Bell Pottinger Public Affairs

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Bell Pottinger Public Affairs (BPPA) is one of the largest public relations companies in the United Kingdom.

"BPPA is one of fourteen companies operating within the public relations division of Chime Communications plc," it states on its website. The Public relations division is named Bell Pottinger Communications.

Its stated aim is to "work closely with clients to ensure that their case hits home with the people who matter most... We make sure that our clients know the politics, policies, people and process that drive decisions. We advise our clients on what to say, how to say to it, who to and when." [1]

Opposing transparency

BPPA is the largest of the lobbying firms refusing to disclose its client list. Giving evidence to MPs conducting the Parliamentary inquiry [2] into lobbying in March 2008, Peter Bingle, Chairman of BPPA, said "The public has no right to know who our clients are." [3] Bingle also voiced his resistance to closer scrutiny of the industry in an opinion piece in ''PR Week'' in September 2007. When the inquiry was announced, he wrote: “There is no point rehearsing in public the view that we welcome the inquiry. We don’t. I have yet to meet a member of the industry who does… The real issue is that the industry needs a public voice with the ability to make a convincing case and to disarm the doubters… Now is not the time for faint hearts.” [4]

Getting to know government

In early 2007, BPPA produced the Brown Book, essential, at around £5000, for “anyone with an interest in the interplay between politics and business”. It includes a 40 page chapter on “who to know” in Gordon Brown’s government. [5] The Independent on Sunday reported it had seen an email from a leading lobbyist bragging how it is cashing in on its "unrivalled expertise and links to the Brown camp". [6]

In September 2006, PR Week reported that "senior politicians including two Cabinet members pulled out of evening receptions organised by Bell Pottinger Public Affairs at the Labour conference this week ... following revelations that the firm was charging clients fixed fees to meet them." Chairman of BPPA, Peter Bingle admitted: “They didn't want to be linked to the idea of cash for access”. An email leaked to The Times indicated that clients would be charged some £5,000 for the opportunity to meet with Lord Falconer, Stephen Timms, Richard Caborn and Kevin Barron MP. [7]

History

In March 2004 BPPA won a $5.8m (£3.2m) four-month contract from the U.S. supported administration in Iraq to promote the establishment of democracy ahead of the handover of power to the interim Iraqi authority on 30 June. According to PR Week, the contract also includes promoting the election of an Iraqi government.

"B-PC will work with its Dubai operation Bates PanGulf, and Baghdad-based media services company Balloch & Roe. A small team will be sent to work with Balloch & Roe's Arabic writers who will advise on how best to cross the cultural divide," PR Week reported.

The project team, PR Week reports will be headed by Mark Turnbull and the head of BPPA's Dubai office Tom Mollo. The Independent (UK) reported that company founder Tim Bell described his role as "masterminding the campaign in London". [1]

Clients

Clients include (March 2008)


Public Private Partnerships

In 2001, Bell Pottinger picked up an account for the Public Private Partnership Forum, the consortium representing the largest organisations involved in pitching for Government contracts. Because of opposition to and controversy surrounding the London Underground PPP, the Forum felt it "better to concentrate our work on reminding people of the benefits of PPP as a whole." Bell Pottinger Public Affairs was hired to lobby both central government and opposition groups including trade unions. [8]

Key Staff

  • Peter Bingle: Chairman of BPPA, Bingle is a former Conservative councillor who has close personal links with MP Nick Brown. Brown is a former agriculture minister and a leading backbench ally of Gordon Brown. Nick Brown, godfather to one of Mr Bingle's children, has a “reputation as a political fixer". [9] He also attended a client dinner hosted by BPPA at Labour's 2006 conference. [10]
  • David Hill: Hill rejoined Bell Pottinger as Director for the Group in September 2007 having served four years as Tony Blair’s director of communications (he replaced Alastair Campbell in 2003) [11] He is Director for the Bell Pottinger Group based in The Collective, "where senior Bell Pottinger employees share clients with 'cross-group requirements'” [12]. Prior to becoming Tony Blair's right hand man, Hill spent five years as MD of Good Relations Political, another Bell Pottinger company. During this time Hill returned to the Labour Party HQ at Millbank on “unpaid leave” from Good Relations, as a senior press spokesman for the 2001 election campaign. Prior to that he was director of communications for the Labour Party from 1991 to 1999. [13] His long-term partner is Hilary Coffman, a press officer at Downing Street. [14]
  • David Sowells MD at BPPA, Sowells was a member of the Labour Party’s economic secretariat for three years in opposition. His past clients include McDonald's, Vickers, 3i, Camelot and BNFL. [15] [16]
  • Neil Stockley Director at BPPA since January 2002, according to its website, Stockley's specialist area is energy and environment policy. He is a former Director of Policy for the Liberal Democrats, a member of the party’s Federal Policy Committee and in 2007 chaired the working group that developed a new climate change policy for the Liberal Democrats. [17]
  • Jonathan Caine Caine joined BPPA as a Director in March 2007 after spending 8½ years as an assistant director of the Conservative Research Department, based at Conservative Campaign Headquarters in Westminster. According to its website, at various times, hewas the principal adviser to successive Leaders of the Opposition and members of the shadow cabinet on Constitutional Affairs, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. He also served as a member of William Hague’s PMQ preparation and speechwriting teams. From 1991-95 he was special adviser to two successive Secretaries of State for Northern Ireland, and from 1989-90 a member of Mrs Thatcher’s Political Office in 10 Downing Street. He worked alongside David Cameron in the Conservative Research Department from 1988-91 and as a fellow special adviser from 1992-95. [18]
  • Luke Chauveau According to BPPA's Chauveau’s sector specialism is the defence industry. He received the BAE Chairman’s Award for improving BAE Systems’ reputation within Government and has advised firms on procurement projects with the Ministry of Defence, including The Future Defence Supply Chain Initiative. He joined BPPA in 2001 having previously been PR manager for the chairman of Press Complaints Commission, Lord Wakeham. Chauveau started his career in public affairs at Westminster Strategy then as a researcher at Conservative Central Office. [19]

Contact information

Bell Pottinger Public Affairs
6th Floor, Holborn Gate
330 High Holborn
London WC1V 7QC
Phone 020 7861 2400
Fax: 020 7861 2401
http://www.bppa.co.uk/index.html

Resources

See David Hill

References

  1. ↑ Bell Pottinger Public Affairs website
  2. ↑ Public Administration Select Committee inquiry into lobbying 2007-08.
  3. ↑ Tamasin Cave, "The public has no right to know", Spinwatch, 18 March 2008.
  4. ↑ Peter Bingle, "Now is the time to pull together and salvage our reputation", PR Week, 06 September 2007.
  5. ↑ Bell Pottinger Public Affairs, Brown Book
  6. ↑ Francis Elliott, Independent on Sunday, "Revealed: How £5,000 buys the secrets of Brown's dream team", 18 February 2007.
  7. ↑ Ravi Chandiramani, "BPPA under fire over 'cash for access'," PR Week UK (sub req'd), 28 Sep 2006.
  8. ↑ Joe Lepper, "PPP companies move to step up lobbying efforts", PR Week UK (subscription required), 03 August 2001.
  9. ↑ The Brown Book, BPPA publication, 2007.
  10. ↑ Francis Elliott, "Revealed: How £5,000 buys the secrets of Brown's dream team", Independent on Sunday, 18 February 2007
  11. ↑ Chime Communications press release, 12 September 2007.
  12. ↑ Bell Pottinger 'Collective']
  13. ↑ Mark Hollingsworth, An infestation of lobbyists, The Guardian, 06 June 2001.
  14. ↑ BBC profile on Hill, 29 August 2003
  15. ↑ BPPA website, accessed December 2007
  16. ↑ Bell Pottinger Public Affairs, David Sowells
  17. ↑ Bell Pottinger Public Affairs, Neil Stockley
  18. ↑ Bell Pottinger Public Affairs, Jonathan Caine
  19. ↑ Bell Pottinger Public Affairs, Luke Chauveau

External links

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