Instinctif Partners
College Hill is an international business PR and lobbying firm, launched in 1990 by Alex Sandberg.
It claims to offer the services "needed to build and protect clients' reputations with their major stakeholders": Media relations, capital markets communications, government and regulator relations, internal communications, strategic research, brand positioning, design and online communications.[1]
On lobbying, College Hill says: "By advising clients of political and regulatory changes that will impact their business and when, with whom and how to engage on policy issues, College Public Policy consultants help their clients' bottom lines to grow and prosper."[2]
People
lobbyists
- Warwick Smith, College Hill's lead lobbyist, head of its Public Policy division. Prior to joining College Hill, he was Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Citigate Public Affairs. Before joining the public affairs industry, Smith was in government service for 16 years as a policy adviser, ministerial aide, and international negotiator. He is immediate past Chairman of the Association of Professional Political Consultants in the UK and is a past member of the Policy Committee of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
- Alex Sandberg, Chairman and founder. Board member of the Public Relations Consultants Association (PRCA).
Lobbying Clients
- General Healthcare Group. In August 2009, BMI Healthcare, which is owned by General Healthcare Group, commissioned a ComRes poll of 150 MPs "to help better understand what MPs thought about the future of healthcare in the UK." It revealed: "Conservatives and younger MPs are more sympathetic to the role private sector companies can play in the NHS than their older, non-Tory counterparts. Given that we can expect a relatively high turnover of MPs at the next General Election – perhaps more than a third of the House – we should expect that the direction of travel for the House is towards more support for private sector involvement in the health service.”[3]
- Financial Services Authority. Sandberg coordinated much of the financial PR industry's response to scrutiny by the Financial Services Authority in 2008. The FSA was concerned about the FSA lack of control that non-regulated bodies - PR companies, for example - had over sensitive information on public takeovers. The FSA's Ruth Gevers said: 'Our review noted there were areas of weakness in terms of confidentiality. This is not about us regulating the PR industry, it is about making a difference.' The financial PR industry has committed itself to self-regulation under a new set of 'principles of good practice'.[4].
Lobbying clients listed in 2008:[5]
Altala Group | Babcock & Brown | British Battery Manufacturers Association | British Generic Manufacturers Association | Financial Services Authority | Industri Kapital | Mail boxes Etc | Moody’s Investor Services | SNCF | Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) | Trafficmaster
Contacts
The Registry Royal Mint Court London EC3N 4QN
T: +44 (0)20 7457 2020 F: +44 (0)20 7866 7900
www.collegehill.com
References
- ↑ College Hill website, accessed Feb 2009
- ↑ College Hill website, accessed Feb 2009
- ↑ ComRes, Survey of MPs for BMI Hospitals, August 2009
- ↑ City Firms to Self-regulate PR Week, 19 June 2008
- ↑ APPC register, to November 2008, accessed Feb 2009
