Lee Petar

Lee Petar is a founder of Aperture Communications. He was also a founding partner at at lobbyists Tetra Strategy and a founding director of BICOM (Britain Israel Communications Centre).

BICOM

Petar joined BICOM in October 2000, when it was set up the Cross Community Emergency Co-ordination Group, an alliance of UK Jewish groups in response to the contemporary Middle East crisis. Petar originally joined on a short-term secondment from Shandwick International's public affairs division. PR Week reported at the time:

[Petar] is in charge of media relations at BICOM, and is co-ordinating the monitoring of the British press. He is also responsible for answering media queries and ensuring visiting speakers on the crisis, such as former Israeli prime minister Shimon Peres, get media coverage.

Petar, then a consultant with Weber Shandwick Worldwide, was named as BICOM's first director of strategic communications when the group relaunched in October 2001. Petar told PR Week:

We will act as a research body providing information to the media when, for example, they want to make programmes about Israeli issues. In terms of rebuttal we see ourselves as a vehicle for the Jewish community to address messages rather than us doing it directly ourselves.

When Mark Berg stepped down as executive director of BICOM in September 2002, Petar replaced him on an interim basis.

Good Relations Political

Petar announced his departure from BICOM in July 2005. He joined lobbyists Good Relations Political the following month as senior consultant reporting to managing director James O'Keefe.

According the Telegraph, Ed Balls believed that Petar was part of a (David) "Miliband for Leader Working Group" in early 2006:

On his personal notepaper, Mr Balls listed Geoff Mulgan, a former Blair adviser; Jonathan Kestenbaum, former chief executive of the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts; and Alastair Campbell, the former No 10 communications chief, as likely suspects.

James O’Keefe and Lee Petar, who founded the political consultancy Tetra Strategy in 2007, are also listed.

Tetra Strategy

Petar founded Tetra Strategy in 2007 with James O'Keefe, according to the firm's website. According to PR Week, O'Keefe left Good Relations Political in the summer of 2007, and subsequently recruited four of his old colleagues in the following weeks, of whom Petar was the most senior.

In 2008 Tetra won a contract, reportedly worth £500,000 to represent the Emirate of Dubai, with Mr Petar reporting directly to the office of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Werritty affair

Petar introduced Adam Werritty, an associate of former Defence Secretary Liam Fox to the venture capitalist Harvey Boulter, prompting a controversial meeting between then Defence Secretary Liam Fox and Mr Boulter in Dubai in June 2011.

In a statement to the Guardian on the episode, Tetra stated:

Tetra Strategy was retained in 2010 to provide litigation PR assistance to the Porton Group in connection with its ongoing High Court claim in England against 3M. The case concerned the development of new MRSA testing technology developed by the MoD. Tetra introduced its client to Adam Werritty in March 2011, who was widely believed at the time to be an official adviser to Dr Liam Fox. The purpose of the introduction was to brief the MoD on the litigation. The suggestion by the Guardian that Tetra was paid to arrange a "secretive" meeting with Dr Fox is not true and is expressly denied. Tetra is referring this matter to the PCC."

Aperture Communications

In March 2015 Peter announced he would be leaving Tetra to establish Aperture Communications.

In a statement O'Keefe said:

'After eight successful years of growing Tetra Strategy together we are today announcing the dividing of the business.'

'The decision to separate into two companies has been planned for a number of months. We believe that both companies will go from strength to strength, and wish each other well in what is an exciting time for us all.'