Alan Kilkenny

After graduating from the London School of Economics in 1971, Alan Kilkenny held a number of communications appointments within industry before joining the Shandwick public relations group in 1977.

In 1980, Alan joined Sony Corporation as Public Affairs Director. Four years later, with others he founded the Grayling Company, which grew to become a broadly-based public relations and government lobbying group, of which he was Group Chief Executive. When Grayling was sold to Lopex plc in 1988, he elected to spend less time on management and more on consulting.

For the last fifteen years, he has been operating as an independent consultant, offering high-level advice and assistance to organisations and individuals with particularly challenging communications needs. Based in the offices of Chime Communications, his name has been associated with a number of high-profile, commercial and political matters.

Countryside Alliance

The Countryside Movement claims to be concerned about all rural issues, and its formation coincided with the publication of the Government's Rural White Paper. Fronted by mild-mannered Sir David Steel, the Movement presented a plausible case for an umbrella organisation to lobby the corridors of power on issues like rural unemployment and housing. So what went wrong?

The Times immediately identified the Movement as a front for hunting, shooting and land-owning interests. The Scotsman called it a Trojan horse for the promotion of bloodsports. Even the Daily Telegraph carried an article ten days after the launch criticising the Movement for promoting conflict between town and country by exaggerating urban ignorance. The Guardian did a demolition job, publishing extracts from confidential minutes of meetings held from June 1995. These unceremoniously exposed the real reason for establishing the Countryside Movement and identified the source of its considerable funding. Animal rights campaigners were threatening the 'rural economy', meaning the vested interests of hunts, game shoot providers, landowners, farmers and agro-industry. According to the Guardian, Max Hastings, then editor of the Daily Telegraph, warned of the danger of being seen as the 'haves' against the 'have-nots', at the inaugural meeting on 21 June. He stressed the importance of tempting environmental groups to join and the need to campaign on non-controversial issues to draw in wide support. Alan Kilkenny, PR consultant for Lowe-Bell Communications, and Michael Sissons, pro-hunt journalist, wrote the proposal document for the new Movement.

The Countryside Business Group (CBG), a fund-raising body, would provide the finance. A multi-million pound advertising campaign was planned. Bartle Bogle Hegarty (of Levi's jeans fame), were persuaded to undertake the advertising account. This caused raised eyebrows. Launching an IFAW campaign around five years ago, John Hegarty (of Bartle Bogle Hegarty) had pledged that he would never work for a pro-field sports organisation. The Peterborough column in the Daily Telegraph reported much ponytail shaking amongst staff at the agency, who would have preferred an alternative account with the RSPCA. ^[1]

Spinning Royalty

Bolland shares a converted warehouse apartment in Clarkenwell with his partner, Guy Black, who replaced him as director of the PCC. Together they hosted the tenth anniversary party for the PCC which saw Prince Charles, Prince William and Camilla Parker Bowles all attend along with Britain’s great and the good. In many ways the crystal glasses filled with fine white Chardonney that chinked that evening was a fitting conclusion to Bolland’s campaign. Royalty and press were, for once, one.

Bolland tagged his mission Operation PB after Parker Bowles and within weeks of his appointment he began undermining her previous press advisor. A few years previously Alan Kilkenny, a senior PR consultant with Bell Pottinger, had loaned Parker Bowles his free services, but Bolland was convinced both the Prince and his girlfriend should sing from the same sheet, his own. When Parker Bowles was involved in a car crash, Bolland briefed journalists that she had aided the injured. When it became apparent she had not, he spun the line she had left the scene as part of her anti-terrorist training. Kilkenny was left to try and establish the facts and was later dropped.

Affiliations

• Lord Ashcroft, client

Resources

• Open Secrets lobbying database Alan Kilkenny 2005

Notes

US raises crime fears in Ashcroft tax haven | Special Reports

1. ^ So what is the Countryside Movement up to?

Judy Say, LAND ESSAYS 3, The Land Is Ours