Association of Professional Political Consultants Scotland

The Scottish branch of the Association of Professional Political Consultants.

Conflict of interest concerns

For example, most APPC Scotland member agencies have offices both in Brussels and London, and are affiliated to, or owned by, communications conglomerates with a global reach. Scotland is merely a local outpost of the global communications economy. Of the eight lobbying companies with offices in Scotland who are members of the APPC, six are owned by multinational communication conglomerates with global reach:

Strategy in Scotland (part of Westminster Strategy, in turn part of the international Grayling group, owned by the Lopex communication corporation);

Shandwick (the Scottish branch of the Interpublic communication conglomerate);

GPC Scotland (part of the global GPC network, owned by the Omnicom group, which has other interests in Scotland through Countrywide Porter Novelli, who are members of ASPA);

Citigate Public Affairs (a branch of Citigate Dewe Rogerson, owned by the communications corporation Incepta);

GJW Scotland (the Scottish office of GJW Government Relations, recently acquired by BSMG Worldwide);

APCO Scotland (part of APCO Worldwide).

These corporations have their own interests across the media and communication industries. One of the key concerns for the future is the extent to which their activities in differing branches of the communication industries might involve a conflict of interest.

Chairs of the APPCS

• Robbie MacDuff
• John Mullin
• Jo Nove, Greenhaus Public Communication, from December 2006