Difference between revisions of "Burson-Marsteller"

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[[Image:BM-office.jpg|right|thumb|Burson Marsteller Offices, Central London]]
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Burson Marsteller is one of the biggest and most notorious PR firms in the world. It is owned by communications conglomerate [[WPP]].
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[[File:Burson Marsteller.JPG|300px|right|thumb|Burson Marsteller offices, 1 St Giles High Street, London]]
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[[File:Burson Marsteller.png|250px|right|thumb|Burson Marsteller offices, Square de Meeûs 37, Brussels]]
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Burson-Marsteller (B-M) was established in 1953 and grew to become one of the biggest PR and lobbying agencies in the world. It is owned by communications conglomerate [[WPP]].
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In 2018 WPP announced it was merging B-M with [[Cohn & Wolfe]] to become Burson Cohn & Wolfe (BCW), a network of more than 4,000 employees, across 42 countries.
  
 
==Overview==
 
==Overview==
 
 
Burson-Marsteller (B-M) is one of the largest public relations (PR) agencies in the world and also the most notorious. When helping its industry clients to escape environmental legislation or sprucing up the image of some of the most repressive governments on Earth, B-M brings to bear state of the art techniques in manipulating the mass media, legislators and public opinion.
 
Burson-Marsteller (B-M) is one of the largest public relations (PR) agencies in the world and also the most notorious. When helping its industry clients to escape environmental legislation or sprucing up the image of some of the most repressive governments on Earth, B-M brings to bear state of the art techniques in manipulating the mass media, legislators and public opinion.
  
In spite of B-M's claims that the best way to deal with problems is to put one's own house in order, the usual effect of PR is to maintain the status quo. By manipulating public opinion PR diverts attention away from difficult issues and creates the illusion of change so that a company or government can go about business as usual without having to worry about its reputation. By lobbying government and creating Astroturf campaigns PR helps to maintain a legislative environment on which industry can avoid real change.
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In spite of B-M's claims that the best way to deal with problems is to put one's own house in order, the usual effect of PR is to maintain the status quo. By manipulating public opinion PR diverts attention away from difficult issues and creates the illusion of change so that a company or government can go about business as usual without having to worry about its reputation. By lobbying government and creating '[[astroturfing]]' campaigns PR helps to maintain a legislative environment on which industry can avoid real change.
  
===Market-Share/Importance===
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===Market share/importance===
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Whilst in recent years Burson-Marsteller slipped back from the number one spot it remains one of the largest PR firms in the world, and with recent restructuring looks set for strong growth. Since 1979 the company has been a part of the [[Young & Rubicam]] Inc. advertising conglomerate, which in turn was acquired by [[WPP]] Group plc <ref> [http://www.wpp.com WPP] ''WPP'', accessed 3 May 2002 </ref>, the global communications services company, in October 2000. Its revenues for 2000 totalled $175m in the US and $303m worldwide, the highest in its history.
  
Whilst in recent years Burson-Marsteller slipped back from the number one spot it remains one of the largest PR firms in the world, and with recent restructuring looks set for strong growth in the coming years. Since 1979 the company has been a part of the [[Young & Rubicam]] Inc. advertising conglomerate, which in turn was acquired by [[WPP]] Group plc {{ref|1}}, the global communications services company, in October 2000. Its revenues for 2000 totalled $175m in the US and $303m worldwide, the highest in its history.
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In (year) Burson-Marsteller employed 2,000 people in more than 60 offices in 35 countries around the world. That gives it a more international presence than any other agency, which is both an advantage (the firm is still the first choice for clients looking for genuine global reach) and a disadvantage.
  
Today Burson-Marsteller employs 2,000 people in more than 60 offices in 35 countries around the world. That gives it a more international presence than any other agency, which is both an advantage (the firm is still the first choice for clients looking for genuine global reach) and a disadvantage.
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B-M's reliance on international business makes it vulnerable to economic downturns or underperforming offices, as well as currency fluctuations. In recent years the Asian market was underperforming, then Europe, which was flat last in 1999. But B-M Europe has now moved back to a geographic structure - a reversal of the practice area commitment the agency made five years ago - more suited to local conditions, and that should spur growth. Meanwhile, the firm is picking up high-profile wins in Asia, like the Hong Kong government's economic development program, and expanding in Latin America, where it has a strong e-commerce practice.
 
 
B-M's reliance on international business makes it vulnerable to economic downturns or under-performing offices, as well as currency fluctuations. In recent years the Asian market was under-performing, then Europe, which was flat last in 1999. But B-M Europe has now moved back to a geographic structure - a reversal of the practice area commitment the agency made five years ago - more suited to local conditions, and that should spur growth. Meanwhile, the firm is picking up high-profile wins in Asia, like the Hong Kong government's economic development program, and expanding in Latin America, where it has a strong e-commerce practice.
 
  
 
===History===
 
===History===
{{ref|2}}
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<ref> [http://web.archive.org/web/20040223191031/http://www.burson-marsteller.com/overview/history.html Overview] ''Burson Marsteller'', accessed 3 May 2002 </ref>
 
 
 
Founded in 1953 by [[Harold Burson]], a freelance PR man and [[Jim Marsteller]], owner of Marsteller Advertising, Burson-Marsteller has grown to become one of the largest PR agencies in the world and a market leader in all of the major areas of PR services.
 
Founded in 1953 by [[Harold Burson]], a freelance PR man and [[Jim Marsteller]], owner of Marsteller Advertising, Burson-Marsteller has grown to become one of the largest PR agencies in the world and a market leader in all of the major areas of PR services.
  
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Throughout the 1970s B-M continued to expand. In 1970 it entered the field of consumer public relations with its acquisition of [[Theodore R. Sills]] Inc. And it opened further offices in Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Sao Paolo, Bahrain and in Russia. In 1979 B-M was acquired by the [[Young & Rubicam]] group of companies, and could thus begin to integrate its services with a family of other companies practising PR, lobbying and advertising.
 
Throughout the 1970s B-M continued to expand. In 1970 it entered the field of consumer public relations with its acquisition of [[Theodore R. Sills]] Inc. And it opened further offices in Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Sao Paolo, Bahrain and in Russia. In 1979 B-M was acquired by the [[Young & Rubicam]] group of companies, and could thus begin to integrate its services with a family of other companies practising PR, lobbying and advertising.
  
In 1983 B-M's revenues exceeded those of [[Hill & Knowlton]] and in 1985 it was the first PR company to earn $100m in a year. The company’s expansion was relentless and yet more offices opened across the United states and around the world.
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In 1983 B-M's revenues exceeded those of [[Hill & Knowlton]] and in 1985 it was the first PR company to earn $100m in a year. The company’s expansion was relentless and yet more offices opened across the United States and around the world.
  
After years as the premier public relations agency, a position that became unquestionable after [[Hill & Knowlton|H&K]]'s partial collapse in the early nineties, B-M saw its leadership position erode throughout the '90s, thanks to internal problems and the fact that several other agencies improved dramatically over the same period. With recent restructuring however it has shown strong growth and in 2000 earned $303m placing it fourth in the league table of global PR firms {{ref|3}}.
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After years as the premier public relations agency, a position that became unquestionable after [[Hill & Knowlton|H&K]]'s partial collapse in the early 1990s, B-M saw its leadership position erode throughout that decade, thanks to internal problems and the fact that several other agencies improved dramatically over the same period. With restructuring however, it regained strong growth and in 2000 earned $303m placing it fourth in the league table of global PR firms <ref> [http://web.archive.org/web/20020626002305/http://www.holmesreport.com/holmestemp/story.cfm?edit_id=739&type_id=3 Burson Marsteller] ''Holmes Report'', accessed 20-6-2002 </ref>.
  
 
In 2000 [[Young & Rubicam]] was itself acquired by the [[WPP]] Group. So now Burson-Marsteller works in an even larger family of companies including its old rival [[Hill & Knowlton]].
 
In 2000 [[Young & Rubicam]] was itself acquired by the [[WPP]] Group. So now Burson-Marsteller works in an even larger family of companies including its old rival [[Hill & Knowlton]].
  
===Products/Services===
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==Campaigns==
{{ref|4}}
 
  
B-M offers the full range of PR services including government relations, crisis management, issues and reputation management, brand building, product marketing, and communications training, to name a few of the twenty services listed on its web-site. These services are delivered by seven 'practice' areas within the company: advertising/creative, brand marketing, corporate/financial, healthcare, media, public affairs and technology. [See below for details]
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===Front groups===
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*On three occasions in 2004/05, Burson-Marsteller was forced to step up transparency following criticism of its role in establishing and de facto running three front groups: The [[Coalition to Prevent Deep-Vein Thrombosis]] (on behalf of [[Aventis]]), [[European Women for HPV Testing]] (on behalf of [[Digene Corporation]]) and The [[Bromine Science and Environment Forum]] (on behalf of major producers of bromine flame retardants). In all these cases, the involvement of the companies - let alone Burson-Marsteller - was initially hidden or kept vague.  
  
==People==
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*The company also has a history of working with the anti-environmental movement in the US and setting up corporate front groups such as the [[Business Council for Sustainable Development]], [[British Colombian Forest Alliance]], the [[Canadian Coalition for Clean and Renewable Energy]] or [[Australian Forest Protection Society]].
===Executive Board===
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{{ref|7}}
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*B-M also set up anti-smoking front-groups. In the nineties it created the [[National Smokers Alliance]] in the US with money from [[Philip Morris]].
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===Repressive regimes===
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B-M has a history of working for repressive regimes.
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====Biafra====
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In the 1960s B-M worked for the Nigerian government to spin the crushing of the Biafran revolt. A subsidiary of Burson-Marsteller, [[Black, Manafort, Stone & Kelley]], also worked with the Nigerian military junta in the early nineties. During this time there were routine human rights abuses against protestors such as the Ogoni, who were non-violently campaigning against the oil-giant [[Shell]].
  
*[[Harold Burson]] Founding Chairman of Burson-Marsteller, Harold Burson has been in PR for more than fifty years. He was once described by PR Week as "the century’s most influential PR figure" due to the market share of B-M and his innovative work. Now in his 80s, Burson stepped down as CEO in 1988, the company he co-founded in 1953. He still works at B-M for many long-term clients, including [[Philip Morris]], [[Merrill Lynch]] and [[Coca-Cola]]. He has no retirement plans {{ref|8}}.
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====Spinning torture in Argentina====
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In the 1970s, after a military coup in Argentina, B-M was hired to improve the country's image. During this period, an estimated 35,000 people disappeared and thousands were tortured. Some of the torture techniques used during this period were ''el submarino'' (holding a person's head under water or excrement until near drowning), ''la picana'' (electric prod applied to the most sensitive parts of the body), rape, torture (tearing out toenails) and putting live rats onto the body to feed on fresh wounds. A book was written on the disappeared called ''Nunca Más'' ('Never More').
  
*[[Chris Komisarjevsky]] President & CEO Worldwide
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====Indonesia====
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B-M also worked with Indonesia when it was accused of genocide in East Timor.
  
*[[Ken Rietz]] Chief Operating Officer and Chair of the global public affairs practice.
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===Arms trade===
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In February 2017 B-M Brussels announced it had hired a former British admiral, [[Peter Hudson]] on a part-time basis to help it spearhead the firm's attempts to win more defence and security sector clients. B-M's current clients include defence contractor [[Raytheon]] and the [[Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition]].<ref> [http://www.burson-marsteller.eu/burson-marsteller-appoints-senior-adviser-for-defence-and-security/ Burson-Marsteller appoints senior adviser for defence and security], B-M website, 31 January 2017, accessed 16 August 2017 </ref>
*[[John Maltese]] Chief Financial Officer Worldwide, John Maltese joined Burson-Marsteller in 1986. He began as an Assistant Controller for the Eastern Region, was promoted to Controller of the Americas in 1988, Director of Finance, worldwide, in 1991. In mid-1993 he took the opportunity to manage [[Young & Rubicam]] Inc.'s financial accounting subsidiary, Shared Financial Services Company, and was recently promoted to his current position. Before B-M, Mr. Maltese spent eight years as controller of New York based advertising agency, [[N.W. Ayer]]. Before the communications industry, he worked at manufacturing company [[Gulf & Western]], and for five years at [[Citibank]].
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B-M's clients include defence contractor [[Raytheon]] and the [[Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition]].
  
*[[Fred Hawrysh]] Director of Global Client Service, Fred Hawrysh is based in B-M's New York headquarters, where he moved in 1997. He has worked with Burson-Marsteller since 1983, in the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific.
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===Major polluters===
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B-M has a history of working with major polluters.
  
*[[Per Heggenes]] Chief Knowledge & Insights Officer Worldwide, Heggenes is oversees proprietary knowledge development, the knowledge and research centres, knowledge sharing systems such as the company intranet and website development and the creative director staff. Previously, he was chairman of the Corporate Practice in Europe from April 1998. Before that, he was Chief Operating Officer of B-M Europe when he was instrumental in rolling out the new client practice structure throughout Europe. Per joined Burson-Marsteller Oslo as an account executive in 1982.
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*In the 1970s B-M worked with [[Babcock and Wilcox]] after the Three Mile Island nuclear disaster. The following decade, it worked with [[Union Carbide]] after the Bhopal disaster in India, which caused death or injury to tens of thousands of people. Union Carbide originally tried to blame the disaster on sabotage.
  
*[[Chet Burchett]] President & CEO USA, Chet Burchett joined B-M in 1998. He has had numerous roles including president and CEO of Burson-Marsteller Midwest and U.S. Practice Chair for the Brand Marketing practice. Chet has 20 years of news media and public relations experience. He is a specialist in reputation management. He has developed and executed programs in the areas of corporate communications, public affairs, consumer marketing, sports marketing and business-to-business.
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*It has worked for the oil industry against clean air and climate change legislation, forming front groups such as [[Foundation for Clean Air Progress]]. Its clients have included: the [[American Petroleum Institute]], [[BP|British Petroleum]], [[Chevron]], [[Ford]] Motor Company, [[Mitsubishi]], [[Pennzoil Occidental Petroleum]], and the government of Saudi Arabia.
  
*[[Santiago Hinojosa]] President & CEO Latin America, Hinojosa joined Burson-Marsteller in July, 1998. From 1996 until 1998 Mr. Hinojosa was Regional Managing Director for [[DMB&B]] Americas (1996-1998), based in Mexico city. He was previously Managing Director of [[DMB&B]]'s Mexican operations, Noble DMB&B, a large advertising agency in Mexico. Before [[DMB&B]], Hinojosa was [[Bozell Worldwide]]'s Managing Director for Latin America, and before that he spent 17 years with [[McCann-Erickson]], throughout South America. He began his advertising career as an account executive at [[Benton & Bowles]].
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*B-M has also worked for [[Monsanto]] and the biotech body [[Europabio]] in Europe. A leaked memo prepared by Burson-Masteller gives us an insight into its PR. It argued that the biotech industry had to "Stay off the killing fields". It said:
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:"Public issues of environmental and human health risk are communications killing fields for bioindustries in Europe. As a general rule, the industry voice cannot be expected to prevail in public opposition to adversarial voices on these issues. All the research evidence confirms that the perception of the profit motive fatally undermines industry's credibility on these questions. It said that instead the industry had to 'Fight fire with fire'.
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:"For [[EuropaBio]] to make the transition from effective policy interlocutor to effective public communicator, it is essential to shift from issues-based communications to stories-based communications. There are no issues-orientated media with any broad appeal, and the selling of complex issues coverage is a difficult task in any event because it contains little or no news value. Good stories, on the other hand, go around the world in minutes. That's the way adversaries play. That's the way industry must play". <ref> [http://web.archive.org/web/20130323020928/http://www.organicconsumers.org/bmplan.html Communications Programmes For EUROPABIO Prepared by Burson-Marsteller Government & Public Affairs] ''Organic Consumers'', January 1997 </ref>
  
*[[Bill Rylance]] President & CEO of the Asia/Pacific region, Bill Rylance joined Burson-Marsteller in 1982, working in London and the Middle East. In 1986 he was assigned to Korea to manage B-M's worldwide public relations programme for the 1988 Seoul Olympics. In 1989, Bill established [[Merit Communications]], Korea's first international public relations consultancy. In a decade, Merit became the largest PR firm in Korea. Bill personally provided communications and media relations counsel for the Government of Korea, working directly with the Office of the President. B-M bought Merit Communications in 1999 and Bill became President and CEO of Burson-Marsteller Asia Pacific, responsible for all operations in Asia Pacific.
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Other clients include the [[Iraqi National Congress]] and the Saudi Royal Family who were trying to avoid blame after the September 11th attacks on the US. <ref> [http://web.archive.org/web/20090327022559/http://www.corporateeurope.org/docs/lobbycracy/lobbyplanet.pdf Lobby Planet Guide The EU Quarter] ''Corporate Europe'', accessed 21st August 2007 </ref>
  
*[[Carlos Lareau]] As Managing Director, Southern Europe, Carlos Lareau has led B-M/Iberia since 1996 before which he held several positions in B-M and was also Vice President of Communications and EU Affairs in a major pharmaceutical company. He has a 14 year experience in Communications, preceded by a career in economic and political journalism in Spain, the US and Latin America.
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===Fracking===
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{{‪Template:Fracking badge‬}}In 2014 Burson-Marsteller won a prestigious PR award for helping [[Shell]] ‘deal with’ fracking in the Netherlands (where a moratorium is in place until 2016), and soon after added the climate sceptic-funding oil firm [[Exxon Mobil]] to its UK client list.
  
*[[Celia Berk]] Appointed Managing Director of Human Resources for Burson-Marsteller Worldwide in November 1998. Ms. Berk joined Burson-Marsteller in January 1997 in the then newly created position of Managing Director, Human Resources for the United States. Prior to joining Burson-Marsteller, Ms. Berk was at [[Reuters]] America (1988-1998) in roles encompassing human resources, organizational planning, training, quality and internal communications. Before that, Ms. Berk was Administrator of the Harkness Fellowships of The [[Commonwealth Fund]].
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In July 2014 it snagged the lobbying brief for the £37billion petrochemical giant [[Ineos]], which had been run by [[Portcullis Public Affairs]] for the previous four years. The move came just months after Portcullis' managing director, [[Stephen Day]] had made the transfer to Burson-Marsteller. Ineos, which operates the Grangemouth plant in Scotland is Britain’s third-largest shale gas explorer since it bought up swathes of [[IGas]] licences between 2014-15.<ref> [http://publicaffairsjobshq.com/portcullis-public-affairs-loses-key-client-to-former-md/ Portcullis Public Affairs Loses Key Client to Former MD] ''Public Affairs Jobs HQ'', accessed 15 January 2015 </ref><ref> David Singleton [https://www.publicaffairsnews.com/articles/news/ineos-blow-portcullis Ineos blow for Portcullis] ''Public Affairs News'', 23 July 2014, accessed 15 January 2015 </ref><ref> Daniel Farey-Jones [http://www.prweek.com/article/1230534/burson-marsteller-hires-portcullis-md-stephen-day-head-uk-public-affairs Burson-Marsteller hires Portcullis MD Stephen Day to head UK public affairs] ''PR Week'', 10 February 2014, accessed 15 January 2015 </ref>
  
*[[Thomas Blach]] Now the Managing Director for the Nordic Region, Central, and Northern Europe, Thomas Blach joined Burson-Marsteller in 1989, and became country manager of Burson-Marsteller, Denmark in 1992. From January 1997 to June 1999 he Chaired the European Public Affairs Practice. In 1998 he was also Market Leader in Brussels. In July 1999 Thomas Blach became Chairman of the Nordic Region.
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In June 2018 ''PRWeek'' reported that B-M had parted ways with INEOS. The most recently available APPC Register (June- August quarter) still lists NEOS as a client, however ''PRWeek'' also reported that Stephen Day was made redundant that same month from his role as CEO of B-M's UK arm as part of its merger with US firm [[Cohn & Wolfe]].<ref>  Sam Burne James, [[https://www.prweek.com/article/1485609/burson-uk-ceo-stephen-day-made-redundant-part-bcw-merger Burson UK CEO Stephen Day 'made redundant' as part of BCW]  ''PRWeek'', 21 June 2018  </ref>  In October 2018 it emerged that Day had rejoined [[FTI Consulting]] as partner and senior MD in its strategic communications division. <ref> Holmes Report, [https://www.holmesreport.com/latest/article/emea-news-in-brief-(october-8-2018) EMEA News In Brief (October 8, 2018)],  accessed 8 November 2018 </ref>
  
*[[Allan Biggar]] Managing Director, UK since April 2000. Allan was previously Chairman of B-M's European Public Affairs Practice and Market Leader of the Brussels office (1997-2000) and before that he was Managing Director of B-M Middle East and North Africa. Biggar began in PR as director and owner of [[Immediate Corporate Communications]]. He was a senior member of the Liberal Democrats' campaign staff.
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====A well-oiled revolving door with Whitehall and Westminster====
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<blockquote style="background-color:#CEF2E0;border:1pt solid Darkgoldenrod;padding:1%;font-size:10pt">B-M is well-connected to the UK government, given the [[Department of Energy and Climate Change]]'s predilection for employing ex-lobbyists in recent times. Climate and energy minister [[Amber Rudd]]’s special adviser [[Maria Allen]] until May 2015 worked for years at B-M and was head of its UK energy, environment and climate change unit before she joined the government in 2013.
  
==Locations==
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Listed as the sole industry ‘independent advisory panel member’ of the Westminster gas APPG, Ineos also apparently provides ‘specialist knowledge and guidance’ to MPs. Its access extends well beyond the lobby though – founder and chairman [[Jim Ratcliffe]] has met with a raft of ministers and senior civil servants, including cabinet secretary [[Jeremy Heywood]]. As ''Public Interest Investigations/Spinwatch'' reported in April 2015,
  
*'''Head Office'''
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:Little wonder then that Ineos is doggedly pushing ahead with its plans for fracking and coal bed methane exploration, particularly in Scotland, whose parliament passed a temporary moratorium shortly after a similar call was defeated in Westminster earlier this year. In a BBC film screened last night, director [[Tom Crotty]] admitted he views the fracking ban as merely the Scottish government wanting 'to take a breather while we gather information'.
  
:Burson-Marsteller
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:By this, Crotty presumably means their 'shale gas community engagement programme'; a PR charm offensive launched last month to try to overcome widespread public opposition. No amount of spin, however, appeared to help the firm when it revealed plans to drill wells close to playgrounds and 400 metres from homes in Stirlingshire, sparking outrage from residents at its public consultation roadshow.
:230 Park Avenue South
 
:New York, NY 10003
 
:Phone: +1 212 614 4000
 
:Fax: + 1 212 598 6928
 
  
*'''London Office'''
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:B-M bolstered its ranks in January with another ex-ministerial environment spad, [[Tom Evans]]. Fresh from a few years at 'opinion changers' Westbourne Communications, Evans is well-versed in community consultations. He previously worked with clients such as the North West Energy Task Force (NWETF), a ‘local’ lobby group set up by Centrica and Cuadrilla to push the business case for fracking in Lancashire. Recent analysis by Greenpeace revealed however that less than half of NWETF’s members were based in the county, and included an elderly care home and a Welsh fishing resort. Westbourne has form for this kind of ‘astroturfing’ tactic; its fake grassroots campaigning for the controversial HS2 high-speed railway link was exposed in a 2013 ''Spinwatch'' investigation. <ref> Spinwatch </ref></blockquote>
  
:Burson-Marsteller
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Top B-M UK boss [[Stephen Day]], was once a Tory special adviser to ex-shadow trade and industry ministers, John Redwood and David Heathcoat-Amory reports Spinwatch:
:24-28 Bloomsbury Way
 
:London WC1A 2PX
 
:United Kingdom
 
:Phone: +44 20 7831 6262
 
:Fax: : +44 20 7430 1033
 
  
A complete list of the addresses of B-M offices worldwide can be obtained from B-M’s web site {{ref|9}} and at O’Dwyers PR Daily web site {{ref|10}}
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<blockquote style="background-color:#CEF2E0;border:1pt solid Darkgoldenrod;padding:1%;font-size:10pt">Before joining B-M in 2014, Day handled the Ineos account at another lobbying firm, where he had provided senior counsel during the highly-charged Grangemouth industrial dispute. Ineos followed Day to B-M, where he clearly relishes a challenge:
  
==Practice Structure==
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:‘Ineos are leading the way on fracking, we’re leading their work on fracking,’ he told PRWeek in an interview in 2015.  ‘We’re not afraid of controversy.’
{{ref|11}}
 
  
B-M structures its business around seven key practices or specialisations: advertising/creative, brand marketing, corporate/financial, healthcare, media, public affairs and technology.
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:Several months ago, Ineos itself hired another type of insider – former Greenpeace director Stephen Tindale, known for his support of GM crops, nuclear energy and fracking, ostensibly to aid their PR push back against mounting public opposition. It’s a tactic well-tested by B-M, which has long employed leading environmentalists from Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and the Soil Association to ‘engage’ with campaigner critics.
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<ref> Melissa Jones, [Meet the Frackers], Spinwatch, January 2017 </ref></blockquote>
  
Activities within the '''Advertising/Creative''' practice are conducted by three subsidiary companies. According to B-M’s web site [[Marsteller Advertising]] is a "full-service advertising agency specializing in corporate, business-to-business and issue-related (or public information) communications," whilst [[Burson-Marsteller Productions]] handles event management and [[TPS]] "offers a wide range of communications services, from designing and producing Web sites, interactive CD-ROMS and presentation graphics to providing video production and broadcast services."
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===Obesity===
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{{Template:Foodspin badge}}Burson-Marsteller advertises a specialism on obesity on its website: <ref> [http://web.archive.org/web/20050214060002/http://www.bm.com/pages/industry/nutrition Obesity] ''Burson Marsteller'', accessed March 2006 </ref>
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:Obesity and, in a broader sense, food/health/nutrition issues, arguably represent one of the biggest public health challenges in western societies today, with enormous repercussions for a variety of industries. Some see it as the modern-day equivalent to previous macro-issues like tobacco, chemical industry & environment, GMOs, etc. The WHO, the EU, national governments are all considering some regulations or recommendations to the general audience, the medical community or the business world. Indeed, companies increasingly have to carefully consider their positioning, strategy and messages on this issue.
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:Burson-Marsteller has the experience, track-record and credentials to help companies address the issue. We have a unique and comprehensive mix of capabilities and people, we have inroads into some of the key players and we understand how best to present the information to reporters.
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:Specifically, Burson-Marsteller can help with 
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::* Tracking Issues and Business/Political Intelligence - identify trends and flag key events and political decisions that influence and accelerate the development of the issue. 
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::* Constituency Relations - actions and ongoing campaigns to shape the perceptions of key groups that are active in defining the media / public opinion and political agenda - trade and health organizations, groups, etc. 
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::* Corporate Positioning - how to create a single differentiating communication platform 
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::* Public Affairs and Governmental Relations - how to engage in a dialogue with governmental organizations and prepare for forthcoming legislation 
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::* Media Relations - how to balance the debate in the media 
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::* Brand Building - how to strategically position a brand or product
  
The '''Brand Marketing''' practice employs around 150 people under the leadership of [[Linda Recupero]]. The practice offers a wide range of services toward the end of increasing market share for clients’ brands.
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===Tunisian Elections===
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In September 2014, it was announced Burson-Marsteller are representing Tunisia’s [[Ennahda Party]] to improve its image abroad. The party were reportedly behind terror attacks against tourist hotels in the 1980s and one of the group's leaders called for the destruction of Israel. The party formed a coalition government during the 2011 Arab Springs uprising, however, departed government after reportedly "coming under pressure for failing to stop terrorism and keep the economy on an even keel".<ref> Robert Mann [http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/burson-marsteller-draws-ire-working-islamist-political-party-160466 Burson-Marsteller Draws Ire for Working With Islamist Political Party] ''Adweek'', 29 September 2014, accessed 8 October 2014 </ref><ref> Ian Griggs [http://www.prweek.com/article/1314566/burson-marsteller-represent-islamist-party-tunisia-ahead-elections Burson-Marsteller to represent Islamist party in Tunisia ahead of elections] ''PR Week'', 29 September 2014, accessed 8 October 2014 </ref>
  
The '''Corporate/Financial''' practice handles all aspects of "perception management" of a company – "to help top management understand, enhance and manage the perceptions of their corporation held by key audiences, including shareholders and the investing community, the media and, by extension, the general public, employees and opinion makers." {{ref|12}}
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==Services==
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<ref name="Practice"> [http://web.archive.org/web/20040209111914/http://bm.com/overview/practice.html Practice Descriptions] ''Burson Marsteller'', accessed 3 May 2002 </ref>
  
The extraordinary growth and sophistication of the healthcare industry has prompted B-M to set up a separate practice just for healthcare companies. The '''Healthcare''' practice offers the complete range of PR services to healthcare companies from product marketing, to crisis management to long term issues management around complex and controversial subjects like biotechnology. B-M boasts that it can manage and even create "scientific and political consensus around issues" in the healthcare sector {{ref|13}}.
+
B-M offers the full range of PR services including government relations, crisis management, issues and reputation management, brand building, product marketing, and communications training, to name a few of the twenty services listed on its website. These services are delivered by seven 'practice' areas within the company: advertising/creative, brand marketing, corporate/financial, healthcare, media, public affairs and technology. [See below for details]
  
The '''Media''' practice is B-M's pool of expertise in exploiting the media to deliver chosen messages, what they call 'media relations', an essential part of any effective PR strategy. As well as 'media relations' the media practice also deals with internet-based PR, and communications training. Specialists with backgrounds in a wide range of different media are employed to ensure access to as many media sources as possible.
+
===Practice structure===
 +
<ref name="Practice"/>B-M structures its business around seven key practices or specialisations: advertising/creative, brand marketing, corporate/financial, healthcare, media, public affairs and technology.
 +
==Subsidiaries==
  
'''Public Affairs/Government Relations''' work in the USA and Europe is carried out by B-M's wholly owned subsidiary, [[BKSH]], whilst in the rest of the world it is undertaken by B-M’s own offices.
+
*[[Black Manafort, Stone & Kelly]] – a lobbying firm with offices in Washington D.C. and Alexandria, Virginia <ref> [http://web.archive.org/web/20120620213556/http://www.multinationalmonitor.org/hyper/issues/1993/04/mm0493_13.html Organisations] ''Multinational Monitor'', accessed 20 June 2002 </ref> <ref name="Mother"> [http://web.archive.org/web/20031013232804/http://www.motherjones.com/mother_jones/MJ96/kaplan.jump.html Tobacco Dole] ''Mother Jones Magazine'', 20 June 2002 </ref>. The company keeps a low profile. It maintains no web site and is not even mentioned on Burson-Marsteller’s site. It is known to have worked for [[Phillip Morris]] <ref name="Mother"/>, and to have conducted lobbying on behalf of the brutal Angolan rebel leader, [[Savimbi]]. <ref> [http://web.archive.org/web/20121201032951/http://multinationalmonitor.org/hyper/issues/1993/04/mm0493_05.html The Torturers' Lobby] ''Multinational Monitor'', accessed 20 June 2002 </ref>
 +
*[[BKSH]] – B-M's public affairs/lobbying subsidiary handles most lobbying for B-M in the USA and Europe (see [[Burson-Marsteller#Practice Structure|Practice Structure]] above)
 +
*[[Prime Policy Group]] (PPG) a Burson-Marsteller unit. Clients include the Ukraine. O'Dwyers reported in March 2014 that PPG 'shepherded the push to win financial support for Ukraine from the International Monetary Fund and Congress'. <ref> Kevin McCauley, [http://www.odwyerpr.com/story/public/2151/2014-03-28/burson-unit-pitches-ukraine.html Burson Unit Pitches Ukraine], Fri., Mar. 28, 2014 </ref>
  
In the States [[BKSH]]'s head office is naturally in Washington DC, B-M boasts of "strong working relationships with decision makers and opinion leaders at the centres of power. In Washington, these range from Congress to the White House, from the State Department to the Pentagon, from national associations to the [[National Press Club]]. We understand the Washington D.C. community's own unique rhythm and set of unspoken rules, and we are skilled at negotiating for our clients to maximum effect."
+
==People==
 +
===Executive Board===
 +
<ref name="Board"> [http://web.archive.org/web/20031003152218/http://www.bm.com/overview/ex_board.html Executive Board] ''Burson Marsteller'', accessed 3 May 2002 </ref>
  
[[BKSH]]'s European HQ is in Brussels with a network of offices in the major European capitals each staffed with experts in the local political systems.
+
*[[Harold Burson]] Founding Chairman of Burson-Marsteller, Harold Burson has been in PR for more than fifty years. He was once described by PR Week as "the century’s most influential PR figure" due to the market share of B-M and his innovative work. Now in his 80s, Burson stepped down as CEO in 1988, the company he co-founded in 1953. He still works at B-M for many long-term clients, including [[Philip Morris]], [[Merrill Lynch]] and [[Coca-Cola]]. He has no retirement plans <ref> [http://enquirer.com/editions/2001/04/15/fin_hes_mr_public.html He's Mr. Public Relations] ''Cincinnati.com'', 14 April 2001, accessed 3 May 2002 </ref>.
  
'''Technology''' was the first of the 'practices', formed in 1994. Concentrating mostly on electronic technologies. Like the healthcare practice, the technology practice provides a broad range of services, which might otherwise be provided by other practices, specifically to companies that need specialist knowledge of technology issues.
+
*[[Donald Baer]] Worldwide Chair and Chief Executive Office. Former journalist and assistant managing editor at [[U.S. News & World Report]], was senior adviser to President [[Bill Clinton]] from 1994-1998, was senior executive vice president for strategy and development and an executive committee member at [[Discovery Communications from 1998-2007. Started working at Burson-Marsteller in 2008.
  
==Subsidiaries==
+
*[[Patrick Przybyski]] Worldwide Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. Formerly director of planning and analysis, worldwide controller and director of financial reporting at [[Young and Rubicam]] advertising and COO/CFO at [[Wunderman]], New York.
  
*[[Black Manafort, Stone & Kelly]] – a lobbying firm with offices in Washington D.C. and Alexandria, Virginia {{ref|14}}. The company keeps a low profile. It maintains no web site and is not even mentioned on Burson-Marsteller’s site. It is known to have worked for [[Phillip Morris]] {{ref|15}}, and to have conducted lobbying on behalf of the brutal Angolan rebel leader, [[Savimbi]]. {{ref|16}}
+
*[[Jano Cabrera]] Worldwide Executive Vice President. Jano owned [[Carthage Group Communications]], advising the [[Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation]] and helped Nobel Prize winner [[Muhammad Yunus]] and the [[Grameen Bank]] draw attention to their work on microfinance. Was also communication director for the [[Democratic Party]], serves as national spokesman for [[Al Gore]] form 1998-2002 and worked on Gore's presidential campaign in 2000.
*[[BKSH]] – B-M's public affairs/lobbying subsidiary handles most lobbying for B-M in the USA and Europe (see [[Burson-Marsteller#Practice Structure|Practice Structure]] above)
 
  
===Key UK Personnel===
+
*[[Ramiro Prudencio]] President & CEO, Latin America.
  
*[[Peter Melchett]] Lord Peter Melchett is the latest high profile environmentalist to take a job at Burson-Marsteller. His move was announced in January 2002, immediately after stepping down as head of [[Greenpeace]] UK. Melchett maintains that his new job will give him more access to corporations in order to push his environmental agenda {{ref|17}}. The move is part of a 'hiring spree' for B-M's Corporate Social Responsibility Unit. B-M expects Lord Melchett's extensive experience of the NGO community, government and business to "provide unique insight for Burson-Marsteller clients." {{ref|18}}
+
*[[Michael Law]] CEO, U.S.
  
*[[Des Wilson]] In 1989 Wilson was awarded ITN's 'Environmentalist of the Year' prize. In his years of political work he ran the UK campaign for lead free petrol, was Chairman of [[Friends of the Earth]] UK, directed the [[Campaign for Freedom of Information]] and ran a general election campaign for the Liberal Democrats. In 1993 he took the position of Director of Public affairs and Crisis Management at B-M, with a salary rumoured to be one of the highest in the PR industry at that time {{ref|19}}. He subsequently moved to [[BAA]].
+
*[[Kevin Bell]] Chair, Global Public Affairs Practice.
  
*[[Richard Aylard]] B-M's Corporate Social Responsibility unit is headed by Richard Aylard. Aylard was previously head of the [[Soil Association]], which certifies organic food and campaigns against GM crops and pesticides {{ref|20}}.
+
*[[Gary Koops]] Chair, Global Media Practice
  
*[[Gavin Grant]] Before joining B-M in November 1999, Grant was Director of Global Corporate and Public Affairs for [[The Body Shop]] International reporting directly to Anita and Gordon Roddick {{ref|21}}. Whilst there he had responsibility for coordinating The Body Shop's [[Ogoni Campaign]] which caused tremendous embarrassment for B-M's client [[Shell]].
+
*[[Helene Ellison]] Chair, Global Healthcare Practice
  
==Front groups==
+
*[[Jeremy Galbraith]] CEO, Europe, Middle East & Africa/ Global Chief Strategy Officer.
On three occasions over the last 12 months, Burson-Marsteller has been forced to step up transparency following criticism of its role in establishing and de facto running The [[Coalition to Prevent Deep-Vein Thrombosis]] (on behalf of [[Aventis]]), [[European Women for HPV Testing]] (on behalf of [[Digene Corporation]]) and The [[Bromine Science and Environment Forum]] (on behalf of major producers of bromine flame retardants). In all these cases, the involvement of the companies - let alone Burson-Marsteller - was initially hidden or kept vague. {{ref|trans}}
 
  
==Industry Groups==
+
*[[Jay Leveton]] Worldwide Executive Vice President / CEO, Penn Schoen Berland.
  
*[[Council of Public Relations Firms]] The Council of Public Relations Firms is a leading industry body for the PR industry. Its membership comprises 122 PR companies including all of the top ten companies (of which B-M is one) and two-thirds of the top fifty. {{ref|22}}
+
*[[Michele Chase]] Worldwide Managing Director, Human Resources.
  
==Governmental Links==
+
*[[Patrick Ford]] Worldwide Vice Chair / Chief Client Officer / Chairman, Asia Pacific.
{{ref|23}}
 
  
===Revolving Doors===
+
*[[Karen Hughes]] Worldwide Vice Chair.
*[[Ken Rietz]], B-M’s chief operating officer, had a political career serving as "chief legislative adviser to a senior member of Congress, as deputy chairman and political director of the Republican National Committee, and as the strategic and media adviser to more than a dozen members of the US House of Representatives and the US Senate. He also has served in senior positions in four Republican presidential campaigns."
 
  
*[[Allan Biggar]], CEO of B-M Europe, gained political experience as a senior member of the Liberal Democrats campaign staff. He also worked in the UK Parliament on UK privatization legislation, and the flotation of [[BT|British Telecom]] and other utilities.
+
*[[Morten Pettersen]] Nordic CEO<ref> [http://www.burson-marsteller.com/press-release/burson-marsteller-appoints-morten-pettersen-as-nordic-ceo/ Burson-Marsteller Appoints Morten Pettersen as Nordic CEO] ''Burson Marsteller'', 12 December 2014, accessed 15 January 2015 </ref>
  
==Environmentalist PR?==
+
===Key UK staff===
 +
===UK Leadership Team===
 +
====Former====
 +
*[[Amanda Pierce]] Chief Executive until 2016, replaced by Stephen Day, who later left in June 2018.
 +
*[[Mike Love]] Chairman, former political agent to British prime minister [[Margaret Thatcher]]
 +
*[[George Godsal]] Managing Director and Chair of the Corporate & Brand Practice.
 +
*[[Ben Maynard]] Managing Director and chair of the Technology Practice.
 +
*[[Stephen Day]] Managing Director and chair of the Public Affairs Practice - promoted to COO in 2016
 +
*[[Kate Hawker]] Managing Director and chair of the Healthcare Practice.
 +
*[[Matt Owen]] Director, Content and Campaigns.
 +
*[[Rizvana Kausar]] Director, Human Resources.
 +
*[[Jonathan McDonald]] Chief Operating Officer.<ref> [http://www.burson-marsteller.co.uk/who-we-are/uk-leadership-team/ UK leadership team] ''Burson Marsteller'', undated, accessed 20 October 2014 </ref>
 +
*[[Lee Wright]], Manager. Former researcher to [[George Mudie]] MP and account manager at [[Portcullis Public Affairs]].<ref> Rod Muir [https://www.publicaffairsnews.com/articles/news/power-six-burson-marsteller Power of six for Burson-Marsteller] ''Public Affairs News'', 30 October 2014, accessed 31 October 2014 </ref>
 +
*[[Joe Musgrave]] Chief of Staff to [[Kevin Bell]], Global Practice Chair for Public Affairs.<ref name="PAN"> Rod Muir [https://www.publicaffairsnews.com/articles/news/power-six-burson-marsteller Power of six for Burson-Marsteller] ''Public Affairs News'', 30 October 2014, accessed 26 November 2014 </ref><ref> [https://www.linkedin.com/pub/joseph-musgrave/95/526/196 Joseph Musgrave] ''Linkedin'', accessed 26 November 2014 </ref>
 +
*[[Daniel Rolle]] Account director<ref name="PAN"/><ref> [https://uk.linkedin.com/pub/daniel-rolle/25/80a/75b Daniel Rolle] ''Linkedin'', accessed 26 November 2014 </ref>
 +
*[[David Mitchell (Lobbying)| David Mitchell]]<ref name="PAN"/>
 +
*[[Sally Herd]] Senior Client Executive, Public Affairs Practice.<ref name="PAN"/><ref> [https://uk.linkedin.com/pub/sally-herd/59/39/122 Sally Herd] ''Linkedin'', accessed 26 November 2014 </ref>
 +
*Dr [[Carolina Gasparoli]], associate.<ref name="PAN"/><ref> [http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/dr-carolina-gasparoli/34/274/6ba/de Dr Carolina Gasparoli] ''Linkedin'', accessed 26 November 2014 </ref>
 +
*[[Andrew Clark]], director. Former business editor at ''The Times'' and the ''Observer'' who joined in March 2016
  
 +
===Environmentalists===
 
[[Image:BM-doorway.jpg|right|thumb|Doorway of Burson Marsteller Offices, Central London]]
 
[[Image:BM-doorway.jpg|right|thumb|Doorway of Burson Marsteller Offices, Central London]]
Burson-Marsteller has a history of employing environmentalists where possible, especially in the UK. These have included:  
+
Burson-Marsteller has a history of employing environmentalists, especially in the UK. These have included:  
 +
*[[Des Wilson]] In 1989 Wilson was awarded ITN's 'Environmentalist of the Year' prize. In his years of political work he ran the UK campaign for lead free petrol, was Chairman of [[Friends of the Earth]] UK, directed the [[Campaign for Freedom of Information]] and ran a general election campaign for the [[Liberal Democrats]]. In 1993 he took the position of Director of Public affairs and Crisis Management at B-M, with a salary rumoured to be one of the highest in the PR industry at that time. He subsequently moved to [[BAA]] to highlight the 'environmental benefits' of a fifth terminal at Heathrow.
 +
*[[Richard Aylard]] B-M's Corporate Social Responsibility unit was headed by Richard Aylard. Aylard was previously head of the [[Soil Association]], which certifies organic food and campaigns against GM crops and pesticides from 1998 to 2000. He joined [[Thames Water]] in 2002 as Corporate Responsibility Director.
 +
*[[Gavin Grant]] Before joining B-M in November 1999, Grant was Director of Global Corporate and Public Affairs for [[The Body Shop]] International reporting directly to Anita and Gordon Roddick<ref> [http://web.archive.org/web/20030424073206/http://www.bm.com/bios/g_grant_rep_bio.html Gavin Grant] ''Burson Marsteller'', accessed 20 June 2002 </ref>. Whilst there he had responsibility for coordinating The Body Shop's [[Ogoni Campaign]] which caused tremendous embarrassment for B-M's client [[Shell]].
 +
*[[Simon Bryceson]] - ex-board member of [[Friends of the Earth]] and former consultant to [[Greenpeace]].<ref> [http://web.archive.org/web/20050307184255/http://www.bryceson.com/html/profile.html Simon Bryceson profile], accessed March 2006 </ref>
 +
*[[Peter Melchett]] - Lord Melchett's move to B-M was announced in January 2002, immediately after he stepped down as head of [[Greenpeace]] UK. Melchett maintained that his new job would give him more access to corporations in order to push his environmental agenda. The move is part of a 'hiring spree' for B-M's Corporate Social Responsibility Unit. B-M expects Lord Melchett's extensive experience of the NGO community, government and business to "provide unique insight for Burson-Marsteller clients."
 +
 
 +
===APPC Register UK===
 +
====September 2016-November 2016====
 +
[[Alan Aitken]] | [[Kevin Bell]] | [[Andrew Clark]] | [[Stephen Day]] | [[Toby Denselow]] | [[Andrada Dobre]] | [[Ele Emmerson]] | [[Tom Evans]] | [[Richard Fenner]] | [[Laura Gabb]] | [[George Godsal]] | [[Michael Hartt]] | [[Sally Herd]] | [[Hugo Legh]] | [[Andrew Mackay]] | [[Ben Maynard]] | [[Marco Merlina]]| [[David Mitchell]] | [[Joseph Musgrave]] | [[Katie Myler]] | [[Amanda Pierce]] | [[Anna Richardson]] | [[Andrew Tickle]]|  [[Nick Williams]] | [[James Worron]] | [[Lee Wright]] | [[John Young]] | [[Jonathan Zokay]]
 +
 
 +
====June 2016-August 2016====
 +
[[Alan Aitken]] | [[Kevin Bell]] | [[Andrew Clark]] | [[Stephen Day]] | [[Toby Denselow]] | [[Andrada Dobre]] | [[Ele Emmerson]] | [[Tom Evans]] | [[Laura Gabb]] | [[George Godsal]] | [[Michael Hartt]] | [[Sally Herd]] | [[Michael Heseltine]] | [[Hugo Legh]] | [[Andrew Mackay]] | [[Ben Maynard]] | [[Marco Merlina]] | [[David Mitchell]] | [[Joseph Musgrave]] | [[Katie Myler]] | [[Amanda Pierce]] | [[Anna Richardson]] | [[Andrew Tickle]] | [[Nick Williams]] | [[James Worron]] | [[Lee Wright]] | [[John Young]] | [[Jonathan Zokay]] <ref name="Jun16"> [http://www.appc.org.uk/register/profile/?company=Burson-Marsteller Burson-Marsteller Staff], ''APPC'', accessed 7 October 2016.</ref>
 +
 
 +
====March 2016-May 2016====
 +
[[Alan Aitken]] | [[Kevin Bell]] | [[Andrew Clark]] | [[Stephen Day]] | [[Toby Denselow]] | [[Ele Emmerson]] | [[Tom Evans]] | [[Adam Fisch]] | [[Laura Gabb]] | [[George Godsal]] | [[Michael Hartt]] | [[Sally Herd]] | [[Hugo Legh]] | [[Andrew Mackay]] | [[Ben Maynard]] | [[David Mitchell]] | [[Joseph Musgrave]] | [[Katie Myler]] | [[Amanda Pierce]] | [[Anna Richardson]] | [[Dan Rolle]] | [[Andrew Tickle]] | [[Nick Williams]] | [[Lee Wright]] | [[John Young]] | [[Jonathan Zokay]] <ref name="Mar16">[http://www.appc.org.uk/register/profile/?company=Burson-Marsteller Burson-Marsteller staff], ''APPC'', accessed 15 June 2016</ref>
 +
 
 +
====December 2015-February 2016====
 +
[[Alan Aitken]] | [[Kevin Bell]] | [[Stephen Day]] | [[Toby Denselow]] | [[Ele Emmerson]] | [[Tom Evans]] | [[Adam Fisch]] | [[Laura Gabb]] | [[George Godsal]] | [[Michael Hartt]] | [[Sally Herd]] | [[Hugo Legh]]  | [[Mike Love]] | [[Andrew MacKay]] | [[Ben Maynard]] | [[David Mitchell]] | [[Joseph Musgrave]] | [[Katie Myler]] | [[Amanda Pierce]] | [[Anna Richardson]] | [[Dan Rolle]] | [[Andrew Tickle]] | [[Nick Williams]] |  [[Lee Wright]] | [[John Young]] | [[Jonathan Zokay]] <ref name="Dec15">[http://www.appc.org.uk/members/register/register-profile/?company=Burson-Marsteller Burson-Marsteller staff, 1st December 2015-28th February 2016], ''APPC'', accessed 8 April 2016</ref>
 +
 
 +
====September 2015-November 2015====
 +
[[Alan Aitken]] | [[Kevin Bell]] | [[Stephen Day]] | [[Toby Denselow]] |  [[Ele Emmerson]] |  [[Tom Evans]] |  [[Adam Fisch]] |  [[Laura Gabb]] |  [[Carolina Gasparoli]] |  [[George Godsal]] |  [[Michael Hartt]] |  [[Sally Herd]] |  [[Hugo Legh]] |  [[Mike Love]] |  [[Andrew MacKay]] |  [[Ben Maynard]] |  [[David Mitchell]] |  [[Joseph Musgrave]] |  [[Katie Myler]] |  [[Amanda Pierce]] |  [[Anna Richardson]] |  [[Dan Rolle]] |  [[Andrew Tickle]] |  [[Lee Wright]] | [[John Young]] |  [[Jonathan Zokay]] <ref>[http://www.appc.org.uk/members/register/register-profile/?company=Burson-Marsteller Burson-Marstellar staff, Sep-Nov15], ''APPC.org'', accessed 3 February 2016</ref>
 +
 
 +
====June 2015-August 2015====
 +
[[James Atkins]] | [[Kevin Bell]] | [[Stephen Day]] | [[Toby Denselow]] | [[Ele Emmerson]] | [[Tom Evans]] | [[Adam Fisch]] | [[Carolina Gasparoli]] | [[George Godsal]] | [[Michael Hartt]] | [[Sally Herd]] | [[Hugo Legh]] | [[Mike Love]] | [[Andrew Mackay]] | [[Ben Maynard]] | [[David Mitchell]] | [[Joseph Musgrave]] | [[Katie Myler]] | [[Harriet O'Halloran]] | [[Amanda Pierce]] | [[Anna Richardson]] | [[Dan Rolle]] | [[Lee Wright]] [[John Young]] | [[Jonathan Zokay]] <ref name="Jun15"> [http://www.appc.org.uk/members/register/register-profile/?company=Burson-Marsteller Register 1st June 2015-31st August 2015]''APPC'', accessed 28 September 2015 </ref>
 +
 
 +
====December 2014-February 2015====
 +
[[James Atkins]] | [[Kevin Bell]] | [[Stephen Day]] | [[Toby Denselow]] | [[Ele Emmerson]] | [[Tom Evans]] | [[Adam Fisch]] | [[Carolina Gasparoli]] | [[George Godsal]] | [[Michael Hartt]] | [[Sally Herd]] | [[Hugo Legh]] | [[Mike Love]] | [[Andrew Mackay]] | [[Ben Maynard]] | [[David Mitchell]] | [[Clarence Mitchell]] | [[Joseph Musgrave]] | [[Katie Myler]] | [[Harriet OHalloran]] | [[Amanda Pierce]] | [[Anna Richardson]] | [[Dan Rolle]] | [[Sophie Ross]] | [[Lee Wright]] | [[John Young]] | [[Jonathan Zokay]]<ref name="Dec14"> [http://www.appc.org.uk/members/register/register-profile/?company=Burson-Marsteller Register 1st December 2014 - 28th February 2015] ''APPC'', accessed 9 March 2015 </ref>
 +
 
 +
====September 2014-November 2014====
 +
[[James Atkins]] | [[Kevin Bell]] | [[Stephen Day]] | [[Toby Denselow]] | [[Ele Emmerson]] | [[Adam Fisch]] | [[Carolina Gasparoli]] | [[George Godsal]] | [[Michael Hartt]] | [[Sally Herd]] | [[Hugo Legh]] | [[Mike Love]] | [[Andrew Mackay]] | [[Ben Maynard]] | [[David Mitchell]] | [[Clarence Mitchell]] | [[Joseph Musgrave]] | [[Katie Myler]] | [[Harriet OHalloran]] | [[Amanda Pierce]] | [[Anna Richardson]] | [[Dan Rolle]] | [[Sophie Ross]] | [[Lee Wright]] | [[John Young]] | [[Jonathan Zokay]]<ref name="Sept"> [http://www.appc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/NOV-14-REGISTER-5.12.14.pdf Register 1st September 2014 - 30th November 2014] ''APPC'', accessed 15 January 2015 </ref>
 +
 
 +
====June 2014-August 2014====
 +
[[James Atkins]] | [[Kevin Bell]] | [[Stephen Day]] | [[Toby Denselow]] | [[Ele Emmerson]] | [[Adam Fisch]] | [[Carolina Gasparoli]] | [[George Godsal]] | [[Michael Hartt]] | [[Hattie Leach]] | [[Hugo Legh]] | [[Mike Love]] | [[Andrew Mackay]] | [[Ben Maynard]] | [[David Mitchell]] | [[Clarence Mitchell]] | [[Joseph Musgrave]] | [[Katie Myler]] | [[Harriet OHalloran]] | [[Amanda Pierce]] | [[Anna Richardson]] | [[Dan Rolle]] | [[Sophie Ross]] | [[John Young]] | [[Jonathan Zokay]]<ref name="June"> [http://www.appc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/AUG-14-REGISTER-28.11.14.pdf Register 1st June 2014 - 31st August 2014] ''APPC'', accessed 16 October 2014 </ref>
 +
 
 +
====March 2014-May 2014====
 +
[[James Atkins]] | [[Daniel Batty]] | [[Kevin Bell]] | [[Charlotte Budd]] | [[Matt Carter]] | [[Stephen Day]] | [[Toby Denselow]] | [[Ele Emmerson]] | [[Adam Fisch]] | [[Paul Grand]] | [[Michael Hartt]] | [[Kate Hawker]] | [[Adam Honeysett-Watts]] | [[Tony Jackson]] | [[Annabel Jaram]] | [[Matthew Keirle]] | [[Hattie Leach]] | [[Hugo Legh]] | [[Mike Love]] | [[Andrew Mackay]] | [[Ben Maynard]] | [[Clarence Mitchell]] | [[Joseph Musgrave]] | [[Katie Myler]] | [[Elisabeth Neal]] | [[Harriet OHalloran]] | [[Amanda Pierce]] | [[Anna Richardson]] | [[Dan Rolle]] | [[Sophie Ross]] | [[John Young]] | [[Jonathan Zokay]] <ref name="MP"> [http://www.appc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/MAY-14-REGISTER-1.9.14.pdf Register for 1st March 2014 - 31st May 2014] ‘’APPC’’, accessed 1 October 2014 </ref>
 +
 
 +
====December 2013-February 2014====
 +
[[James Atkins]] | [[Kevin Bell]] | [[Matt Carter]] | [[Toby Denselow]] | [[Ele Emmerson]] | [[Adam Fisch]] | [[Paul Grand]] | [[Michael Hartt]] | [[Adam Honeysett-Watts]] | [[Matthew Keirle]] | [[Hattie Leach]] | [[Hugo Legh]] | [[Mike Love]] | [[Andrew Mackay]] | [[Clarence Mitchell]] | [[Katie Myler]] | [[Anna Richardson]] | [[John Young]] | [[Jonathan Zokay]] <ref name="MR"> [http://www.appc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/FEB-14-REG-7.3.1411.pdf Register for 1st December 2013 – 31 February 2014] ‘’APPC’’, accessed 1 October 2014 </ref>
 +
 
 +
====September 2013-November 2013====
 +
[[James Atkins]] | [[Matt Carter]] | [[Toby Denselow]] | [[Ele Emmerson]] | [[Iddo Goldfarb]] | [[Paul Grand]] | [[Michael Hartt]] | [[Adam Honeysett-Watts]] | [[Matthew Keirle]] | [[Hattie Leach]] | [[Hugo Legh]] | [[Mike Love]] | [[Andrew Mackay]] | [[Clarence Mitchell]] | [[Katie Myler]] | [[John Young]] | [[Jonathan Zokay]] <ref name="MS"> [http://www.appc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/13-NOV-REGISTER-26.2.1411.pdf Register for 1st September 2013 - 30th November 2013] ‘’APPC’’, accessed 1 October 2014 </ref>
 +
 
 +
====June 2013-August 2013====
 +
[[James Atkins]] | [[Matt Carter]] | [[Toby Denselow]] | [[Ele Emmerson]] | [[Iddo Goldfarb]] | [[Michael Hartt]] | [[Matthew Keirle]] | [[Hattie Leach]] | [[Hugo Legh]] | [[Mike Love]] | [[Andrew Mackay]] | [[Clarence Mitchell]] | [[Katie Myler]] | [[John Young]] | [[Jonathan Zokay]] <ref name="MT"> [http://www.appc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Register-August-2014-FINAL11.pdf Register for 1st June 2013 - 31st August 2013] ‘’APPC’’, accessed 1 October 2014 </ref>
  
*[[Simon Bryceson]] - ex-board member of [[Friends of the Earth]] and former consultant to [[Greenpeace]]. {{ref|bryceson}}
+
====March 2013-May 2013====
*[[Des Wilson]] - ex-[[Shelter]], ex-[[Campaign for Lead Free Air]] and ex-[[Campaign for Freedom of Information]] and ex-Chair of [[Friends of the Earth]]. Wilson left BM to work for the [[British Airports Authority]] to highlight the 'environmental benefits' of a fifth terminal at Heathrow. {{ref|wilson}}
+
[[Maria Allen]] | [[James Atkins]] | [[Matt Carter]] | [[Toby Denselow]] | [[Ele Emmerson]] | [[Iddo Goldfarb]] | [[Michael Hartt]] | [[Matthew Keirle]] | [[Hattie Leach]] | [[Hugo Legh]] | [[Mike Love]] | [[Andrew Mackay]] | [[Clarence Mitchell]] | [[Katie Myler]] | [[Felicity Sincock]] | [[Anna Tobur]] | [[John Young]] | [[Jonathan Zokay]] <ref name="MU"> [http://www.appc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/13-MAY-REGISTER-FINAL-FINAL11.pdf Register for 1st March 2013 - 31st May 2013] ‘’APPC’’, accessed 1 October 2014 </ref>
*[[Peter Melchett]] - ex-head of [[Greenpeace]] UK, and the current policy director at the [[Soil Association]]. {{ref|wilson}}
 
  
==Biafra==
+
====December 2012-February 2013====
In the 1960s B-M worked for the Nigerian government to spin the crushing of the Biafran revolt. A subsidiary of Burson-Marsteller, [[Black, Manafort, Stone & Kelley]], also worked with the Nigerian military junta in the early nineties. During this time there were routine human rights abuses against protestors such as the Ogoni, who were non-violently campaigning against the oil-giant [[Shell]]. {{ref|greenbacklash}}
+
[[Maria Allen]] | [[James Atkins]] | [[Matt Carter]] | [[Andrew Cregan]] | [[Toby Denselow]] | [[Ele Emmerson]] | [[Tom Fern]] | [[Iddo Goldfarb]] | [[Michael Hartt]] | [[Tamara Jackson]] | [[Matthew Keirle]] | [[Hugo Legh]] | [[Mike Love]] | [[Andrew Mackay]] | [[Clarence Mitchell]] | [[Katie Myler]] | [[Felicity Sincock]] | [[Anna Tobur]] | [[John Young]] | [[Jonathan Zokay]] <ref name="MV"> [http://www.appc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/latest-register_1Dec2012_28Feb2013.pdf Register for 1st December 2012 - 28th February 2013] ‘’APPC’’, accessed 1 October 2014 </ref>
  
==Spin for torture==
+
===Former Staff===
In the seventies, after a military coup in Argentina, B-M was hired to improve the country's image. During this period, an estimated 35,000 people disappeared and thousands were tortured.
+
*[[Chris Komisarjevsky]] US President & CEO April 1995 – October 1998 and President and CEO Worldwide October 1998 – May 2005.
  
Some of the torture techniques used during this period were ''el submarino'' (holding a person's head under water or excrement until near drowning), ''la picana'' (electric prod applied to the most sensitive parts of the body), rape, torture (tearing out toe nails) and putting live rats onto the body to feed on fresh wounds. {{ref|greenbacklash}}
+
*[[Ken Rietz]] former Chief Operating Officer and Chair of the global public affairs practice. Now runs his own PR firm, [[PSS Strategies]].
  
A book was written on the disappeared called ''Nunca Más'' ('Never More') {{ref|book}}. It includes the following passage:
+
*[[John Maltese]] Chief Financial Officer Worldwide 1986-2006. Maltese joined Burson-Marsteller in 1986. He began as an Assistant Controller for the Eastern Region, was promoted to Controller of the Americas in 1988, Director of Finance, worldwide, in 1991. In mid-1993 he took the opportunity to manage [[Young & Rubicam]] Inc.'s financial accounting subsidiary, Shared Financial Services Company, and was recently promoted to his current position. Before B-M, Mr. Maltese spent eight years as controller of New York based advertising agency, [[N.W. Ayer]]. Before the communications industry, he worked at manufacturing company [[Gulf & Western]], and for five years at [[Citibank]].
  
:On 5 April 1978, at approximately 10pm, Dr. Liwsky arrived at his flat in Flores, in Buenos Aires city:
+
*[[Fred Hawrysh]] worked as Client Managing Director worldwide 1984-2007, Managing Director 1998-2007 and Chief Client Officer 1983-2007. Is now President & CEO North America of [[Professional Public Relations]]
  
:As I was inserting the key in the lock I realized what was happening, because the door was pulled inwards violently and I stumbled forward.
+
*[[Per Heggenes]] former Chief Knowledge & Insights Officer Worldwide and chief executive UK resigned in 2004. Previously, he was chairman of the Corporate Practice in Europe from April 1998. Before that, he was Chief Operating Officer of B-M Europe when he was instrumental in rolling out the new client practice structure throughout Europe. Per joined Burson-Marsteller Oslo as an account executive in 1982. He is now CEO of the [[Ikea Foundation]].
  
:I jumped back, trying to escape. Two shots (one in each leg) stopped me. However, I still put up a struggle, and for several minutes resisted, being handcuffed and hooded, as best I could. At the same time, I was shouting at the top of my lungs that I was being kidnapped, begging my neighbours to tell my family, and to try to stop them taking me away.
+
*[[Chet Burchett]] President & CEO USA until 2004, Chet Burchett joined B-M in 1998. He has had numerous roles including president and CEO of Burson-Marsteller Midwest and U.S. Practice Chair for the Brand Marketing practice. Chet has 20 years of news media and public relations experience. He is a specialist in reputation management. He has developed and executed programs in the areas of corporate communications, public affairs, consumer marketing, sports marketing and business-to-business.
  
:Finally, exhausted and blindfolded, I was told by the person who apparently was in command that my wife and two daughters had already been captured and 'disappeared'.
+
*[[Bill Rylance]] President & CEO of the Asia/Pacific region until December 2007 and vice-chairman from December 2007 to December 2008, Bill Rylance joined Burson-Marsteller in 1982, working in London and the Middle East. In 1986 he was assigned to Korea to manage B-M's worldwide public relations programme for the 1988 Seoul Olympics. In 1989, Bill established [[Merit Communications]], Korea's first international public relations consultancy. In a decade, Merit became the largest PR firm in Korea. Bill personally provided communications and media relations counsel for the Government of Korea, working directly with the Office of the President. B-M bought Merit Communications in 1999 and Bill became President and CEO of Burson-Marsteller Asia Pacific, responsible for all operations in Asia Pacific. He is now the founder and CEO of [[Watatawa]] (March 2009-present), a strategic communications firm in Singapore.
  
:They had to drag me out, since I couldn't walk because of the wounds in my legs. As we were leaving the building, I saw a car with a flashing red light in the street. By the sound of the voices and commands, and the slamming of car doors, interspersed with shouts from my neighbours, I presumed that this was a police car.
+
*[[Carlos Lareau]] Holding roles as Managing Director, Southern Europe and CEO Continental Europe, Carlos Lareau has led B-M/Iberia since 1996 before which he held several positions in B-M and was also Vice President of Communications and EU Affairs in a major pharmaceutical company. He has a 14-year experience in Communications, preceded by a career in economic and political journalism in Spain, the US and Latin America. He is now founder & managing partner of [[Conduit Market Engineers]] and a non-executive senior partner at [[Fleishman Hillard]].
  
:After several minutes of heated argument, the police car left. The others then took me out of the building and threw me on to the floor of a car, possibly a Ford Falcon, and set off.
+
*[[Celia Berk]] Appointed Managing Director of Human Resources for Burson-Marsteller Worldwide in November 1998. Ms. Berk joined Burson-Marsteller in January 1997 in the then newly created position of Managing Director, Human Resources for the United States. Prior to joining Burson-Marsteller, Ms. Berk was at [[Reuters]] America (1988-1998) in roles encompassing human resources, organizational planning, training, quality and internal communications. Before that, Ms. Berk was Administrator of the Harkness Fellowships of The [[Commonwealth Fund]]. Is now Chief Talent Officer at [[Young & Rubicam Group]].
  
:They hauled me out of the car in the same way, carrying me between four of them. We crossed four or five metres of what by the sound of it was a gravelled yard, then they threw me on to a table. They tied me by my hands and feet to its four corners.
+
*[[Thomas Blach]] Thomas Blach joined Burson-Marsteller in 1989, and became country manager of Burson-Marsteller, Denmark in 1992. From January 1997 to June 1999 he Chaired the European Public Affairs Practice. In 1998 he was also Market Leader in Brussels. In July 1999 Thomas Blach became Chairman of the Nordic Region. Formerly the Managing Director for the Nordic Region, Central, and Northern Europe and Co-CEO Europe. Set up [[Firstline Communication]] in 2005, and is currently Managing Partner at the company.
  
:The first voice I heard after being tied up was of someone who said he was a doctor. He told me the wounds on my legs were bleeding badly, so I should not try to resist in any way.
+
==Governmental links==
 +
<ref name="Board"/>
  
:Then I heard another voice. This one said he was the 'Colonel'. He told me they knew I was not involved with terrorism or the guerrillas, but that they were going to torture me because I opposed the regime, because: 'I hadn't understood that in Argentina there was no room for any opposition to the Process of National Reorganization'. He then added: 'You're going to pay dearly for it ... the poor won't have any goody-goodies to look after them any more'.
+
===Revolving doors===
 +
====USA====
 +
*[[Ken Rietz]], B-M’s chief operating officer, had a political career serving as "chief legislative adviser to a senior member of Congress, as deputy chairman and political director of the Republican National Committee, and as the strategic and media adviser to more than a dozen members of the US House of Representatives and the US Senate. He also has served in senior positions in four Republican presidential campaigns."
 +
====Former staff UK and Europe====
 +
*[[Allan Biggar]], former CEO of B-M Europe. He gained political experience as a senior member of the Liberal Democrats campaign staff. He also worked in the UK Parliament on UK privatization legislation, and the flotation of [[BT|British Telecom]] and other utilities. He is founder CEO of [[All About Brands]], a group of PR, marketing and lobbying companies.
 +
*[[Maria Allen]], former public affairs manager at B-M in the UK, then special adviser to Department of Energy and Climate Change Minister of State [[Amber Rudd]], then left government to join [[Jaguar Land Rover]], without having to refer to [[ACOBA]]
 +
*[[Andrew Mackay]], former UK Conservative Party MP, husband of [[Julie Kirkbride]]
  
:Everything happened very quickly. From the moment they took me out of the car to the beginning of the first electric shock session took less time than I am taking to tell it. For days they applied electric shocks to my gums, nipples, genitals, abdomen and ears. Unintentionally, I managed to annoy them, because, I don't know why, although the shocks made me scream, jerk and shudder, they could not make me pass out.
+
==UK Lobbying clients==
 +
===Register of consultant lobbyists listings===
 +
Recorded meetings since 2015 between '''Burson Marstellar'''' and UK govt ministers on behalf of clients:
  
:They then began to beat me systematically and rhythmically with wooden sticks on my back, the backs of my thighs, my calves and the soles of my feet. At first the pain was dreadful. Then it became unbearable. Eventually I lost all feeling in the part of my body being beaten. The agonizing pain returned a short while after they finished hitting me. It was made still worse when they tore off my shirt, which had stuck to the wounds, in order to take me off for a fresh electric shock session. This continued for several days, alternating the two tortures. Sometimes they did both at the same time.
+
'''2017'''
 +
[[Addax Petroleum UK]] | [[Addison Lee]] | [[Aldi]] | [[BD Auto and Energy]] | [[British Sugar]] | [[Ennahdha]] (Tunisian Political Party) | [[Eric Evans Memorial Trust]] | [[Government of Iceland]] | [[INEOS]] | [[Islamic Military Counter-Terrorism Coalition]] |
  
:Such a combination of tortures can be fatal because, whereas electric shock produces muscular contractions, beating causes the muscle to relax (as a form of protection). Sometimes this can bring on heart failure.
+
'''July - September 2016'''
 +
[[Aldi]] | [[Eric Evans Memorial Trust]] | [[Gilead Sciences]]  | [[Global Infrastructure Investor Association]]  | [[INEOS]] | [[The Daily Mile]] <ref>[https://registerofconsultantlobbyists.force.com/CLR_Public_Profile?id=00124000006ZjlBAAS 'Burson-Marsteller profile 2016'], ''Register of consultant lobbyists'', accessed 24 November 2016. </ref>
  
:In between torture sessions they left me hanging by my arms from hooks fixed in the wall of the cell where they had thrown me.
+
'''April - June 2016'''
 +
[[Addax Petroleum UK]] | [[Aldi]] | [[Charitable foundation for health, education, physical education and sports “Top sport”]] | [[Gilead Sciences, Inc.]] | [[HCA Healthcare UK]] | [[INEOS]] | [[The Daily Mile]] <ref>[https://registerofconsultantlobbyists.force.com/CLR_Public_Profile?id=00124000006ZjlBAAS 'Burson-Marsteller profile 2016'], ''Register of consultant lobbyists'', accessed 18 July 2016</ref>
  
:Sometimes they put me on to the torture table and stretched me out, tying my hands and feet to a machine which I can't describe since I never saw it, but which gave me the feeling that they were going to tear part of my body off.
+
'''January - March 2016'''
 +
[[Addax Petroleum]] | [[Addison Lee]] | [[FIFA]] | [[HCA International]] | [[INEOS]] | [[Initiative for a Competitive Online Marketplace]] (ICOMP) <ref>[https://registerofconsultantlobbyists.force.com/CLR_Public_Profile?id=00124000006ZjlBAAS Burson-Marsteller profile 2016], ''parliament.uk'', accessed 29 April 2016</ref>
  
:At one point when I was face-down on the torture table, they lifted my head then removed my blindfold to show me a bloodstained rag. They asked me if I recognized it and, without waiting for a reply - impossible anyway because it was unrecognizable, and my eyesight was very badly affected - they told me it was a pair of my wife's knickers. No other explanation was given, so that I would suffer all the more ... then they blindfolded me again and carried on with their beating.
+
'''October-December 2015'''
 +
[[Addax Petroleium]] | [[Addison Lee]] | [[Aldi]] | [[Ennahda]] | [[FIFA]] | [[Genomic Health]] | [[HCA International]] | [[INEOS]] | [[Initiative for a Competitive Online Marketplace]] <ref name="Register"/>
  
:Ten days after I entered this 'pit', they brought my wife, Hilda Nora Ereñu, to my cell. I could scarcely see her, but she seemed in a pitiful state. They only left us together for two or three minutes, with one of the torturers present. When they took her away again, I thought that this would be the last time we saw each other. That it was the end for both of us.
+
'''July-September 2015'''
 +
[[Addax Petroleum]] | [[Addison Lee]] | [[Aldi]] | [[Attaqneyah Almotaqademah Oil Services]] | [[Ennahda]] | [[HCA International]] | [[INEOS]] | [[Initiative for a Competitive Online Market Place]] | [[London Borough of Camden]] <ref name="Register"/>
  
:On two or three occasions they also burnt me with a metal instrument. I didn't see this either, but I had the impression that they were pressing something hard into me. Not like a cigarette, which gets squashed, but something more like a red-hot nail.
+
'''April-June 2015'''
 +
[[Ennahda]] | [[Go Run For Fun]] | [[HCA International]] | [[INEOS]] | [[Initiative for a Competitive Online Market Place]] | [[London Borough of Camden]] <ref name="Register"/>
  
:One day they put me face-down on the torture table, tied me up (as always), and calmly began to strip the skin from the soles of my feet. I imagine, though I didn't see it because I was blindfolded, that they were doing it with a razor blade or a scalpel. I could feel them pulling as if they were trying to separate the skin at the edge of the wound with a pair of pincers. I passed out. From then on, strangely enough, I was able to faint very easily. As for example on the occasion when, showing me more bloodstained rags, they said these were my daughters' knickers, and asked me whether I wanted them to be tortured with me or separately. I began to feel that I was living alongside death. When I wasn't being tortured I had hallucinations about death - sometimes when I was awake, at other times while sleeping.
+
'''January-March 2015'''
 +
[[Aldi]] | [[Bromine Science and Environmental Forum]] | [[Ennahda]] | [[Forum of Private Business]] | [[Government of Iceland]] | [[HCA International]] | [[INEOS]] | [[Initiative for a Competitive Online Market Place]] | [[London Borough of Camden]] <ref name="Register">[https://registerofconsultantlobbyists.force.com/CLR_Public_Profile?id=00124000006ZjlBAAS Burson-Marstellar Listing, Jan-Mar 15], ''Register of Consultant Lobbyists'', accessed 3 February 2016</ref>
  
:The most vivid and terrifying memory I have of all that time was of always living with death. I felt it was impossible to think, I desperately tried to summon up a thought in order to convince myself I wasn't dead. That I wasn't mad. At the same time, I wished with all my heart that they would kill me as soon as possible. In the midst of all this terror, I'm not sure when, they took me off to the 'operating theatre'. There they tied me up and began to torture my testicles. I don't know if they did this by hand or with a machine. I'd never experienced such pain. It was as though they were pulling out all my insides from my throat and brain downwards. As though my throat, brain, stomach and testicles were linked by a nylon thread which they were pulling on, while at the same time crushing everything. My only wish was for them to succeed in pulling all my insides out so that I would be completely empty. Then I passed out.
+
===APPC Register===
 +
====September 2016-November 2016====
 +
[[Addax Petroleum UK]] | [[Addison Lee]] | [[Aldi]] | [[Attaqneyah Almotaqademah Oil Services]] | [[DSM]] | [[Ennahdha]] (Tunisian Political Party) | [[Eric Evans Memorial Trust]] | [[Genomic Health]] | [[Gilead Sciences]] | [[Global Infrastructure Investor Association]] | [[Government of Iceland]] | [[HCA Healthcare UK]] | [[INEOS]] | [[Microsoft]] | [[PA Consulting]] | [[Qualcomm]] | [[The Daily Mile]] | [[The European Cloud Alliance]] | [[Valspar]]
  
:Without knowing how or when, I regained consciousness and they were tugging at me again. I fainted a second time.
+
====June 2016-August 2016====
 +
[[Addax Petroleum UK]] | [[Addison Lee]] | [[Aldi]] | [[Attaqneyah Almotaqademah Oil Services]] | [[Bank of America Merrill Lynch]] | [[Charitable foundation for health, education, physical education and sports “Top sport”]] | [[CLS Holdings]] | [[Ennahdha (Tunisian Political Party)]] | [[Eric Evans Memorial Trust]] | [[Genomic Health]] | [[Gilead Sciences]] | [[Global Infrastructure Investor Association]] | [[Government of Iceland]] | [[HCA Healthcare UK]] | [[INEOS]] | [[Microsoft]] | [[PA Consulting]] | [[RWE Generation UK Limited]] | [[The Daily Mile]] <ref name="Jun16"/>
  
:Another day they took me out of my cell and, despite my swollen testicles, placed me face-down again. They tied me up and raped me slowly and deliberately by introducing a metal object into my anus. They then passed an electric current through the object. I cannot describe how everything inside me felt as though it were on fire.
+
====March 2016-May 2016====
 +
[[Accenture]] | [[Addax Petroleum UK]] | [[Addison Lee]] | [[Aldi]] | [[Attaqneyah Almotaqademah Oil Services]] | [[BM Investigations]] | [[Charitable foundation for health, education, physical education and sports “Top sport”]] | [[Dow Corning]] | [[Egypt Tourism Authority]] | [[Ennahdha (Tunisian Political Party)]] | [[European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology]] | [[Genomic Health]] | [[Gilead Sciences]] | [[Global Infrastructure Investor Association]] | [[Government of Turkey]] | [[HCA Healthcare UK]] [[INEOS]] | [[Meridian]] | [[Microsoft]] | [[The Carlyle Group]] | [[The Daily Mile]] | [[Valspar]] <ref name="Mar16"/>
  
It also worked with Indonesia when it was acused of genocide in East Timor.
+
====December 2015-February 2016====
 +
[[Accenture]] | [[Addax Petroleum]] | [[Addison Lee]] | [[Aldi]] | [[Attaqneyah Almotaqademah Oil Services]] | [[BM Investigations]] | [[Egypt Tourism Authority]] | [[Ennahdha]] (Tunisian Political Party) | [[FIFA Reform Committee]] | [[Genomic Health]] |  [[Getty Images]] | [[Global Infrastructure Investor Association Government of Turkey]] | [[HCA InternationalI-Comp]] | [[INEOS]] [[Valspar]]<ref name="Dec15"/>
  
==Other Clients==
+
====September 2015-November 2015====
 +
[[Addax Petroleum]] | [[Addison Lee]] | [[Aldi]] | [[Attaqneyah Almotaqademah Oil Services]] | [[Ennahda (Tunisian Political Party)]] | [[FIFA Reform Committee]] | [[Genomic Health]] | [[Getty Images]] | [[Global Infrastructure Investment Association]] | [[Government of Iceland]] | [[Government of Turkey]] | [[HCA International]] | [[I-Comp]] | [[INEOS]] | [[International Olympic Committee]] | [[London Borough of Camden]] | [[Valspar]] <ref>[http://www.appc.org.uk/members/register/register-profile/?company=Burson-Marsteller Burson-Marstellar clients Sep-Nov15], ''APPC.org'', accessed 2 February 2016</ref>
  
B-M has a history of working with major polluters and despotic regimes.
+
====June 2015-August 2015====
 +
[[Addax Petroleum]] | [[Addison Lee]] | [[Aldi]] | [[Amazon]] | [[Attaqneyah Almotaqademah Oil Services]] | [[Bromine Science and Environmental Forum(BSEF)]] | [[Ennahdha(Tunisian Political Party]] | [[Genomic Health]] | [[Government of Iceland]] | [[HCA International]] | [[I-Comp]] | [[INEOS]] | [[International Olympic Committee]] | [[London Borough of Camden]] | [[Simons Group]] | [[Valspar]] <ref name="Jun15"> [http://www.appc.org.uk/members/register/register-profile/?company=Burson-Marsteller Register 1st June 2015-31st August 2015]''APPC'', accessed 28 September 2015 </ref>
  
In the seventies it worked with [[Babcock and Wilcox]] after the Three Mile Island nuclear disaster. The following decade, it worked with [[Union Carbide]] after the Bhopal disaster in India, which caused death or injury to tens of thousands of people. Union Carbide orginally tried to blame the disaster on sabotage. {{ref|NI}} {{ref|greenbacklash}}
+
====December 2014-February 2015====
 +
[[Addax Petroleum]] | [[Aldi]] | [[Amazon]] | [[Bromine Science and Environmental Forum]] (BSEF) | [[Ennahdha]] (Tunisian Political Party) | [[Exxon Mobil]] | [[Forum of Private Business]] | [[Genomic Health]] | [[Government of Iceland]] | [[HCA International]] | [[I-Comp]] | [[INEOS]] | [[London Borough of Camden]] | [[Smartmatic Services Corporation]] | [[Steria]] Limited | [[Uber]] | [[Valspar]]<ref name="Dec14"/>
  
The company has a history of working with the anti-environmental movement in the US and setting up corporate front groups such as the [[Business Council for Sustainable Development]], [[British Colombian Forest Alliance]], the [[Canadian Coalition for Clean and Renewable Energy]] or [[Australian Forest Protection Society]]. {{ref|greenbacklash}}
+
===September 2014-November 2014===
 +
[[Addax Petroleum]] | [[Amazon]] | [[Bromine Science and Environmental Forum]] (BSEF) | [[Ennahdha]] (Tunisian Political Party)| [[Findus]] | [[Forum of Private Business]] | [[Genomic Health]] | [[Government of Iceland]] | [[HCA International]] | [[I-Comp]] | [[INEOS]] | [[London Borough of Camden]] | [[Smartmatic Services Corporation]] | [[Steria Limited]] | [[Uber]] | [[Valspar]]<ref name="Sept"/>
  
B-M also set up anti-smoking front-groups. In the nineties it created the [[National Smokers Alliance]] in the US with money from [[Philip Morris]]. {{ref|trans}}
+
===June 2014-August 2014===
 +
[[Addax Petroleum]] | [[Amazon]] | [[Bromine Science and Environmental Forum]] | [[Dow Corning Corporation]] | [[Ennahda]] (Tunisian Political Party)| [[Findus]] | [[Government of Iceland]] | [[HCA International]] | [[I-Comp]] | [[Independent Schools]] | [[Inspectorate]] | [[INEOS]] | [[London Borough of Camden]] | [[Smartmatic Services Corporation]] | [[State of Law Coalition]] (Prime Minister of Iraq)| [[Steria]] Limited | [[Uber]] | [[Valspar]]<ref name="June"/>
  
It has worked for the oil industry against clean air and climate change legislation, forming front groups such as [[Foundation for Clean Air Progress]]. Its clients have included: the [[American Petroleum Institute]], [[BP|British Petroleum]], [[Chevron]], [[Ford]] Motor Company, [[Mitsubishi]], [[Pennzoil Occidental Petroleum]], and the government of Saudi Arabia. {{ref|trans}} {{ref|greenbacklash}}
+
===March 2014-May 2014===
 +
[[Addax Petroleum]] | [[Affinitext]] | [[Afton Chemical]] Limited | [[All Progressives Congress]] (Nigerian opposition party) | [[Amazon]] | [[Bromine Science and Environmental Forum]] ([[BSEF]]) | [[Dow Corning Corporation]] | [[HCA International]] | [[I-Comp]] - www.i-comp.org | [[Independent Schools Inspectorate]] | [[London Borough of Camden]] | [[Lundbeck]] | [[Rothschild Group]] |
 +
[[SAP]] | [[SSCL]] | [[Steria]] Limited | The [[Coca-Cola Company]] | [[Valspar]] <ref name="MP"/>
  
B-M has also worked for [[Monsanto]] and the biotech body [[Europabio]] in Europe. A leaked memo prepared by Burson-Masteller gives us an insight into its PR. It argued that the biotech industry had to "Stay off the killing fields".
+
===December 2013-February 2014===
 +
[[Affinitext]] | [[Afton Chemical]] Limited | [[Amazon]] | [[Danone Baby Nutrition]] Limited | [[ECFMU]] | [[Government of Iceland]] | [[I-Comp]] | [[London Borough of Camden]] | [[Risk Principles]] Limited | [[Steria]] Limited <ref name="MR"/>
  
:"Public issues of environmental and human health risk are communications killing fields for bioindustries in Europe. As a general rule, the industry voice cannot be expected to prevail in public opposition to adversarial voices on these issues. All the research evidence confirms that the perception of the profit motive fatally undermines industry's credibility on these questions. It said that instead the industry had to 'Fight fire with fire'.
+
===September 2013-November 2013===
 +
[[Accenture]] | [[Affinitext]] | [[Afton Chemical]] Limited | [[Amazon]] | [[Bank of America Merrill Lynch]] | [[Danone Baby Nutrition]] Limited | [[ECFMU]] | [[Government of Iceland]] | [[Heineken]] UK Limited | [[I-Comp]] | [[Leo Laboratories]] Limited | [[Norgine Pharmaceuticals]] Limited | [[Risk Principles]] Limited <ref name="MS"/>
 +
 
 +
===June 2013-August 2013===
 +
[[Accenture]] | [[Affinitext]] | [[Afton Chemical]] Limited | [[Amazon]] | [[Danone Baby Nutrition]] Limited | [[ECFMU]] | [[Eurovia]] | [[Government of Iceland]] | [[Heineken]] UK Limited | [[I-Comp]] | [[Leo Laboratories]] Limited | [[Lloyds Banking Group]] | [[Norgine Pharmaceuticals]] Limited | [[Risk Principles]] Limited <ref name="MT"/>
  
:"For [[EuropaBio]] to make the transition from effective policy interlocutor to effective public communicator, it is essential to shift from issues-based communications to stories-based communications. There are no issues-orientated media with any broad appeal, and the selling of complex issues coverage is a difficult task in any event because it contains little or no news value. Good stories, on the other hand, go around the world in minutes. That's the way adversaries play. That's the way industry must play". {{ref|eb}}
+
===March 2013-May 2013===
 +
[[Accenture]] | [[Affinitext]] | [[Afton Chemical]] Limited | [[Amazon]] | [[Danone Baby Nutrition]] Limited | [[ECFMU]] | [[Government of Iceland]] | [[Heineken]] UK Limited | [[I-Comp]] | [[Leo Laboratories]] Limited | [[Lloyds Banking Group]] | [[Public Fundraising Regulatory Association]] <ref name="MU"/>
  
Other clients include the [[Iraqi National Congress]] and the Saudi Royal Family who were trying to avoid blame after the September 11th attacks on the US.  {{ref|COE}}
+
===December 2012-February 2013===
 +
[[Accenture]] | [[Affinitext]] | [[Afton Chemical]] Limited | [[Amazon]] | [[Danone Baby Nutrition]] Limited | [[ECFMU]] | [[Government of Iceland]] | [[Heineken]] UK Limited | [[I-Comp]] | [[Lloyds Banking Group]] | [[Pilkington Group]] Limited | [[Public Fundraising Regulatory Association]] | [[Talisman Energy Norge]] <ref name="MV"/>
  
==Obesity==
+
===2008===
 +
Lobbying clients listed in 2008 include:<ref>[http://www.appc.org.uk APPC register, to December 2008]</ref><br>
 +
[[Afton Chemicals]] | [[Alix Partners]] | [[Alstom]] | [[Anheuser Busch]] | [[BSEF]] | [[ConnectEd]] | [[Danone]] | [[Engineering & Technology Board]] | [[Peel Holdings]] | [[HSBC]] | [[Huawei]] | [[Neste Oil]] | [[Nickel Institure]] | [[Nutricia]] | [[Microsoft]] | [[RIM]] | [[Tate & Lyle]]
  
Burson-Marsteller advertises a specialism on obesity on its website: {{ref|fat}}
+
==Locations==
  
:Obesity and, in a broader sense, food/health/nutrition issues, arguably represent one of the biggest public health challenges in western societies today, with enormous repercussions for a variety of industries. Some see it as the modern-day equivalent to previous macro-issues like tobacco, chemical industry & environment, GMOs, etc. The WHO, the EU, national governments are all considering some regulations or recommendations to the general audience, the medical community or the business world. Indeed, companies increasingly have to carefully consider their positioning, strategy and messages on this issue.
+
*'''Head Office'''
 +
 
 +
:Burson-Marsteller
 +
:230 Park Avenue South
 +
:New York, NY 10003
 +
:Phone: +1 212 614 4000
 +
:Fax: + 1 212 598 6928
  
:Burson-Marsteller has the experience, track-record and credentials to help companies address the issue. We have a unique and comprehensive mix of capabilities and people, we have inroads into some of the key players and we understand how best to present the information to reporters.
+
*'''London Office'''
  
:Specifically, Burson-Marsteller can help with 
+
:Level 6 South,
::* Tracking Issues and Business/Political Intelligence - identify trends and flag key events and political decisions that influence and accelerate the development of the issue. 
+
:Central Saint Giles,
::* Constituency Relations - actions and on-going campaigns to shape the perceptions of key groups that are active in defining the media / public opinion and political agenda - trade and heath organizations, groups, etc. 
+
:1 St Giles High Street,
::* Corporate Positioning - how to create a single differentiating communication platform 
+
:London,
::* Public Affairs and Governmental Relations - how to engage in a dialogue with governmental organizations and prepare for forthcoming legislation 
+
:WC2H 8AG
::* Media Relations - how to balance the debate in the media 
+
:Phone: +44 20 7831 6262
::* Brand Building - how to strategically position a brand or product
+
:Fax: : +44 20 7430 1033
  
What this means is that they will influence, fund, take-over or simply invent consumer and advocacy groups to pursue the corporate interest in minimum regulation.
+
A complete list of the addresses of B-M offices worldwide can be obtained from B-M’s web site <ref> [http://www.bm.com/overview/locales/ Overview locales] ''Burson Marsteller'', accessed 3 May 2002 </ref> and at O’Dwyers PR Daily web site <ref> [http://www.odwyerpr.com/pr_firms_database/prdb21.html PR firms database] ''Odwyerpr'', accessed 20 June 2002 </ref>
  
 
==Affiliations==
 
==Affiliations==
B-M are members of many corporate lobby groups and other organisations in their own rightAmongst these are:
+
B-M are members of many corporate lobby groups and other organisations.  Among these are:
 
*[[Bibliothèque Solvay]]
 
*[[Bibliothèque Solvay]]
==Spinprofiles Resources==
+
 
 +
*[[Council of Public Relations Firms]] The Council of Public Relations Firms is a leading industry body for the PR industry. Its membership comprises 122 PR companies including all of the top ten companies (of which B-M is one) and two-thirds of the top fifty.<ref> [http://web.archive.org/web/20141006080957/http://prfirms.org/ PR Firms] ''Council of Public Relations'', accessed 20 June 2002 </ref>
 +
 
 +
==Powerbase Resources==
 
*[[Burson-Marsteller UK Staff and Clients 30.11.03 to 31.05.04]]
 
*[[Burson-Marsteller UK Staff and Clients 30.11.03 to 31.05.04]]
 
*[[Burson-Marsteller UK Staff and clients, 1 June to 30 Nov 2005]]
 
*[[Burson-Marsteller UK Staff and clients, 1 June to 30 Nov 2005]]
 +
*[[Burson-Marsteller UK Staff and Clients 1 June 2009 to 31 August 2009]]
 
*[[Burson-Marsteller UK Clients, PRCA Yearbook 2004]]
 
*[[Burson-Marsteller UK Clients, PRCA Yearbook 2004]]
 
*[[Burson-Marsteller UK Lobbying Clients, PRCA Register, 1 January 2007 - 30 June 2007]]
 
*[[Burson-Marsteller UK Lobbying Clients, PRCA Register, 1 January 2007 - 30 June 2007]]
Line 254: Line 382:
  
 
==Further reading==
 
==Further reading==
 +
===Pages===
 +
See: [[Fracking lobbying firms]]
 +
 +
See: [[Fracking Spads]]
 +
 
===Articles===
 
===Articles===
* {{note|trans}} Corporate Europe Observatory, [http://www.corporateeurope.org/lobbycracy/houseofmirrors.html 'House of Mirrors; Burson-Marsteller Brussels lobbying for the bromine industry'], January 2005
+
*Melissa Jones, [http://www.spinwatch.org/index.php/issues/politics/item/5979-time-to-fix-exit-rules-for-special-advisers Time to fix the revolving door rules for special advisers], Spinwatch, 17 October 2017
* {{note|wilson}} Conal Walsh [http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4334181,00.html 'Fur flies as Greenpeace grandee takes PR shilling'], ''The Observer'', 13 January, 2002.
+
*Melissa Jones and Andy Rowell, [http://www.spinwatch.org/index.php/issues/climate/item/5765-access-all-areas-frackers-lobbyists-and-the-revolving-door Access all areas: Westminster's (vast) fracking lobby exposed], 29 April 2015.
* {{note|NI}} Andre Carothers [http://www.newint.org/issue246/green.htm 'The Green Machine'], ''New Internationalist'', August 1993
+
*[http://archive.corporateeurope.org/lobbycracy/houseofmirrors.html House of Mirrors Burson-Marsteller Brussels lobbying for the bromine industry] ''Corporate Europe Observatory'', January 2005, accessed 20 October 2014
 +
*Conal Walsh [http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4334181,00.html 'Fur flies as Greenpeace grandee takes PR shilling'] ''The Observer'', 13 January, 2002
 +
*Andre Carothers [http://www.newint.org/issue246/green.htm 'The Green Machine'] ''New Internationalist'', August 1993
  
 
===Books===
 
===Books===
* {{note|greenbacklash}} Andrew Rowell, ''Green Backlash'', Routledge, 1996, p114-121.
+
*Andrew Rowell, ''Green Backlash'', Routledge, 1996, p114-121  
* {{note|book}} Argentine National Commission on the Disappeared, ''Nunca Más, Never Again: A Report'', [http://www.nuncamas.org/english/library/nevagain/nevagain_014.htm Part I: The Repression], Faber & Faber, 1986
+
*Argentine National Commission on the Disappeared, ''Nunca Más, Never Again: A Report'', [http://www.nuncamas.org/english/library/nevagain/nevagain_014.htm Part I: The Repression], Faber & Faber, 1986
 
*Ruiz C, ''Burson-Marsteller: PR for the New World Order''
 
*Ruiz C, ''Burson-Marsteller: PR for the New World Order''
 
:http://home.intekom.com/tm_info/ge_bm.htm
 
:http://home.intekom.com/tm_info/ge_bm.htm
Line 279: Line 414:
 
*PR Watch http://www.prwatch.org
 
*PR Watch http://www.prwatch.org
 
:published by the Center for Media and Democracy this is the leading source of critical coverage of the PR industry
 
:published by the Center for Media and Democracy this is the leading source of critical coverage of the PR industry
 +
 +
===Videos===
 +
*Spinwatch | YouTube, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toTLr2yIJ5E Meet the Frackers: a Spinwatch lobbying tour], 16 January 2017.
  
 
==Notes==
 
==Notes==
  
 +
<references/>
  
#{{note|1}} http://www.wpp.com, date viewed 3-5-2002
 
#{{note|2}} B-M’s web site, http://www.bm.com/overview/history.html, date viewed 3-5-2002
 
#{{note|3}} Holmes Report, http://www.holmesreport.com/holmestemp/story.cfm?edit_id=739&type_id=3, date viewed 20-6-2002
 
#{{note|4}} http://www.bm.com/overview/practice.html, date viewed 3-5-2002
 
#{{note|7}} Except where noted info is from B-M’s web site: http://www.bm.com/overview/ex_board.html, date viewed 3-5-2002
 
#{{note|8}} Klingbeil A, "He’s Mr Public Relations", ''Cincinnati Enquirer'' 15-4-2001, http://enquirer.com/editions/2001/04/15/fin_hes_mr_public.html, date viewed 3-5-2002
 
#{{note|9}} http://www.bm.com/overview/locales/, date viewed, 3-5-2002
 
#{{note|10}} http://www.odwyerpr.com/pr_firms_database/prdb21.htm, date viewed 20-6-2002
 
#{{note|11}} http://www.bm.com/overview/practice.html, date viewed, 3-5-2002
 
#{{note|12}} http://www.bm.com/overview/corp_pra.html, date viewed 3-5-2002
 
#{{note|13}} http://www.bm.com/overview/health_pra3.html, date viewed 3-5-2002
 
#{{note|14}} Multinational Monitor, http://multinationalmonitor.org/hyper/issues/1993/04/mm0493_13.html, date viewed 20-6-2002; Mother Jones Magazine, http://www.motherjones.com/mother_jones/MJ96/kaplan.jump.html, date viewed 20-6-2002
 
#{{note|15}} Mother Jones Magazine, http://www.motherjones.com/mother_jones/MJ96/kaplan.jump.html, date viewed 20-6-2002
 
#{{note|16}} Multinational Monitor, http://multinationalmonitor.org/hyper/issues/1993/04/mm0493_05.html, date viewed 20-6-2002
 
#{{note|17}} ''Guardian'', 8 Jan 2002
 
#{{note|18}} B-M’s web site, http://www.bm.com/newsroom/releases/2002/press2002-01-08.html, date viewed 20-6-2002
 
#{{note|19}} ''Marketing'', 20 May 1993
 
#{{note|20}} ''Guardian'', 8 Jan 2002
 
#{{note|21}} B-M’s web site, http://www.bm.com/bios/g_grant_rep_bio.html, date viewed 20-6-2002
 
#{{note|22}} http://www.prfirms.org, date viewed 20-6-2002
 
#{{note|23}} B-M’s web site. http://www.bm.com/overview/ex_board.html, date viewed 20-6-2002
 
 
* {{note|bryceson}} [http://www.bryceson.com/html/profile.html Simon Bryceson's website - profile], undated, accessed March 2006.
 
* {{note|eb}} [http://www.organicconsumers.org/bmplan.html ''Communications Programmes For EUROPABIO Prepared by Burson-Marsteller Government & Public Affairs'', on Organic Consumers website], January 1997.
 
*{{note|CEO}} Corporate Europe Observatory, 3rd July 2005, [http://www.corporateeurope.org/docs/lobbycracy/lobbyplanet.pdf  Lobby Planet Guide The EU Quarter] Last Accessed 21st August 2007
 
* {{note|fat}} [http://www.bm.com/pages/industry/nutrition Obesity - Burson-Marsteller website], undated, accessed March 2006.
 
 
[[Category:Lobbying firms]]
 
[[Category:Lobbying firms]]
 
[[Category:Food lobbyists and PR consultants]]
 
[[Category:Food lobbyists and PR consultants]]
 +
[[Category:GM]][[Category:PR Operators (GM)]][[Category:Lobbying]][[Category:Fracking]]

Latest revision as of 01:17, 9 November 2018

Twenty-pound-notes.jpg This article is part of the Lobbying Portal, a sunlight project from Spinwatch.
Burson Marsteller offices, 1 St Giles High Street, London
Burson Marsteller offices, Square de Meeûs 37, Brussels

Burson-Marsteller (B-M) was established in 1953 and grew to become one of the biggest PR and lobbying agencies in the world. It is owned by communications conglomerate WPP. In 2018 WPP announced it was merging B-M with Cohn & Wolfe to become Burson Cohn & Wolfe (BCW), a network of more than 4,000 employees, across 42 countries.

Contents

Overview

Burson-Marsteller (B-M) is one of the largest public relations (PR) agencies in the world and also the most notorious. When helping its industry clients to escape environmental legislation or sprucing up the image of some of the most repressive governments on Earth, B-M brings to bear state of the art techniques in manipulating the mass media, legislators and public opinion.

In spite of B-M's claims that the best way to deal with problems is to put one's own house in order, the usual effect of PR is to maintain the status quo. By manipulating public opinion PR diverts attention away from difficult issues and creates the illusion of change so that a company or government can go about business as usual without having to worry about its reputation. By lobbying government and creating 'astroturfing' campaigns PR helps to maintain a legislative environment on which industry can avoid real change.

Market share/importance

Whilst in recent years Burson-Marsteller slipped back from the number one spot it remains one of the largest PR firms in the world, and with recent restructuring looks set for strong growth. Since 1979 the company has been a part of the Young & Rubicam Inc. advertising conglomerate, which in turn was acquired by WPP Group plc [1], the global communications services company, in October 2000. Its revenues for 2000 totalled $175m in the US and $303m worldwide, the highest in its history.

In (year) Burson-Marsteller employed 2,000 people in more than 60 offices in 35 countries around the world. That gives it a more international presence than any other agency, which is both an advantage (the firm is still the first choice for clients looking for genuine global reach) and a disadvantage.

B-M's reliance on international business makes it vulnerable to economic downturns or underperforming offices, as well as currency fluctuations. In recent years the Asian market was underperforming, then Europe, which was flat last in 1999. But B-M Europe has now moved back to a geographic structure - a reversal of the practice area commitment the agency made five years ago - more suited to local conditions, and that should spur growth. Meanwhile, the firm is picking up high-profile wins in Asia, like the Hong Kong government's economic development program, and expanding in Latin America, where it has a strong e-commerce practice.

History

[2] Founded in 1953 by Harold Burson, a freelance PR man and Jim Marsteller, owner of Marsteller Advertising, Burson-Marsteller has grown to become one of the largest PR agencies in the world and a market leader in all of the major areas of PR services.

Harold Burson’s original vision for the new company was to model it on Hill & Knowlton then the clear leader in the PR sector. He quickly took the company into new fields of PR wanting to diversify into new fields from his original speciality in business-to-business communications. B-M quickly set up offices across the USA and began to pursue larger and more prestigious clients. By 1959 revenues had reached nearly half a million dollars.

Although not yet a top-tier PR firm, B-M took the gamble of moving into the European marketplace in the 1960s, a move that only Hill & Knowlton had previously taken. B-M established offices in London and Paris as well in Washington DC, and Los Angeles during the sixties.

Throughout the 1970s B-M continued to expand. In 1970 it entered the field of consumer public relations with its acquisition of Theodore R. Sills Inc. And it opened further offices in Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Sao Paolo, Bahrain and in Russia. In 1979 B-M was acquired by the Young & Rubicam group of companies, and could thus begin to integrate its services with a family of other companies practising PR, lobbying and advertising.

In 1983 B-M's revenues exceeded those of Hill & Knowlton and in 1985 it was the first PR company to earn $100m in a year. The company’s expansion was relentless and yet more offices opened across the United States and around the world.

After years as the premier public relations agency, a position that became unquestionable after H&K's partial collapse in the early 1990s, B-M saw its leadership position erode throughout that decade, thanks to internal problems and the fact that several other agencies improved dramatically over the same period. With restructuring however, it regained strong growth and in 2000 earned $303m placing it fourth in the league table of global PR firms [3].

In 2000 Young & Rubicam was itself acquired by the WPP Group. So now Burson-Marsteller works in an even larger family of companies including its old rival Hill & Knowlton.

Campaigns

Front groups

Repressive regimes

B-M has a history of working for repressive regimes.

Biafra

In the 1960s B-M worked for the Nigerian government to spin the crushing of the Biafran revolt. A subsidiary of Burson-Marsteller, Black, Manafort, Stone & Kelley, also worked with the Nigerian military junta in the early nineties. During this time there were routine human rights abuses against protestors such as the Ogoni, who were non-violently campaigning against the oil-giant Shell.

Spinning torture in Argentina

In the 1970s, after a military coup in Argentina, B-M was hired to improve the country's image. During this period, an estimated 35,000 people disappeared and thousands were tortured. Some of the torture techniques used during this period were el submarino (holding a person's head under water or excrement until near drowning), la picana (electric prod applied to the most sensitive parts of the body), rape, torture (tearing out toenails) and putting live rats onto the body to feed on fresh wounds. A book was written on the disappeared called Nunca Más ('Never More').

Indonesia

B-M also worked with Indonesia when it was accused of genocide in East Timor.

Arms trade

In February 2017 B-M Brussels announced it had hired a former British admiral, Peter Hudson on a part-time basis to help it spearhead the firm's attempts to win more defence and security sector clients. B-M's current clients include defence contractor Raytheon and the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition.[4] B-M's clients include defence contractor Raytheon and the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition.

Major polluters

B-M has a history of working with major polluters.

  • In the 1970s B-M worked with Babcock and Wilcox after the Three Mile Island nuclear disaster. The following decade, it worked with Union Carbide after the Bhopal disaster in India, which caused death or injury to tens of thousands of people. Union Carbide originally tried to blame the disaster on sabotage.
  • B-M has also worked for Monsanto and the biotech body Europabio in Europe. A leaked memo prepared by Burson-Masteller gives us an insight into its PR. It argued that the biotech industry had to "Stay off the killing fields". It said:
"Public issues of environmental and human health risk are communications killing fields for bioindustries in Europe. As a general rule, the industry voice cannot be expected to prevail in public opposition to adversarial voices on these issues. All the research evidence confirms that the perception of the profit motive fatally undermines industry's credibility on these questions. It said that instead the industry had to 'Fight fire with fire'.
"For EuropaBio to make the transition from effective policy interlocutor to effective public communicator, it is essential to shift from issues-based communications to stories-based communications. There are no issues-orientated media with any broad appeal, and the selling of complex issues coverage is a difficult task in any event because it contains little or no news value. Good stories, on the other hand, go around the world in minutes. That's the way adversaries play. That's the way industry must play". [5]

Other clients include the Iraqi National Congress and the Saudi Royal Family who were trying to avoid blame after the September 11th attacks on the US. [6]

Fracking

FrackWell.png This article is part of the Spinwatch Fracking Portal and project

In 2014 Burson-Marsteller won a prestigious PR award for helping Shell ‘deal with’ fracking in the Netherlands (where a moratorium is in place until 2016), and soon after added the climate sceptic-funding oil firm Exxon Mobil to its UK client list.

In July 2014 it snagged the lobbying brief for the £37billion petrochemical giant Ineos, which had been run by Portcullis Public Affairs for the previous four years. The move came just months after Portcullis' managing director, Stephen Day had made the transfer to Burson-Marsteller. Ineos, which operates the Grangemouth plant in Scotland is Britain’s third-largest shale gas explorer since it bought up swathes of IGas licences between 2014-15.[7][8][9]

In June 2018 PRWeek reported that B-M had parted ways with INEOS. The most recently available APPC Register (June- August quarter) still lists NEOS as a client, however PRWeek also reported that Stephen Day was made redundant that same month from his role as CEO of B-M's UK arm as part of its merger with US firm Cohn & Wolfe.[10] In October 2018 it emerged that Day had rejoined FTI Consulting as partner and senior MD in its strategic communications division. [11]

A well-oiled revolving door with Whitehall and Westminster

B-M is well-connected to the UK government, given the Department of Energy and Climate Change's predilection for employing ex-lobbyists in recent times. Climate and energy minister Amber Rudd’s special adviser Maria Allen until May 2015 worked for years at B-M and was head of its UK energy, environment and climate change unit before she joined the government in 2013.

Listed as the sole industry ‘independent advisory panel member’ of the Westminster gas APPG, Ineos also apparently provides ‘specialist knowledge and guidance’ to MPs. Its access extends well beyond the lobby though – founder and chairman Jim Ratcliffe has met with a raft of ministers and senior civil servants, including cabinet secretary Jeremy Heywood. As Public Interest Investigations/Spinwatch reported in April 2015,

Little wonder then that Ineos is doggedly pushing ahead with its plans for fracking and coal bed methane exploration, particularly in Scotland, whose parliament passed a temporary moratorium shortly after a similar call was defeated in Westminster earlier this year. In a BBC film screened last night, director Tom Crotty admitted he views the fracking ban as merely the Scottish government wanting 'to take a breather while we gather information'.
By this, Crotty presumably means their 'shale gas community engagement programme'; a PR charm offensive launched last month to try to overcome widespread public opposition. No amount of spin, however, appeared to help the firm when it revealed plans to drill wells close to playgrounds and 400 metres from homes in Stirlingshire, sparking outrage from residents at its public consultation roadshow.
B-M bolstered its ranks in January with another ex-ministerial environment spad, Tom Evans. Fresh from a few years at 'opinion changers' Westbourne Communications, Evans is well-versed in community consultations. He previously worked with clients such as the North West Energy Task Force (NWETF), a ‘local’ lobby group set up by Centrica and Cuadrilla to push the business case for fracking in Lancashire. Recent analysis by Greenpeace revealed however that less than half of NWETF’s members were based in the county, and included an elderly care home and a Welsh fishing resort. Westbourne has form for this kind of ‘astroturfing’ tactic; its fake grassroots campaigning for the controversial HS2 high-speed railway link was exposed in a 2013 Spinwatch investigation. [12]

Top B-M UK boss Stephen Day, was once a Tory special adviser to ex-shadow trade and industry ministers, John Redwood and David Heathcoat-Amory reports Spinwatch:

Before joining B-M in 2014, Day handled the Ineos account at another lobbying firm, where he had provided senior counsel during the highly-charged Grangemouth industrial dispute. Ineos followed Day to B-M, where he clearly relishes a challenge:

‘Ineos are leading the way on fracking, we’re leading their work on fracking,’ he told PRWeek in an interview in 2015. ‘We’re not afraid of controversy.’
Several months ago, Ineos itself hired another type of insider – former Greenpeace director Stephen Tindale, known for his support of GM crops, nuclear energy and fracking, ostensibly to aid their PR push back against mounting public opposition. It’s a tactic well-tested by B-M, which has long employed leading environmentalists from Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and the Soil Association to ‘engage’ with campaigner critics.

[13]

Obesity

Foodspin badge.png This article is part of the Foodspin project of Spinwatch.

Burson-Marsteller advertises a specialism on obesity on its website: [14]

Obesity and, in a broader sense, food/health/nutrition issues, arguably represent one of the biggest public health challenges in western societies today, with enormous repercussions for a variety of industries. Some see it as the modern-day equivalent to previous macro-issues like tobacco, chemical industry & environment, GMOs, etc. The WHO, the EU, national governments are all considering some regulations or recommendations to the general audience, the medical community or the business world. Indeed, companies increasingly have to carefully consider their positioning, strategy and messages on this issue.
Burson-Marsteller has the experience, track-record and credentials to help companies address the issue. We have a unique and comprehensive mix of capabilities and people, we have inroads into some of the key players and we understand how best to present the information to reporters.
Specifically, Burson-Marsteller can help with
  • Tracking Issues and Business/Political Intelligence - identify trends and flag key events and political decisions that influence and accelerate the development of the issue.
  • Constituency Relations - actions and ongoing campaigns to shape the perceptions of key groups that are active in defining the media / public opinion and political agenda - trade and health organizations, groups, etc.
  • Corporate Positioning - how to create a single differentiating communication platform
  • Public Affairs and Governmental Relations - how to engage in a dialogue with governmental organizations and prepare for forthcoming legislation
  • Media Relations - how to balance the debate in the media
  • Brand Building - how to strategically position a brand or product

Tunisian Elections

In September 2014, it was announced Burson-Marsteller are representing Tunisia’s Ennahda Party to improve its image abroad. The party were reportedly behind terror attacks against tourist hotels in the 1980s and one of the group's leaders called for the destruction of Israel. The party formed a coalition government during the 2011 Arab Springs uprising, however, departed government after reportedly "coming under pressure for failing to stop terrorism and keep the economy on an even keel".[15][16]

Services

[17]

B-M offers the full range of PR services including government relations, crisis management, issues and reputation management, brand building, product marketing, and communications training, to name a few of the twenty services listed on its website. These services are delivered by seven 'practice' areas within the company: advertising/creative, brand marketing, corporate/financial, healthcare, media, public affairs and technology. [See below for details]

Practice structure

[17]B-M structures its business around seven key practices or specialisations: advertising/creative, brand marketing, corporate/financial, healthcare, media, public affairs and technology.

Subsidiaries

  • Black Manafort, Stone & Kelly – a lobbying firm with offices in Washington D.C. and Alexandria, Virginia [18] [19]. The company keeps a low profile. It maintains no web site and is not even mentioned on Burson-Marsteller’s site. It is known to have worked for Phillip Morris [19], and to have conducted lobbying on behalf of the brutal Angolan rebel leader, Savimbi. [20]
  • BKSH – B-M's public affairs/lobbying subsidiary handles most lobbying for B-M in the USA and Europe (see Practice Structure above)
  • Prime Policy Group (PPG) a Burson-Marsteller unit. Clients include the Ukraine. O'Dwyers reported in March 2014 that PPG 'shepherded the push to win financial support for Ukraine from the International Monetary Fund and Congress'. [21]

People

Executive Board

[22]

  • Harold Burson Founding Chairman of Burson-Marsteller, Harold Burson has been in PR for more than fifty years. He was once described by PR Week as "the century’s most influential PR figure" due to the market share of B-M and his innovative work. Now in his 80s, Burson stepped down as CEO in 1988, the company he co-founded in 1953. He still works at B-M for many long-term clients, including Philip Morris, Merrill Lynch and Coca-Cola. He has no retirement plans [23].
  • Donald Baer Worldwide Chair and Chief Executive Office. Former journalist and assistant managing editor at U.S. News & World Report, was senior adviser to President Bill Clinton from 1994-1998, was senior executive vice president for strategy and development and an executive committee member at [[Discovery Communications from 1998-2007. Started working at Burson-Marsteller in 2008.
  • Patrick Przybyski Worldwide Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. Formerly director of planning and analysis, worldwide controller and director of financial reporting at Young and Rubicam advertising and COO/CFO at Wunderman, New York.
  • Jeremy Galbraith CEO, Europe, Middle East & Africa/ Global Chief Strategy Officer.
  • Jay Leveton Worldwide Executive Vice President / CEO, Penn Schoen Berland.
  • Patrick Ford Worldwide Vice Chair / Chief Client Officer / Chairman, Asia Pacific.

Key UK staff

UK Leadership Team

Former

Environmentalists

Doorway of Burson Marsteller Offices, Central London

Burson-Marsteller has a history of employing environmentalists, especially in the UK. These have included:

  • Des Wilson In 1989 Wilson was awarded ITN's 'Environmentalist of the Year' prize. In his years of political work he ran the UK campaign for lead free petrol, was Chairman of Friends of the Earth UK, directed the Campaign for Freedom of Information and ran a general election campaign for the Liberal Democrats. In 1993 he took the position of Director of Public affairs and Crisis Management at B-M, with a salary rumoured to be one of the highest in the PR industry at that time. He subsequently moved to BAA to highlight the 'environmental benefits' of a fifth terminal at Heathrow.
  • Richard Aylard B-M's Corporate Social Responsibility unit was headed by Richard Aylard. Aylard was previously head of the Soil Association, which certifies organic food and campaigns against GM crops and pesticides from 1998 to 2000. He joined Thames Water in 2002 as Corporate Responsibility Director.
  • Gavin Grant Before joining B-M in November 1999, Grant was Director of Global Corporate and Public Affairs for The Body Shop International reporting directly to Anita and Gordon Roddick[32]. Whilst there he had responsibility for coordinating The Body Shop's Ogoni Campaign which caused tremendous embarrassment for B-M's client Shell.
  • Simon Bryceson - ex-board member of Friends of the Earth and former consultant to Greenpeace.[33]
  • Peter Melchett - Lord Melchett's move to B-M was announced in January 2002, immediately after he stepped down as head of Greenpeace UK. Melchett maintained that his new job would give him more access to corporations in order to push his environmental agenda. The move is part of a 'hiring spree' for B-M's Corporate Social Responsibility Unit. B-M expects Lord Melchett's extensive experience of the NGO community, government and business to "provide unique insight for Burson-Marsteller clients."

APPC Register UK

September 2016-November 2016

Alan Aitken | Kevin Bell | Andrew Clark | Stephen Day | Toby Denselow | Andrada Dobre | Ele Emmerson | Tom Evans | Richard Fenner | Laura Gabb | George Godsal | Michael Hartt | Sally Herd | Hugo Legh | Andrew Mackay | Ben Maynard | Marco Merlina| David Mitchell | Joseph Musgrave | Katie Myler | Amanda Pierce | Anna Richardson | Andrew Tickle| Nick Williams | James Worron | Lee Wright | John Young | Jonathan Zokay

June 2016-August 2016

Alan Aitken | Kevin Bell | Andrew Clark | Stephen Day | Toby Denselow | Andrada Dobre | Ele Emmerson | Tom Evans | Laura Gabb | George Godsal | Michael Hartt | Sally Herd | Michael Heseltine | Hugo Legh | Andrew Mackay | Ben Maynard | Marco Merlina | David Mitchell | Joseph Musgrave | Katie Myler | Amanda Pierce | Anna Richardson | Andrew Tickle | Nick Williams | James Worron | Lee Wright | John Young | Jonathan Zokay [34]

March 2016-May 2016

Alan Aitken | Kevin Bell | Andrew Clark | Stephen Day | Toby Denselow | Ele Emmerson | Tom Evans | Adam Fisch | Laura Gabb | George Godsal | Michael Hartt | Sally Herd | Hugo Legh | Andrew Mackay | Ben Maynard | David Mitchell | Joseph Musgrave | Katie Myler | Amanda Pierce | Anna Richardson | Dan Rolle | Andrew Tickle | Nick Williams | Lee Wright | John Young | Jonathan Zokay [35]

December 2015-February 2016

Alan Aitken | Kevin Bell | Stephen Day | Toby Denselow | Ele Emmerson | Tom Evans | Adam Fisch | Laura Gabb | George Godsal | Michael Hartt | Sally Herd | Hugo Legh | Mike Love | Andrew MacKay | Ben Maynard | David Mitchell | Joseph Musgrave | Katie Myler | Amanda Pierce | Anna Richardson | Dan Rolle | Andrew Tickle | Nick Williams | Lee Wright | John Young | Jonathan Zokay [36]

September 2015-November 2015

Alan Aitken | Kevin Bell | Stephen Day | Toby Denselow | Ele Emmerson | Tom Evans | Adam Fisch | Laura Gabb | Carolina Gasparoli | George Godsal | Michael Hartt | Sally Herd | Hugo Legh | Mike Love | Andrew MacKay | Ben Maynard | David Mitchell | Joseph Musgrave | Katie Myler | Amanda Pierce | Anna Richardson | Dan Rolle | Andrew Tickle | Lee Wright | John Young | Jonathan Zokay [37]

June 2015-August 2015

James Atkins | Kevin Bell | Stephen Day | Toby Denselow | Ele Emmerson | Tom Evans | Adam Fisch | Carolina Gasparoli | George Godsal | Michael Hartt | Sally Herd | Hugo Legh | Mike Love | Andrew Mackay | Ben Maynard | David Mitchell | Joseph Musgrave | Katie Myler | Harriet O'Halloran | Amanda Pierce | Anna Richardson | Dan Rolle | Lee Wright John Young | Jonathan Zokay [38]

December 2014-February 2015

James Atkins | Kevin Bell | Stephen Day | Toby Denselow | Ele Emmerson | Tom Evans | Adam Fisch | Carolina Gasparoli | George Godsal | Michael Hartt | Sally Herd | Hugo Legh | Mike Love | Andrew Mackay | Ben Maynard | David Mitchell | Clarence Mitchell | Joseph Musgrave | Katie Myler | Harriet OHalloran | Amanda Pierce | Anna Richardson | Dan Rolle | Sophie Ross | Lee Wright | John Young | Jonathan Zokay[39]

September 2014-November 2014

James Atkins | Kevin Bell | Stephen Day | Toby Denselow | Ele Emmerson | Adam Fisch | Carolina Gasparoli | George Godsal | Michael Hartt | Sally Herd | Hugo Legh | Mike Love | Andrew Mackay | Ben Maynard | David Mitchell | Clarence Mitchell | Joseph Musgrave | Katie Myler | Harriet OHalloran | Amanda Pierce | Anna Richardson | Dan Rolle | Sophie Ross | Lee Wright | John Young | Jonathan Zokay[40]

June 2014-August 2014

James Atkins | Kevin Bell | Stephen Day | Toby Denselow | Ele Emmerson | Adam Fisch | Carolina Gasparoli | George Godsal | Michael Hartt | Hattie Leach | Hugo Legh | Mike Love | Andrew Mackay | Ben Maynard | David Mitchell | Clarence Mitchell | Joseph Musgrave | Katie Myler | Harriet OHalloran | Amanda Pierce | Anna Richardson | Dan Rolle | Sophie Ross | John Young | Jonathan Zokay[41]

March 2014-May 2014

James Atkins | Daniel Batty | Kevin Bell | Charlotte Budd | Matt Carter | Stephen Day | Toby Denselow | Ele Emmerson | Adam Fisch | Paul Grand | Michael Hartt | Kate Hawker | Adam Honeysett-Watts | Tony Jackson | Annabel Jaram | Matthew Keirle | Hattie Leach | Hugo Legh | Mike Love | Andrew Mackay | Ben Maynard | Clarence Mitchell | Joseph Musgrave | Katie Myler | Elisabeth Neal | Harriet OHalloran | Amanda Pierce | Anna Richardson | Dan Rolle | Sophie Ross | John Young | Jonathan Zokay [42]

December 2013-February 2014

James Atkins | Kevin Bell | Matt Carter | Toby Denselow | Ele Emmerson | Adam Fisch | Paul Grand | Michael Hartt | Adam Honeysett-Watts | Matthew Keirle | Hattie Leach | Hugo Legh | Mike Love | Andrew Mackay | Clarence Mitchell | Katie Myler | Anna Richardson | John Young | Jonathan Zokay [43]

September 2013-November 2013

James Atkins | Matt Carter | Toby Denselow | Ele Emmerson | Iddo Goldfarb | Paul Grand | Michael Hartt | Adam Honeysett-Watts | Matthew Keirle | Hattie Leach | Hugo Legh | Mike Love | Andrew Mackay | Clarence Mitchell | Katie Myler | John Young | Jonathan Zokay [44]

June 2013-August 2013

James Atkins | Matt Carter | Toby Denselow | Ele Emmerson | Iddo Goldfarb | Michael Hartt | Matthew Keirle | Hattie Leach | Hugo Legh | Mike Love | Andrew Mackay | Clarence Mitchell | Katie Myler | John Young | Jonathan Zokay [45]

March 2013-May 2013

Maria Allen | James Atkins | Matt Carter | Toby Denselow | Ele Emmerson | Iddo Goldfarb | Michael Hartt | Matthew Keirle | Hattie Leach | Hugo Legh | Mike Love | Andrew Mackay | Clarence Mitchell | Katie Myler | Felicity Sincock | Anna Tobur | John Young | Jonathan Zokay [46]

December 2012-February 2013

Maria Allen | James Atkins | Matt Carter | Andrew Cregan | Toby Denselow | Ele Emmerson | Tom Fern | Iddo Goldfarb | Michael Hartt | Tamara Jackson | Matthew Keirle | Hugo Legh | Mike Love | Andrew Mackay | Clarence Mitchell | Katie Myler | Felicity Sincock | Anna Tobur | John Young | Jonathan Zokay [47]

Former Staff

  • Chris Komisarjevsky US President & CEO April 1995 – October 1998 and President and CEO Worldwide October 1998 – May 2005.
  • Ken Rietz former Chief Operating Officer and Chair of the global public affairs practice. Now runs his own PR firm, PSS Strategies.
  • John Maltese Chief Financial Officer Worldwide 1986-2006. Maltese joined Burson-Marsteller in 1986. He began as an Assistant Controller for the Eastern Region, was promoted to Controller of the Americas in 1988, Director of Finance, worldwide, in 1991. In mid-1993 he took the opportunity to manage Young & Rubicam Inc.'s financial accounting subsidiary, Shared Financial Services Company, and was recently promoted to his current position. Before B-M, Mr. Maltese spent eight years as controller of New York based advertising agency, N.W. Ayer. Before the communications industry, he worked at manufacturing company Gulf & Western, and for five years at Citibank.
  • Per Heggenes former Chief Knowledge & Insights Officer Worldwide and chief executive UK resigned in 2004. Previously, he was chairman of the Corporate Practice in Europe from April 1998. Before that, he was Chief Operating Officer of B-M Europe when he was instrumental in rolling out the new client practice structure throughout Europe. Per joined Burson-Marsteller Oslo as an account executive in 1982. He is now CEO of the Ikea Foundation.
  • Chet Burchett President & CEO USA until 2004, Chet Burchett joined B-M in 1998. He has had numerous roles including president and CEO of Burson-Marsteller Midwest and U.S. Practice Chair for the Brand Marketing practice. Chet has 20 years of news media and public relations experience. He is a specialist in reputation management. He has developed and executed programs in the areas of corporate communications, public affairs, consumer marketing, sports marketing and business-to-business.
  • Bill Rylance President & CEO of the Asia/Pacific region until December 2007 and vice-chairman from December 2007 to December 2008, Bill Rylance joined Burson-Marsteller in 1982, working in London and the Middle East. In 1986 he was assigned to Korea to manage B-M's worldwide public relations programme for the 1988 Seoul Olympics. In 1989, Bill established Merit Communications, Korea's first international public relations consultancy. In a decade, Merit became the largest PR firm in Korea. Bill personally provided communications and media relations counsel for the Government of Korea, working directly with the Office of the President. B-M bought Merit Communications in 1999 and Bill became President and CEO of Burson-Marsteller Asia Pacific, responsible for all operations in Asia Pacific. He is now the founder and CEO of Watatawa (March 2009-present), a strategic communications firm in Singapore.
  • Carlos Lareau Holding roles as Managing Director, Southern Europe and CEO Continental Europe, Carlos Lareau has led B-M/Iberia since 1996 before which he held several positions in B-M and was also Vice President of Communications and EU Affairs in a major pharmaceutical company. He has a 14-year experience in Communications, preceded by a career in economic and political journalism in Spain, the US and Latin America. He is now founder & managing partner of Conduit Market Engineers and a non-executive senior partner at Fleishman Hillard.
  • Celia Berk Appointed Managing Director of Human Resources for Burson-Marsteller Worldwide in November 1998. Ms. Berk joined Burson-Marsteller in January 1997 in the then newly created position of Managing Director, Human Resources for the United States. Prior to joining Burson-Marsteller, Ms. Berk was at Reuters America (1988-1998) in roles encompassing human resources, organizational planning, training, quality and internal communications. Before that, Ms. Berk was Administrator of the Harkness Fellowships of The Commonwealth Fund. Is now Chief Talent Officer at Young & Rubicam Group.
  • Thomas Blach Thomas Blach joined Burson-Marsteller in 1989, and became country manager of Burson-Marsteller, Denmark in 1992. From January 1997 to June 1999 he Chaired the European Public Affairs Practice. In 1998 he was also Market Leader in Brussels. In July 1999 Thomas Blach became Chairman of the Nordic Region. Formerly the Managing Director for the Nordic Region, Central, and Northern Europe and Co-CEO Europe. Set up Firstline Communication in 2005, and is currently Managing Partner at the company.

Governmental links

[22]

Revolving doors

USA

  • Ken Rietz, B-M’s chief operating officer, had a political career serving as "chief legislative adviser to a senior member of Congress, as deputy chairman and political director of the Republican National Committee, and as the strategic and media adviser to more than a dozen members of the US House of Representatives and the US Senate. He also has served in senior positions in four Republican presidential campaigns."

Former staff UK and Europe

  • Allan Biggar, former CEO of B-M Europe. He gained political experience as a senior member of the Liberal Democrats campaign staff. He also worked in the UK Parliament on UK privatization legislation, and the flotation of British Telecom and other utilities. He is founder CEO of All About Brands, a group of PR, marketing and lobbying companies.
  • Maria Allen, former public affairs manager at B-M in the UK, then special adviser to Department of Energy and Climate Change Minister of State Amber Rudd, then left government to join Jaguar Land Rover, without having to refer to ACOBA
  • Andrew Mackay, former UK Conservative Party MP, husband of Julie Kirkbride

UK Lobbying clients

Register of consultant lobbyists listings

Recorded meetings since 2015 between Burson Marstellar' and UK govt ministers on behalf of clients:

2017 Addax Petroleum UK | Addison Lee | Aldi | BD Auto and Energy | British Sugar | Ennahdha (Tunisian Political Party) | Eric Evans Memorial Trust | Government of Iceland | INEOS | Islamic Military Counter-Terrorism Coalition |

July - September 2016 Aldi | Eric Evans Memorial Trust | Gilead Sciences | Global Infrastructure Investor Association | INEOS | The Daily Mile [48]

April - June 2016 Addax Petroleum UK | Aldi | Charitable foundation for health, education, physical education and sports “Top sport” | Gilead Sciences, Inc. | HCA Healthcare UK | INEOS | The Daily Mile [49]

January - March 2016 Addax Petroleum | Addison Lee | FIFA | HCA International | INEOS | Initiative for a Competitive Online Marketplace (ICOMP) [50]

October-December 2015 Addax Petroleium | Addison Lee | Aldi | Ennahda | FIFA | Genomic Health | HCA International | INEOS | Initiative for a Competitive Online Marketplace [51]

July-September 2015 Addax Petroleum | Addison Lee | Aldi | Attaqneyah Almotaqademah Oil Services | Ennahda | HCA International | INEOS | Initiative for a Competitive Online Market Place | London Borough of Camden [51]

April-June 2015 Ennahda | Go Run For Fun | HCA International | INEOS | Initiative for a Competitive Online Market Place | London Borough of Camden [51]

January-March 2015 Aldi | Bromine Science and Environmental Forum | Ennahda | Forum of Private Business | Government of Iceland | HCA International | INEOS | Initiative for a Competitive Online Market Place | London Borough of Camden [51]

APPC Register

September 2016-November 2016

Addax Petroleum UK | Addison Lee | Aldi | Attaqneyah Almotaqademah Oil Services | DSM | Ennahdha (Tunisian Political Party) | Eric Evans Memorial Trust | Genomic Health | Gilead Sciences | Global Infrastructure Investor Association | Government of Iceland | HCA Healthcare UK | INEOS | Microsoft | PA Consulting | Qualcomm | The Daily Mile | The European Cloud Alliance | Valspar

June 2016-August 2016

Addax Petroleum UK | Addison Lee | Aldi | Attaqneyah Almotaqademah Oil Services | Bank of America Merrill Lynch | Charitable foundation for health, education, physical education and sports “Top sport” | CLS Holdings | Ennahdha (Tunisian Political Party) | Eric Evans Memorial Trust | Genomic Health | Gilead Sciences | Global Infrastructure Investor Association | Government of Iceland | HCA Healthcare UK | INEOS | Microsoft | PA Consulting | RWE Generation UK Limited | The Daily Mile [34]

March 2016-May 2016

Accenture | Addax Petroleum UK | Addison Lee | Aldi | Attaqneyah Almotaqademah Oil Services | BM Investigations | Charitable foundation for health, education, physical education and sports “Top sport” | Dow Corning | Egypt Tourism Authority | Ennahdha (Tunisian Political Party) | European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology | Genomic Health | Gilead Sciences | Global Infrastructure Investor Association | Government of Turkey | HCA Healthcare UK INEOS | Meridian | Microsoft | The Carlyle Group | The Daily Mile | Valspar [35]

December 2015-February 2016

Accenture | Addax Petroleum | Addison Lee | Aldi | Attaqneyah Almotaqademah Oil Services | BM Investigations | Egypt Tourism Authority | Ennahdha (Tunisian Political Party) | FIFA Reform Committee | Genomic Health | Getty Images | Global Infrastructure Investor Association Government of Turkey | HCA InternationalI-Comp | INEOS Valspar[36]

September 2015-November 2015

Addax Petroleum | Addison Lee | Aldi | Attaqneyah Almotaqademah Oil Services | Ennahda (Tunisian Political Party) | FIFA Reform Committee | Genomic Health | Getty Images | Global Infrastructure Investment Association | Government of Iceland | Government of Turkey | HCA International | I-Comp | INEOS | International Olympic Committee | London Borough of Camden | Valspar [52]

June 2015-August 2015

Addax Petroleum | Addison Lee | Aldi | Amazon | Attaqneyah Almotaqademah Oil Services | Bromine Science and Environmental Forum(BSEF) | Ennahdha(Tunisian Political Party | Genomic Health | Government of Iceland | HCA International | I-Comp | INEOS | International Olympic Committee | London Borough of Camden | Simons Group | Valspar [38]

December 2014-February 2015

Addax Petroleum | Aldi | Amazon | Bromine Science and Environmental Forum (BSEF) | Ennahdha (Tunisian Political Party) | Exxon Mobil | Forum of Private Business | Genomic Health | Government of Iceland | HCA International | I-Comp | INEOS | London Borough of Camden | Smartmatic Services Corporation | Steria Limited | Uber | Valspar[39]

September 2014-November 2014

Addax Petroleum | Amazon | Bromine Science and Environmental Forum (BSEF) | Ennahdha (Tunisian Political Party)| Findus | Forum of Private Business | Genomic Health | Government of Iceland | HCA International | I-Comp | INEOS | London Borough of Camden | Smartmatic Services Corporation | Steria Limited | Uber | Valspar[40]

June 2014-August 2014

Addax Petroleum | Amazon | Bromine Science and Environmental Forum | Dow Corning Corporation | Ennahda (Tunisian Political Party)| Findus | Government of Iceland | HCA International | I-Comp | Independent Schools | Inspectorate | INEOS | London Borough of Camden | Smartmatic Services Corporation | State of Law Coalition (Prime Minister of Iraq)| Steria Limited | Uber | Valspar[41]

March 2014-May 2014

Addax Petroleum | Affinitext | Afton Chemical Limited | All Progressives Congress (Nigerian opposition party) | Amazon | Bromine Science and Environmental Forum (BSEF) | Dow Corning Corporation | HCA International | I-Comp - www.i-comp.org | Independent Schools Inspectorate | London Borough of Camden | Lundbeck | Rothschild Group | SAP | SSCL | Steria Limited | The Coca-Cola Company | Valspar [42]

December 2013-February 2014

Affinitext | Afton Chemical Limited | Amazon | Danone Baby Nutrition Limited | ECFMU | Government of Iceland | I-Comp | London Borough of Camden | Risk Principles Limited | Steria Limited [43]

September 2013-November 2013

Accenture | Affinitext | Afton Chemical Limited | Amazon | Bank of America Merrill Lynch | Danone Baby Nutrition Limited | ECFMU | Government of Iceland | Heineken UK Limited | I-Comp | Leo Laboratories Limited | Norgine Pharmaceuticals Limited | Risk Principles Limited [44]

June 2013-August 2013

Accenture | Affinitext | Afton Chemical Limited | Amazon | Danone Baby Nutrition Limited | ECFMU | Eurovia | Government of Iceland | Heineken UK Limited | I-Comp | Leo Laboratories Limited | Lloyds Banking Group | Norgine Pharmaceuticals Limited | Risk Principles Limited [45]

March 2013-May 2013

Accenture | Affinitext | Afton Chemical Limited | Amazon | Danone Baby Nutrition Limited | ECFMU | Government of Iceland | Heineken UK Limited | I-Comp | Leo Laboratories Limited | Lloyds Banking Group | Public Fundraising Regulatory Association [46]

December 2012-February 2013

Accenture | Affinitext | Afton Chemical Limited | Amazon | Danone Baby Nutrition Limited | ECFMU | Government of Iceland | Heineken UK Limited | I-Comp | Lloyds Banking Group | Pilkington Group Limited | Public Fundraising Regulatory Association | Talisman Energy Norge [47]

2008

Lobbying clients listed in 2008 include:[53]
Afton Chemicals | Alix Partners | Alstom | Anheuser Busch | BSEF | ConnectEd | Danone | Engineering & Technology Board | Peel Holdings | HSBC | Huawei | Neste Oil | Nickel Institure | Nutricia | Microsoft | RIM | Tate & Lyle

Locations

  • Head Office
Burson-Marsteller
230 Park Avenue South
New York, NY 10003
Phone: +1 212 614 4000
Fax: + 1 212 598 6928
  • London Office
Level 6 South,
Central Saint Giles,
1 St Giles High Street,
London,
WC2H 8AG
Phone: +44 20 7831 6262
Fax: : +44 20 7430 1033

A complete list of the addresses of B-M offices worldwide can be obtained from B-M’s web site [54] and at O’Dwyers PR Daily web site [55]

Affiliations

B-M are members of many corporate lobby groups and other organisations. Among these are:

  • Council of Public Relations Firms The Council of Public Relations Firms is a leading industry body for the PR industry. Its membership comprises 122 PR companies including all of the top ten companies (of which B-M is one) and two-thirds of the top fifty.[56]

Powerbase Resources

Further reading

Pages

See: Fracking lobbying firms

See: Fracking Spads

Articles

Books

  • Andrew Rowell, Green Backlash, Routledge, 1996, p114-121
  • Argentine National Commission on the Disappeared, Nunca Más, Never Again: A Report, Part I: The Repression, Faber & Faber, 1986
  • Ruiz C, Burson-Marsteller: PR for the New World Order
http://home.intekom.com/tm_info/ge_bm.htm
  • Stauber J and Rampton S, 1995, Toxic Sludge is Good For You: Lies, Damn Lies and the Public Relations Industry
  • Stauber J and Rampton S, 2000, Trust Us, We’re Experts: How Industry Manipulates Science and Gambles with Your Future
  • Rowell A, 1996, Green Backlash: Global Subversion of the Environment Movement
the PR industry’s leading trade journal online
another good industry source
published by the Center for Media and Democracy this is the leading source of critical coverage of the PR industry

Videos

Notes

  1. WPP WPP, accessed 3 May 2002
  2. Overview Burson Marsteller, accessed 3 May 2002
  3. Burson Marsteller Holmes Report, accessed 20-6-2002
  4. Burson-Marsteller appoints senior adviser for defence and security, B-M website, 31 January 2017, accessed 16 August 2017
  5. Communications Programmes For EUROPABIO Prepared by Burson-Marsteller Government & Public Affairs Organic Consumers, January 1997
  6. Lobby Planet Guide The EU Quarter Corporate Europe, accessed 21st August 2007
  7. Portcullis Public Affairs Loses Key Client to Former MD Public Affairs Jobs HQ, accessed 15 January 2015
  8. David Singleton Ineos blow for Portcullis Public Affairs News, 23 July 2014, accessed 15 January 2015
  9. Daniel Farey-Jones Burson-Marsteller hires Portcullis MD Stephen Day to head UK public affairs PR Week, 10 February 2014, accessed 15 January 2015
  10. Sam Burne James, [Burson UK CEO Stephen Day 'made redundant' as part of BCW PRWeek, 21 June 2018
  11. Holmes Report, EMEA News In Brief (October 8, 2018), accessed 8 November 2018
  12. Spinwatch
  13. Melissa Jones, [Meet the Frackers], Spinwatch, January 2017
  14. Obesity Burson Marsteller, accessed March 2006
  15. Robert Mann Burson-Marsteller Draws Ire for Working With Islamist Political Party Adweek, 29 September 2014, accessed 8 October 2014
  16. Ian Griggs Burson-Marsteller to represent Islamist party in Tunisia ahead of elections PR Week, 29 September 2014, accessed 8 October 2014
  17. 17.0 17.1 Practice Descriptions Burson Marsteller, accessed 3 May 2002
  18. Organisations Multinational Monitor, accessed 20 June 2002
  19. 19.0 19.1 Tobacco Dole Mother Jones Magazine, 20 June 2002
  20. The Torturers' Lobby Multinational Monitor, accessed 20 June 2002
  21. Kevin McCauley, Burson Unit Pitches Ukraine, Fri., Mar. 28, 2014
  22. 22.0 22.1 Executive Board Burson Marsteller, accessed 3 May 2002
  23. He's Mr. Public Relations Cincinnati.com, 14 April 2001, accessed 3 May 2002
  24. Burson-Marsteller Appoints Morten Pettersen as Nordic CEO Burson Marsteller, 12 December 2014, accessed 15 January 2015
  25. UK leadership team Burson Marsteller, undated, accessed 20 October 2014
  26. Rod Muir Power of six for Burson-Marsteller Public Affairs News, 30 October 2014, accessed 31 October 2014
  27. 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 27.4 Rod Muir Power of six for Burson-Marsteller Public Affairs News, 30 October 2014, accessed 26 November 2014
  28. Joseph Musgrave Linkedin, accessed 26 November 2014
  29. Daniel Rolle Linkedin, accessed 26 November 2014
  30. Sally Herd Linkedin, accessed 26 November 2014
  31. Dr Carolina Gasparoli Linkedin, accessed 26 November 2014
  32. Gavin Grant Burson Marsteller, accessed 20 June 2002
  33. Simon Bryceson profile, accessed March 2006
  34. 34.0 34.1 Burson-Marsteller Staff, APPC, accessed 7 October 2016.
  35. 35.0 35.1 Burson-Marsteller staff, APPC, accessed 15 June 2016
  36. 36.0 36.1 Burson-Marsteller staff, 1st December 2015-28th February 2016, APPC, accessed 8 April 2016
  37. Burson-Marstellar staff, Sep-Nov15, APPC.org, accessed 3 February 2016
  38. 38.0 38.1 Register 1st June 2015-31st August 2015APPC, accessed 28 September 2015
  39. 39.0 39.1 Register 1st December 2014 - 28th February 2015 APPC, accessed 9 March 2015
  40. 40.0 40.1 Register 1st September 2014 - 30th November 2014 APPC, accessed 15 January 2015
  41. 41.0 41.1 Register 1st June 2014 - 31st August 2014 APPC, accessed 16 October 2014
  42. 42.0 42.1 Register for 1st March 2014 - 31st May 2014 ‘’APPC’’, accessed 1 October 2014
  43. 43.0 43.1 Register for 1st December 2013 – 31 February 2014 ‘’APPC’’, accessed 1 October 2014
  44. 44.0 44.1 Register for 1st September 2013 - 30th November 2013 ‘’APPC’’, accessed 1 October 2014
  45. 45.0 45.1 Register for 1st June 2013 - 31st August 2013 ‘’APPC’’, accessed 1 October 2014
  46. 46.0 46.1 Register for 1st March 2013 - 31st May 2013 ‘’APPC’’, accessed 1 October 2014
  47. 47.0 47.1 Register for 1st December 2012 - 28th February 2013 ‘’APPC’’, accessed 1 October 2014
  48. 'Burson-Marsteller profile 2016', Register of consultant lobbyists, accessed 24 November 2016.
  49. 'Burson-Marsteller profile 2016', Register of consultant lobbyists, accessed 18 July 2016
  50. Burson-Marsteller profile 2016, parliament.uk, accessed 29 April 2016
  51. 51.0 51.1 51.2 51.3 Burson-Marstellar Listing, Jan-Mar 15, Register of Consultant Lobbyists, accessed 3 February 2016
  52. Burson-Marstellar clients Sep-Nov15, APPC.org, accessed 2 February 2016
  53. APPC register, to December 2008
  54. Overview locales Burson Marsteller, accessed 3 May 2002
  55. PR firms database Odwyerpr, accessed 20 June 2002
  56. PR Firms Council of Public Relations, accessed 20 June 2002