Weber Shandwick Public Affairs
Formerly known as Weber Shandwick GJW Public Affairs, Weber Shandwick Public Affairs (WSPA) is part of Weber Shandwick Worldwide, one of the largest PR companies in the world and largest in the UK, whose ultimate owner is Interpublic, one of the big three global communications conglomerates.
WSPA describes its staff as “spanning the political spectrum and including former special advisors, election aides and election candidates.”
Described in PR Week as a “thrusting public affairs agency on the cutting edge of politics and lobbying , WSPA has absorbed many other lobby firms including GJW, Shandwick Public Affairs, Charles Barker Public Affairs.
History
Conservative Lord Chadlington, aka Peter Gummer, younger brother of John Gummer founded Shandwick in 1974. <ref>Deborah Ross, "Interview-lord Chadlington: Lord, what a nightmare at the opera", Independent on Sunday, 08 December 1997. WSPA was launched in 1997 under the guidance of Lord McNally, now leader of the Lib-Dems in the Lords, and a friend of WSPA CEO, Colin Byrne (according to Byrne). Lord Tom McNally joined Weber Shandwick in 1993, became non-exec vice-chairman of Weber Shandwick in 2003 and position he left in November 2004 on his appointment as Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords.
Weber Shandwick took on BNFL as a client in 2002 [1]
Resources
References
- ^ P. Simpson (2002)WSW Picks Up BNFL Public Affairs Work, PR Week, 22 April
