FD Public Affairs

FD Public Affairs is the lobbying arm of PR firm FD.

People

• Lindsay Thomas, Principal Adviser: Risk and Regulation. Lindsay has worked with FD Public Affairs’ specialist financial services practice for over two years (2006/07 - ) providing advice to clients, including GE Money, Aviva and Northern Rock. In addition, he is also CEO of Sustainable Risks Ltd, a risk, communications and regulatory advisory practice working with amongst others the Euroclear Group, Capital International and Alliance Trust. Until 2006, Thomas was a Director of the Financial Services Authority. His senior FSA roles included directorships of Retail Firms Supervision, Knowledge Management and Authorisation. As a senior supervisor he has been at the centre of almost every major issue in financial services markets stretching from the 1986 crash and Barings to LTCM and Equitable. Lindsay had been in the small Core Team under Howard Davies that, from May 97, developed the blueprint for the FSA for the Chancellor.

• Simon Elliott, Managing Director at FD Public Affairs. His sector specialists include aerospace and defence, IT, fashion and retail, and transport. A former editor at Jane's Defence Weekly and Flight International, Elliott moved into lobbying. He joined FD from Burson-Marsteller. He had previously headed up Public Affairs at Trimedia and prior to that the Flagship Group. He began his career in the industry at Shandwick Consultants and has also worked at The Maitland Consultancy. Elliott also stood for Parliament in 1997 as the Conservative candidate for North East Derbyshire. He was also Political Officer of influential think tank The Bow Group and was a member of a Defence Procurement Minister's Advisory Group.
• Tony Pilch, Senior Vice President. Joined in November 2007 having previously worked as a Special Adviser in the Department for Trade and Industry and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Prior to this he worked at the Smith Institute think-tank as a Research Fellow, working and writing extensively on a wide variety of issues to do with public service reform. He also has extensive experience of Government having spent three years working in Downing Street in the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit as a Policy Adviser.
• Lucy Gilchrist, Vice President. An active member of the Conservative Party, she sits on the Conservative City Future Steering Board and Research Unit respectively. She is also on the Approved List of Candidates for both Scotland and England and on the City Seats Initiative (East London) team.
• Ben Lucas, member of FD Advisory Board

Former employees

• Adrian Flook, the Conservative Party MP for Taunton from 2001-2005, was paid by FD in 2002 and 2003 as an advisor.
• Jon Mendelsohn, co-founder of LLM, a public affairs company known for its closeness to the Labour Party, acquired by FD in 2005. In August 2007, Mendelsohn left to become director of General Election resources at he Labour Party and chief fundraiser.

Clients

FD Public Affairs doesn't publish its client list. Known clients include:
GE Money | Aviva | Northern Rock

Contacts

8th Floor, Holborn Gate
26 Southampton Buildings
London WC2A 1PB
www.fdpublicaffairs.com