAIN, Private Eye No. 1284, 18 March-31 March 2011.
