Tetra Strategy

This article is part of the Lobbying Portal, a sunlight project from Spinwatch.

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Tetra Strategy is a lobbying firm based in London, set up in 2007 by James O'Keefe, a former Labour Party staffer and Bell Pottinger director, and Lee Petar, one of the founding directors of BICOM (Britain Israel Communications Centre).

The firm states it is:

based on a set of guiding principles; the importance of achieving order, even where chaos appears to be all around and that well thought-out strategies and careful organisation can resolve many problems which may seem at first insurmountable.

Foundation

According to PR Week, O'Keefe left Good Relations Political to found Tetra in the summer of 2007, and subsequently recruited four of his old colleagues in the following weeks. These included Petar, the most senior, Heidi Moore ,Ruwan Kodi-Kara, and Katherine Nicholls. PR Week reported that the new agency had a 'strategic alliance' with Phil Hall Associates, a 14-strong PR firm run by ex-News of the World editor Phil Hall.

Nuclear lobbying

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

Engineering firm AMEC decided to switch its account from Good Relations to Tetra, ahead of the Labour Party conference in September 2007. PR Week reported: "Tetra Strategy will lobby ministers and officials to ensure that AMEC's name is in the frame when major public infrastructure projects are discussed. It will also have to lobby on nuclear power as AMEC is a major player in the new build of nuclear power stations in the UK." AMEC remains a client as of May 2013.

Julie Kirkbride recruitment

Tetra recruited former Conservative MP Julie Kirkbride as a consultant when she stepped down at the 2010 election as a result of the parliamentary expenses scandal.

Werritty affair

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

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

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

In the week that the Werritty story broke in October 2011, with law firm Mishcon De Reya handled press inquiries about the scandal for Tetra, the agency announced the appointment of former News of the World deputy political editor Jamie Lyons to oversee media relations.

Affiliations

Tetra Strategy is a member of the Association of Professional Political Consultants (APPC). Listed on its website as affiliates and network partners are PHA Media, Longwood Associates and MAS Consulting España.

People

• James O’Keefe Founding Partner
• Lee Petar Founding Partner
• Rt Hon Sir Richard Needham Non-executive Chairman - holds a Parliamentary pass
• Heidi Moore Account Director
• Ruwan Kodikara Account Director
• Julie Kirkbride Consultant (former Conservative MP)
• Catherine Nicholls Senior Account Manager
• Charli Collins Senior Account Executive
• Jamie Lyons - Director and Head of Media - former deputy political editor at News of the World
• Luke Tryl -Account Executive
• Thomas Nemes - Account Executive
• Rachel Rouse -Account Executive

Additional people listed on APPC Register as providing public affairs consultancy services as at 28 February 2013

• Major General Arthur Denaro
• Ellie Gellard
• Sir Peter Heap
• Joel Kenrick
• Matthew Ogg
• Garreth Matthews
• (Thomas Nemes
• John O'Brien
• Rachel Rouse
• Tatiana Pankova

People listed on APPC Register (in addition to above) as providing public affairs consultancy services as at 31 May 2013

• Barry Hartness
• Joel Kenrick

Former staff

• Henry Reid Account Executive

Consultants

• Joel Kenrick - former special adviser to energy minister Chris Huhne until February 2012, listed on the Association of Professional Political Consultants' register as working for Tetra between 1 June and 31 August 2012. Tetra's registered clients in that quarter included energy companies AMEC and Sargas AS, which awarded its global carbon capture brief to Tetra in mid-July 2012

Clients

Pre-APPC clients

• AMEC from September 2007.
• The Jewish Chronicle reported in June 2008 that Tetra had won a contract representing the Emirate of Dubai, and that the company "has advised pro-Israel charity KKL and the Innocent drinks brand".

March-May 2010 APPC filing

AMEC | Executive Office of the Government of Dubai | Hospedia | Mikhail Khordorkovsky | Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) | Elbit | Tamares Capital | Dwr Cymru Welsh Water | London Brokerage Limited | SAP | Axeon | Toyota Motor Europe | Genting UK | Banks Developments | British School of Motoring | Redstone

September-November 2010 APPC filing

AMEC | Executive Office of the Government of Dubai | Hospedia | Mikhail Khordorkovsky | Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) | Elbit | Tamares Capital | Dwr Cymru Welsh Water | | SAP | Axeon | Toyota Motor Europe | Genting UK | Davis Block LLC | British School of Motoring | DRL

1 Sep 2012 to 30 Nov 2012 APPC filing

Clients

AkzoNobel | AMEC | Dalestone Energy | Gore | Hospedia | LACA | Lotteries Council | Meningitis UK | Mikhail Khodorkovsky | Sikh Council UK | Tamares Capital | Toyota Motor Europe | Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA)

Consultants

Charlotte Collins |Ellie Gellard | Barry Hartness (intern) | Joel Kenrick | Julie Kirkbride |Samantha Lishak (intern) |Jamie Lyons | Garreth Matthews | Sir Richard Needham * (parliamentary pass holder) | Thomas Nemes | Catherine Nicholls | James O'Keefe | Matthew Ogg (intern) | Tatiana Pankova | Lee Petar Rachel Rouse

March-May 2013 APPC filing

AkzoNobel | AMEC | Dalestone Energy | Gore | Hospedia | LACA | Lotteries Council | Meningitis UK | Mikhail Khodorkovsky | Sikh Council UK | Tamares Capital | Toyota Motor Europe | Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA)

Contact, Resources, Notes

Contact

Address: 158 Buckingham Palace Road
London SW1W 9TR
Website: http://www.tetra-strategy.co.uk/

Resources

• Tetra Strategy team blog
• Tetra Strategy, APPC Register Entry for 1 March 2010 to 31 May 2010

Notes

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