Hanover Communications

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

Hanover Communications is a UK-based PR and lobbying firm founded in 1998 by Charles Lewington. The firm was known as Media Strategy until 2007. It lobbies for a large number of pharmaceutical companies (see clients below).

Controversies, conflicts of interest and the revolving door

'Cash for access'

Hanover was criticised in September 2007 in what was dubbed a 'cash for access' story. A strategy document that Hanover had produced suggested it could organise a trip to Downing Street as part of a £181,000 bid to run the Medical Technology Group, a coalition of industry and patient groups linked to the Association of British Healthcare Industries (ABHI).

According to a report in The Sunday Telegraph, the pitch suggested Hanover would try to secure a picture with Gordon Brown for £5,100. It also claimed that it would seek access to Dawn Primarolo, the Paymaster General. The package was offered for Medical Technology Week, in which a group of patients visits the Treasury, Department of Health and No 10. “We will work to secure photocalls with ministers. The key photocall will be with Gordon Brown,” it says. A document sent to the ABHI also mentions Nicola Murphy, a former adviser to Mr Brown.

Ms Murphy was to join Hanover as an associate director the following month. The pitch says: “As well as ... a five-year spell in the Treasury, Nicola has been working in the Prime Minister’s private parliamentary office for 12 months handling Gordon Brown’s leadership election.”^[1]

Revolving door

Many Hanover staffers have backgrounds in politics.

In April 2014 former Department for Environment and Climate Change (DECC) policy adviser Alison Woodhouse joined the firm as head of its energy and resources division. A month later Hanover secured Julia Goldsworthy, longstanding Treasury SPaD to Danny Alexander and former shadow Lib Dem, chief secretary to the Treasury, as a senior policy adviser.. Goldsworthy has been re-selected as Lib Dem candidate for Camborne and Redruth, a seat she lost by just 66 votes to the Tories in 2010. ^[2]

People

Laura Chisholm. Senior Account Director. Chisholm joined in August 2008 from financial sector lobbying firm Cicero and is a former lobbyist at HBOS and environment desk officer in the shadow Conservative cabinet. She was hired to head up a new advisory service for financial clients. In October 2010 she was the lead for new Hanover client Goldman Sachs.
Charles Lewington. Founder and MD.
Alison Woodhouse. Former strategic policy manager at the Department for Energy and Climate Change until April 2014 when she took over as Hanover's head of energy and resources (announced February 2014).

2014

Former staff

Nick King was appointed as special adviser to Culture Minister Maria Miller in October 2012 after working just four months as a senior account director at Hanover Communications.
Rebecca Simon^[4]^[5]
Lucy Gilchrist was appointed a Senior Account director in November 2010 ^[6] and handled clients such as fracking firm Cuadrilla until she left in February 2014 to become head of external affairs at PepsiCo
Julia Goldsworthy - former special advisor from 2010-14 to Lib Dem Danny Alexander at the UK Treasury
Sarah Richards
James Gurling
Robert Sullivan
Alessandra McKenna
Louise Fish
Alexa Knight
Sarah Pearson

Clients

Lobbying for the booze industry

In Sept 2007 drinks giant Diageo hired lobbying firm Hanover Communications as its retained UK public affairs agency, to help it in what Diageo described as "challenging policy environment" - The Government was stepping up its efforts to curb binge-drinking. Diageo is thought to be paying Hanover at least £100,000 a year. Hanover MD Charles Lewington said: ‘We will be helping Diageo to raise awareness of its responsible-drinking activities in government. We will also be advising on ongoing discussions with officials about the best way of promoting responsible consumption.’^[7]

Lobbying for bankers

In October 2010 Goldman Sachs appointed Hanover as 'fresh agency backing in the UK to help it to keep abreast of the coalition government’s plans for the banking sector" according to Public Affair News. Hanover is working alongside Lexington Communications providing UK political consultancy, and Cicero Consulting, which provides Goldman with EU monitoring. Leading the account for Hanover is senior account director Laura Chisholm.^[8]

In April 2011 the Association for Financial Markets in Europe (AFME) secured Hanover to raise its profile across Europe. Formed in late 2009, the AFME lobbies national and international governmental institutions on behalf of the financial industry against what it deems to be unnecessary regulation. The account is thought to be worth in excess of six figures annually, and was to be led by director Laura Chisholm. ^[9]

Lobbying for frackers

Hanover handles two high-profile controversial Cuadrilla and Irish shale explorer Tamboran accounts.

PRCA Register to May 2014

APPC Register

Fee-paying lobbying clients listed 1st March 2014 - 31st May 2014: ^[3]

3UK, Accenture, Airbus Group Alliance Medical, American Pharmaceutical Group (APG - Comprising: Abbot, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Janssen-Cilag Ltd, Lilly, Merk, Pfizer, Amgen, Association of Financial Markets in Europe, Blackberry, Bounty, British Insurance Brokers' Association British Poultry Council, BSkyB, Cuadrilla, Deltex Medical, DHL, EuropaBio, Financial Services Compensation Scheme, Goldman Sachs, H.E.A.R.T. UK, HCA, John Lewis Partnership, Lancaster Investment Management, Lilly UK, Lloyds Banking Group, McKesson, MetLife, Microsoft, MSD, Napp, National Football League, Open Government Partnership, Shire, Tamboran, Tata Consultancy Services, The Crown Estate, UCB, United Health UK/Optum, Valero.

Fee-paying lobbying clients listed 1 June - 31 August 2011:^[10]

Lobbying clients listed in Feb 2009:^[11]

PR and lobbying clients listed on Hanover website September 2008:^[12]

Affiliations

Polis – co-sponsor events^[13]

Contact, References and Resources

Contact

100 Gray's Inn Road London WC1X 8AL

Website: www.hanovercomms.com

References

↑ Sam Coates, "Denial from Downing St as lobbyist offers trips to No 10", The Times, 24 September 2007, accessed 28 November 2008
↑ By Stephen Tall, Julia Goldsworthy re-selected as Lib Dem candidate for Camborne and Redruth, quits as Danny Alexander’s SpAd, Liberal Democrat Voice, Wed 5th March 2014
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 APPC Register for 1st March 2014 - 31st May 2014, accessed September 2014
↑ The Week in Lobbying. Hired as a new senior consultant from Labour Friends of Israel (LFI).Simon was deputy director at LFI. (Accessed: 13 October 2008).
↑ Hanover Website Our people accessed 24th September 2008
↑ Hanover Lucy Gilchrist - Senior Account Director, accessed 25 February 2011
↑ Diageo hires Hanover as alcohol concerns grow, PR Week, 20 Sept 2007
↑ [Goldman Sachs brings in Hanover for public affairs support http://www.publicaffairsnews.com/no_cache/home/uk-news/news-detail/newsarticle/goldman-sachs-brings-in-hanover-for-public-affairs-support/2/?tx_ttnews[pointer]=10&cHash=01c19bd27c], Public Affairs News, 4 October 2010, accessed 10 March 2011
↑ Alec Mattinson, Association for Financial Markets in Europe brings in Hanover to raise EU profile prweek.com, 22 March 2011,
↑ APPC register, quarter to 31 August 2011, acc 6 October 2011
↑ APPC register, to Nov 2009
↑ Hanover Website What we do accessed 24th September 2008
↑ Co-Sponsored event: talk by Jeremy Hunt, 29 October 2008

Back to Lobbying Portal

[1] Sam Coates, "Denial from Downing St as lobbyist offers trips to No 10", The Times, 24 September 2007, accessed 28 November 2008

[2] By Stephen Tall, Julia Goldsworthy re-selected as Lib Dem candidate for Camborne and Redruth, quits as Danny Alexander’s SpAd, Liberal Democrat Voice, Wed 5th March 2014

[MP-3] 3.0 ^3.1 APPC Register for 1st March 2014 - 31st May 2014, accessed September 2014

[4] The Week in Lobbying. Hired as a new senior consultant from Labour Friends of Israel (LFI).Simon was deputy director at LFI. (Accessed: 13 October 2008).

[5] Hanover Website Our people accessed 24th September 2008

[6] Hanover Lucy Gilchrist - Senior Account Director, accessed 25 February 2011

[7] Diageo hires Hanover as alcohol concerns grow, PR Week, 20 Sept 2007

[8] [Goldman Sachs brings in Hanover for public affairs support http://www.publicaffairsnews.com/no_cache/home/uk-news/news-detail/newsarticle/goldman-sachs-brings-in-hanover-for-public-affairs-support/2/?tx_ttnews[pointer]=10&cHash=01c19bd27c], Public Affairs News, 4 October 2010, accessed 10 March 2011

[9] Alec Mattinson, Association for Financial Markets in Europe brings in Hanover to raise EU profile prweek.com, 22 March 2011,

[10] APPC register, quarter to 31 August 2011, acc 6 October 2011

[11] APPC register, to Nov 2009

[12] Hanover Website What we do accessed 24th September 2008

[13] Co-Sponsored event: talk by Jeremy Hunt, 29 October 2008

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Hanover Communications

Contents

Controversies, conflicts of interest and the revolving door

'Cash for access'

Revolving door

People

2014

Former staff

Clients

Lobbying for the booze industry

Lobbying for bankers

Lobbying for frackers

PRCA Register to May 2014

APPC Register

Affiliations

Contact, References and Resources

Contact

References

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