Luther Pendragon

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This article is part of the Nuclear Spin project of Spinwatch.

Luther Pendragon is a London-based crisis communication and lobbying company and the European affiliate of Nichols-Dezenhall.

Background

According to the Nichols-Dezenhall website, Nichols-Dezenhall "helps manage Luther Pendragon's clients in the U.S., while Luther Pendragon helps Nichols-Dezenhall battle crises in Europe. The affiliation also gives Nichols Dezenhall access to top-flight resources in Germany and Belgium".

In September 2005, PR Week reported that "managing partner Simon Whale and partners Gina Coladangelo, Daniel Guthrie and Amy Kroviak have joined forces to take control from founders George Pitcher and Charles Stewart Smith. The pair started Luther in 1991 and between them own 75 per cent."

In February 2008, it emerged that Luther Pendragon was one of three agencies refusing to join the Association of Professional Political Consultants (APPC), following a committee inquiry chaired by Labour MP Tony Wright. Despite attempting to "make amends" by drawing up its own code of conduct, the controversy surrounding Luther Pendragon's steadfast refusal to register resulted in a representative being called in to give evidence to MPs at the Public Administration Select Committee.

In 2009, Luther Pendragon opened their Brussels office that is headed by former MEP Mark Watts. Explaining new recruits as Oliver Kaye, Mark Simpson, and Rose Montgomery with EP backgrounds, Watts said, "Regulation is now back in fashion in a big way and we know Brussels will be seeking to regulate almost every sector in 2010. Luther is advising clients that 2010 will be the ‘Year of EU Regulation’." He added: "The background of Luther’s new team reflects the post-Lisbon reality. The European Parliament is now the key institution and our understanding of what makes the Parliament tick is second to none."

Pro-Nuke Activity

From August 2005, the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) has retained Luther Pendragon "to advise on communication issues arising from the third phase of the Committee's public and stakeholder engagement process".

According to CoRWM, "Luther Pendragon has been retained to support the process of consultation which will inform CoRWM's final recommendations, due to be presented to government in 2006. The Luther team will comprise: Adam Lewis, Ben Rich, Mike Granatt, Susie Winter and Aideen Lee.

For more details see the CoRWM page.

Luther Sub-Contracted to AMEC NNC Not CoRWM

When NuclearSpin sent in an FOI request for all correspondence between CoRWM and its PR company, Luther Pendragon, Defra officials discussed whether the information could be released. See CoRWM section for more details. Initially the officials believed the information could not be released as "our Media Advisors .. are a private sub-contracted company, and any communication/s they hold with CoRWM Members that does not channel via the secretariat (Defra) is held as confidential – between two private parties.”

Here was an admission that CoRWM’s PR company was not contracted to CoRWM but to AMEC NNC, a nuclear company. Also look at the CoRWM section to see how it was up to AMEC NNC and Luther as to what information was released rather than Defra officials.

FOI Request? - That Will be £200 An Hour Please

When Luther Pendragon was finally asked to provide details of correspondence between the PR company and CoRWM as part of the FOI request, Adam Lewis from Luther replied:

"We estimate that it will take a consultant around 7 hours in total. As per the contract this time is charged at £200 per hour bringing it to a total of £1400."

On receiving this, Adam Scott from CoRWM wrote to a colleague that:

"this is ridiculously expensive, please can you check urgently with defra FOI people whether we have to spend this kind of money as a result of their 'advice.'"

In the end, sources from CoRWM have told NuclearSpin that the money was not paid.

People

Directors

• Daniel Guthrie
• Simon Whale, Managing Director
• Oliver Kaye, co-founded Luther Pendragon Brussels in 2010 along with Mark Watts. Is also Secretary at PSI Alliance.

Partners

• Gina Coladangelo

Members of Luther according to APPC Register for 1st March 2014 - 31st May 2014: Alison Baird | John Blewett | Stephanie Blott | Amelia Bullock-Muir | Alexandra Burr | Laura Coleman | Jack Colson | Nick Corrin | Harriet Crosthwaite | Sarah Davis | James Foster | Ben Frankel | Alexis Gore | Amy Gower | Mike Granatt | Daniel Guthrie | Hamish Hardiw | Andrew Johnson | Oliver Kaye | Avril Lee | Sam MacAuslan | Maeve McCormack | Beany McLean | Lucy Minshall | William Mutton | Claire Norbury | Daniel Swallow | Adam Thomas | Gina Tress | Mariana Wall | Mark Watts | Simon Whale | Oliver Winton

Former consultants

• Jonathan Oates
• Michael Stott, former public affairs manager at EDF Energy and one-time aide to former UK energy minister Charles Hendry
• Campbell McDonald: Former Chief Press Officer at the Cabinet Office and Press Secretary to Ed Miliband, MP. The LP website in July 2009 states: "Campbell has spent the last five years at the heart of government working closely with ministers, special advisers and heads of Whitehall policy units. He has managed media and stakeholders across a range of issues, from tackling social exclusion and supporting the third sector, to cutting red tape for British business and the Government’s use of IT. Campbell also worked in the Government’s Media Monitoring Unit, writing briefings for No10 and Cabinet ministers, and briefly in the No10 Press Office." Is now Managing Director of Baxendale Advisory and Director of Communications for the whole Baxendale Group.
• Mike Granatt, Formerly Michael Martin's media advisor, however resigned claiming he had been misled with regards to the scandal involving the former Speaker's expenses.
• Amy Kroviak
• Ben Rich, left in 2007 to establish his own consultancy: Ben Rich Associates.
• Andrew Sharkey, has since worked for Cohn & Wolfe, Polhill Communications then Redleaf Polhill and Smithfield Consultants. Now Business Development Director, UK at Murray Consultants.
• Christopher Springham, left in 2010 to become vice president, global communications at LM Glasfiber.
• Charles Geoffrey Stewart-Smith, now Director at Blue Rubicon

2009

Luther Pendragon listed a small selection of its clients in 2009 as: Alliance Against Intellectual Property Theft | Alliance Boots | All-Party Pharmacy Group | Baxter Healthcare | Boeing | BBC Trust | British Video Association | Cancer Campaigning Group | The Diocese of London | Drax Power | ECDC (European Centre for Disease Control) | John Lewis Partnership | Kurdistan Regional Government | Motion Picture Association | PepsiCo International (UK & Ireland) | The Scout Association

Luther Pendragon lists its clients in 2007 as: Alliance Against Counterfeiting & Piracy | Asset Investment Group | Association of Friendly Societies | Association of Independent Financial Advisors | Aviva | Bank Gesellschaft Berlin | Barclays Stockbrokers | Better Regulation Commission (Cabinet Office) | BG Property | Bloomberg Television | BMG | BNB Resources plc | Bourne Leisure | British Gas | British Phonographic Industry | British Video Association | Broadcasting Policy Group | Brunswick Direct | Business Link for Essex | Cabinet Office | Cable & Wireless | Callahan Associates International | C & J Clark | Centrex | Channel Three News Limited | Citylife | Citywire | Comdaq | Commission for Judicial Appointments | Commission for Racial Equality | Commodity Market Services | Company Chemists Association | Copyright Licensing Agency | Dawsons Solicitors | Department of Culture, Media & Sport | Department of Trade & Industry | dotmusic.com | Dow Jones | Ebiox | Electronic Share Information | EMI | Endsleigh | Energy Saving Trust | Essex County Council | Euronext.LIFFE | FACT | Farnborough International | Financial News | Fine Line | Food Standards Agency | Flamingo Holdings Ltd | Freshfields | Grant Thornton | Granville | Guinness Ireland Group | Head Teachers and Industry | HEDRA | HFC | History Channel | Holocaust Memorial Day (Home Office) | House of Fraser | Hudson Global Resourcing | Huntsman Corporation | iCrunch | Illuminator | IMIWeb | Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys | Integrum | Interactive Investor | Interconnector (UK) | Jarvis Plc | Kimberly-Clark Europe | Land Condition Record | Lawford & Co | Lisbet Rausing Charitable Fund | Lloyd's of London | Make Votes Count | Mammals Trust UK | McDonald's | McGinley Recruitment Services | MCI WorldCom | Morgan Stanley | MSCI | National Grid | National Joint Utilities Group | National Pharmaceutical Association | NHP | North West Water | One 2 One | Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee | Phillips & Drew | Pinsent Curtis | Polygram | Port Greenwich | Powergen | Prudential Corporation | Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | Rathbones | Reuben Brothers | Recruitment and Employment Confederation | Robert Dyas | Rock the Vote | Royal Academy of Arts | Royal London Insurance | Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain | Saville Gordon | Scottish Amicable | Sony | SOLOTEC | South London Partnership | Star Kids | St Luke's | Strategos | Syngenta | TCI International | Telecom Plus | Telewest | The Hinduja Group | The Stationery Office | TNT International | Thomson Directories | Towers Perrin | United Utilities | Urban Catalyst | US West | Valmet | Victoria Climbie Charitable Trust | Victoria Management Services | Vislink | Warner Bros | Westcountry Television | Wimpey | Wrigley | WSP Group

Ditching a tobacco client

In February 2013 PRWeek reported that:

Luther Pendragon has told healthcare clients that it is no longer working with Philip Morris after a number of them questioned its work with the tobacco firm.

Contact details

Luther Pendragon
Priory Court
Pilgrim Street
London EC4V 6DR
Phone: +44 (0)20 7618 9100 +44 (0)20 7618 9100 +44 (0)20 7618 9100  +44 (0)20 7618 9100  
Fax: +44 (0)20 7329 7301

http://www.luther.co.uk

This article is part of the EU Revolving Door project of SpinWatch.

Resources

• Hannah Marriott, "DNA firm calls in Luther over Blunkett scandal", PR Week, 03 November 2005. (Sub req'd).
• Luther Pendragon, Clients, accessed 01 February 2007.
• Luther Pendragon, Clients, accessed 01 February 2009.
• Nichols Dezenhall, Luther Pendragon, Web Archive 20 December 2003, accessed 11 January 2010.
• PR Week, "Luther Pendragon quartet poised for £11m buyout," 09 September 2005, accessed 11 January 2010.
• Public Affairs News, "Luther Pendragon hires ex-EP advisers as it grows Brussels office," Undated, accessed 11 January 2010.