Westbourne Communications
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This article is part of the Lobbying Portal, a sunlight project from Spinwatch. |
Westbourne Communications is a lobbying firm co-founded and run by James Bethell, the 5th Baron Bethell. It describes itself as a "small specialist agency that offers clients a fresh approach", placing strong emphasis on the need to change public opinion as a way of influencing decision-makers.
The traditional ways of conducting your communications are growing out of date. The economics of digital media have broken old monopolies on information. Scandals created suspicion about back-room decisions. Consumers expect choices.
At Westbourne, we believe that decision-makers will be influenced less by secretive lobbying and more by changing opinion about your issues. Headlines and contacts are important but, increasingly, not enough. Nowadays it might be just as important to mobilise public supporters. Or else giving a voice to relevant specialist groups – experts, officials, professionals, locals, parents.
That’s why you need a new combination of skills. Researching opinion. Presenting your case. Adapting to feedback. Direct communications, often over the internet. Mobilising support. Rebutting opposition.
Contents
- 1 People
- 1.1 December 2014-February 2015
- 1.2 September 2014-November 2014
- 1.3 June 2014-August 2014
- 1.4 March 2014-May 2014
- 1.5 December 2013-February 2014
- 1.6 September 2013-November 2013
- 1.7 June 2013-August 2013
- 1.8 March 2013-May 2013
- 1.9 December 2012-February 2013
- 1.10 Infrastructure practice
- 1.11 Former staff
- 2 Clients
- 2.1 December 2014-February 2015
- 2.2 September 2014-November 2014
- 2.3 June 2014-August 2014
- 2.4 March 2014-May 2014
- 2.5 December 2013-February 2014
- 2.6 September 2013-November 2013
- 2.7 June 2013-August 2013
- 2.8 March 2013-May 2013
- 2.9 December 2012-February 2013
- 2.10 March - May 2012
- 2.11 Former clients
- 3 Affiliations
- 4 Contact, Resources and Notes
People
- James Bethell - founder
- Simon Barrow - 'people director' since September 2012.
- Maurice Cousins
- Lucy James
- Jennifer Powers
- Duncan Sedgewick - energy practice chair, joined in 2012
- Jacqui Smith, chair of public affairs practice, former Labour minister, joined 2015
- Campbell Storey
- Ashish Prashar - head of communications from 1 July 2013, previously head of media relations at Ipsos MORI
December 2014-February 2015
James Bethell | Paul Chapman | James Clarke | Matthew Colledge | Tom Conroy | Maurice Cousins | Tom Evans | James Garland | Ben Garratt | John Higginson | Bernard Hughes | Lucy James | Jack Lewis | Alex Linden | Rebecca Lury | Paul Mills | Jennifer Powers | Christopher Rees | Duncan Sedgwick | Jacqui Smith | Doniya Soni | Campbell Storey | Christiaan Weiland | James Wickett Whyte | Amy Yiannitsarou[1]
September 2014-November 2014
Ben Abbotts | James Bethell | Paul Chapman | James Clarke | Matthew Colledge | Tom Conroy | Maurice Cousins | Tom Evans | James Garland | Ben Garratt | John Higginson | Bernard Hughes | Lucy James | Alex Linden | Rebecca Lury | Jennifer Powers | Christopher Rees | Duncan Sedgwick | Doniya Soni | Campbell Storey | Alex White | James Wicket Whyte | Amy Yiannitsarou[2]
June 2014-August 2014
Ben Abbotts | James Bethell | Paul Chapman | James Clarke | Matthew Colledge | Tom Conroy | Maurice Cousins | Tom Evans | James Garland | Ben Garratt | John Higginson | Bernard Hughes | Lucy James | Alex Linden | Rebecca Lury | Jennifer Powers | Christopher Rees | Duncan Sedgwick | Campbell Storey | Alex White | James Wicket Whyte | Amy Yiannitsarou[3]
March 2014-May 2014
Ben Abbotts | Joseph Ampah | James Bethell | Paul Chapman | James Clark | Maurice Cousins | Mark Evans | Helena Frisby | Ben Garratt | Hannah Hatt | John Higginson | Bernard Hughes | Lucy James | Alex Linden | Rebecca Lury | Richard Martyn Hemphill | Jennifer Powers | Christopher Rees | Duncan Sedgwick | Campbell Storey | Portia Swales | James Wicket Whyte | Chloe Williams Wynne | Amy Yiannitsarou [4]
December 2013-February 2014
Ben Abbotts | James Bethell | Paul Chapman | James Clark | Maurice Cousins | Mark Evans | Helena Frisby | Ben Garratt | Dominic Haldane | John Higginson | Bernard Hughes | Lucy James | Alex Linden | Jennifer Powers | Christopher Rees | Annabel Roycroft | Duncan Sedgwick | Campbell Storey | Portia Swales | Mark Thompson | James Wicket Whyte | Danny Wilkinson | Amy Yiannitsarou [5]
September 2013-November 2013
Ben Abbotts | James Bethell | Paul Chapman | Bernard Hughes | Lucy James | Alex Linden | Nicola Minford | Jennifer Powers | Christopher Rees | Duncan Sedgwick | Adrian Shooter | Campbell Storey | Portia Swales [6]
June 2013-August 2013
Portia Swales | Ben Abbotts | James Bethell | Paul Chapman | Maurice Cousins | Milly Doolan | Emily Hamilton | Lucy James | Dan Large | Alex Linden | Duncan Menzies | Nichola Minford | Jenniifer Powers | Christopher Rees | Duncan Sedgwick | Adrian Shooter | Campbell Storey [7]
March 2013-May 2013
Portia Swales | James Bethell | Paul Chapman | Maurice Cousins | Milly Doolan | Emily Hamilton | Lucy James | Dan Large | Alex Linden | Duncan Menzies | Nichola Minford | Jenniifer Powers | Christopher Rees | Thomas Ricketts | Duncan Sedgwick | Adrian Shooter | Campbell Storey [8]
December 2012-February 2013
Portia Swales | James Bethell | Paul Chapman | Maurice Cousins | Milly Doolan | Emily Hamilton | Lucy James | Dan Large | Alex Linden | Duncan Menzies | Nichola Minford | Jenniifer Powers | Thomas Ricketts | Duncan Sedgwick | Adrian Shooter | Campbell Storey [9]
Infrastructure practice
- Adrian Shooter, former chairman of Chiltern Railways, was made chairman of the practice in May 2012 [10]
- Paul Chapman, former MD of High Speed 1, was also made associate partner in May 2012
Former staff
- James Frayne was a partner at Westbourne until he left to join the Department for Education as Director of Communications in March 2011 [11]
- James Wickett-Whyte, worked on the Yes to High Speed Rail campaign, no longer listed as Westbourne staff on the APPC register as of April 2013, now a consultant at Curtin & Co on the community consultation team [12] [13]
- Harry Spencer - was an intern and researcher at Westbourne, is now an account executive at Edelman [14]
- Emily Hamilton - head of press from April 2011 – July 2013. Now corporate communications manager at Bupa, held since August 2013.
- Nicola Minford- worked as account executive and senior account executive between April 2012 and November 2013 - worked on the Campaign for High Speed Rail and Siemens accounts. Is now. Is now Public Affairs Officer at Thames Tideway Tunnel, November 2013-present.
- Thomas Ricketts - former senior account executive from February 2012 to August 2013. Then appointed government affairs adviser and now media relations adviser at the British Bankers Association.
- Duncan Menzies
- Portia Swales - Associate Development Director between December 2012 and April 2014.
- Dan Large - Campaign director for the Campaign for High-Speed Rail between May 2011 and January 2012. He was formerly top aide to Conservative MP Edward Timpson MP, first working with him on his high-profile Crewe & Nantwich by-election victory in 2008. [15] Then held roles as campaign director of Freedom To Marry UK (October 2012 – February 2013) and senior associate of Crest Advisory (June 2012 – January 2014). Is currently director of By&Large Campaign Strategy, August 2010 – Present.
- Milly Doolan - Account manager, March 2013 was formerly business development manager since June 2012.[16]
Clients
December 2014-February 2015
BAM Nuttall | Birmingham Airport | Centrica Energy | ComplyServe | Cuadrilla Bowland | G Plus Europe | GB Railfreight | Hitachi Rail Europe Ltd | Hs2 Ltd | Ingeus UK | Institute for Legal Reform | Legal & General | LinkedIn | The Green Deal Finance Company Ltd | Uber[1]
September 2014-November 2014
BAM Nuttall | Birmingham Airport | Centrica Energy | Crest Nicholson | Cuadrilla Bowland | G Plus Europe | GB Railfreight | Hitachi Rail Europe Ltd | Hs2 Ltd | Ingeus UK | Institute for Legal Reform | Legal & General | Manchester City Council | Marsh Insurance | The Green Deal Finance Company Ltd | The Wolfson Prize | Uber | UKOOG[2]
June 2014-August 2014
BAM Nuttall | Birmingham Airport | Centrica Energy | Crest Nicholson | Cuadrilla Bowland | ERSA | G Plus Europe | GB Railfreight | Hitachi Rail Europe Ltd | Hs2 Ltd | IBI Group | Ingeus UK | Institute for Legal Reform | Legal & General | Manchester City Council | Marsh Insurance | The Green Deal Finance Company Ltd | The Wolfson Prize | Uber | UKOOG[3]
March 2014-May 2014
BAM Nuttall | Birmingham Airport | Centrica Energy | Crest Nicholson | Cuadrilla Bowland | ERSA | GB Railfreight | Hitachi Rail Europe Ltd | Hs2 Ltd | IBI Group | Ingeus UK | Institute for Legal Reform | Legal & General | Marketing Birmingham | The Freight Alliance | The Green Deal Finance Company Ltd | The Wolfson Prize | Uber | [4]
December 2013-February 2014
BAM Nuttall | Birmingham Airport | Centrica Energy | Crest Nicholson | Cuadrilla Bowland | ERSA | GB Railfreight | Hitachi Rail Europe Ltd | Ingeus UK | Legal & General | Marketing Birmingham | The Dearman Engine Company | The Freight Alliance | The Green Deal Finance Company Ltd | The Wolfson Prize | Utilita [5]
September 2013-November 2013
BAM Nuttall | Birmingham Airport | GB Railfreight | Hitachi Rail Europe Ltd | The Dearman Engine Company | The Green Deal Finance Company Ltd | Utilita [6]
June 2013-August 2013
BAM Nuttall | Birmingham Airport | GB Railfreight | Hitachi Rail Europe Ltd | Ingeus UK | Legal & General | Siemens | The Dearman Engine Company | The Green Deal Finance Company Ltd [7]
March 2013-May 2013
All Party Parliamentary Group on High Speed Rail | Birmingham Airport | Campaign for High Speed Rail | GB Railfreight | Healthlogistics | Ingeus UK | Legal & General | Shelter | Siemens | The Dearman Engine Company [8]
December 2012-February 2013
APPG for High Speed Rail | Birmingham Airport | Campaign for High Speed Rail | Core Cities | Euston Estate Limited | GB Railfreight | Healthlogistics | Ingeus UK | Legal & General | Siemens | The Society of Chief Librarians [9]
March - May 2012
- 50p Tax Campaign | Alliance for Affordable Solar Energy | Atkins Global | Birmingham Airport | Birmingham City Council | Campaign for High Speed Rail | Cheviot Asset Management Limited | Electralink Limited | First Group PLC | Ingeus UK | Legal & General | Policy Exchange - (The Wolfson Economics Prize) | Railway Industry Association | Siemens PLC | Stagecoach Group | Sydney & London Properties Ltd | Systra UK
Former clients
Westbourne's website displays the following companies' logos on its 'about Westbourne' page:
- New Schools Network
- Private Equity Foundation
- Ministry of Sound nightclub - Westbourne founder James Bethell was previously MD of the club
- TheCityUK
- Bain Capital
- Sino-Bridge
- Abellio
- Stagecoach Group
- Network Rail
- Deloitte
- Yingli Solar
- Cheviot Asset Management[17]
Affiliations
- Nothing British - Westbourne's founder Bethell set up this campaign against the BNP, drawing upon support from powerful British military figures
- Doctors for Reform - launched this campaign which represented 1000 medical practitioners backing government plans to overhaul the NHS and which was supported by Reform, the free-market thinktank that has received funding from private healthcare companies. [18]
Contact, Resources and Notes
Westbourne Comms Company was incorporated as a private limited company (No. 06936185) on 17 June 2009. Its registered address is 17 Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5AH. Founder James Bethell is the sole company director. [19]
Contact
- Address:17 Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5AH
- Email:jennifer.powers@westbournecoms.com
- Website: www.changeopinion.com
Previously:
- 55 Tufton Street
- London SW1P 3QL
- Tel: 02033970100
- Email: campbell.storey@westbournecoms.com
Resources
See: Fracking Spads
- Melissa Jones and Andy Rowell, Access all areas: Westminster's (vast) fracking lobby exposed, 29 April 2015.
- Jamie Doward, High-speed rail opponents 'portrayed as posh nimbys' by Tory peer's lobbying firm: PR agency accused of scare tactics and invoking the class divide in a 'coldly calculated' campaign to push coalition's case for HS2 network The Observer (England), April 7, 2013, OBSERVER HOME NEWS PAGES; Pg. 3, 957 words
- Anna Minton, New report: Scaring the living daylights out of people, Spinwatch, 27 March 2013
- Anna Minton on Westbourne's response to Spinwatch local lobbying and planning abuses report, Spinwatch, 08 April 2013
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Register 1st December 2014 - 28th February 2015 APPC, accessed 9 March 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Register 1st September 2014 - 30th November 2014 APPC, accessed 16 January 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Register 1st June 2014 - 31st August 2014 APPC, accessed 17 October 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Register for 1st March 2014 - 31st May 2014 APPC, accessed 1 October 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Register for 1st December 2013 - 28th February 2014 APPC, accessed 1 October 2014
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Register for 1st September 2013 - 30th November 2013 APPC, accessed 1 October 2014
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Register for 1st June 2013 - 31st August 2013 APPC, accessed 1 October 2014
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Register for 1st March 2013 - 31st May 2013 APPC, accessed 1 October 2014
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Register for 1st December 2012 - 28th February 2013 APPC, accessed 1 October 2014
- ↑ Public Affairs: The Week in Lobbying, prweek.com, Friday, 18 May 2012, 12:00am, acc 7 April 2013
- ↑ Public Affair News, People Moves - March 2011 edition
- ↑ James Wickett-Whyte, LinkedIn profile, acc April 2013
- ↑ James Wickett-Whyte, Curtis & Co website, acc 8 April 2013
- ↑ Harry Spencer, LinkedIn, acc 8 April 2013
- ↑ Public Affair News, PEOPLE MOVES - September 2011 edition, 1 September 2011
- ↑ Milly Doolan Linkedin, accessed 16 January 2015
- ↑ About Westbourne, acc 8 April 2013
- ↑ Jamie Doward, [1], The Observer, Saturday 6 April 2013 22.35 BST, acc same day
- ↑ Companies House, Webcheck, acc 8 April 2013
