Hanbury Strategy and Communications Ltd

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People

  • Ameet Gill OBE, Partner
    • Ameet was formerly Chief Speechwriter, Director of Strategic Communications and Director of Strategy to Prime Minister David Cameron. He spent 6 years working in Downing Street and has an unparalleled knowledge of the workings of Whitehall. He played a central role in three campaigns: the Scottish Referendum of 2014, the General Election of 2015 and the EU Referendum of 2016, and has been described by the Mail on Sunday as ‘the most influential figure from an ethnic minority background in British politics’.
  • Paul Stephenson, Partner
    • Paul was Director of Communications for the successful Vote Leave campaign in the UK’s referendum on the EU. He has over ten years’ experience working at the heart of Westminster advising members of the UK Cabinet, senior politicians and leading multinational businesses. He was previously Special Adviser to then Transport Secretary Philip Hammond and to then Health Secretary Andrew Lansley. He also spent several years as Executive Director for External Affairs at the British Bankers' Association. The Daily Mail described him as ‘by common consent one of the best communicators and operators in Westminster’.
  • May.13.2018: Who are the new movers and shakers in the UK public affairs world? Former Tory special adviser Stephenson is said to be the driving force behind lobbying’s most successful start-up for some years. Hanbury Strategy was set up by Stephenson and Ameet Gill in 2016 and has already grown to over 20 staff. As a protegee of Steve Hilton, Gill is known as an effective strategist. On the other hand, Stephenson is happy to get his hands dirty. As one pal puts it: "Ameet is Hilton’s guy. He likes to put his feet up and strategise. Paul is the opposite. He’ll be like: ‘How do we twist a few arms? How we get something in the Mail?’ He gets things done." David Singleton, Public Affairs News.
  • Simon Evans, Partner. Simon was formerly Head of Government Affairs and Regulation at an international strategic advisory firm where he advised high-profile business leaders, corporations, entrepreneurs and philanthropists on all aspects of their reputation and public profile. He has worked with some of the world’s largest technology companies in Europe, the US and Asia, advising them on policy, regulation and strategy. Simon qualified as a solicitor in 2006 and spent the early part of his career working in international law firms.
  • Lizzie Loudon, Partner. Lizzie was formerly Press Secretary to Prime Minister Theresa May, working in Downing Street at a time of unprecedented change for the country and accompanying the Prime Minister as she travelled to European capitals to begin the Brexit negotiations. As well as her time in Downing Street, Lizzie worked as Special Adviser to then Welfare Secretary Iain Duncan Smith. Prior to that she worked as a civil servant, giving her a deep and rounded understanding of the workings of Whitehall. Prior to her time in Government Lizzie worked in the charity sector for a number of years.
  • Gergely Polner, Partner. Gergely was Head of EU Affairs at Standard Chartered plc and at the British Bankers Association. Prior to his City career, he spent eight years at the EU institutions, including as a spokesperson for the EU Council Presidency and Head of UK Public Affairs for the European Parliament. He started his career as a lawyer and built a successful legal translation business.
  • Oliver Lewis, Director. Oliver is one of the leaders of Hanbury’s Brexit insight and analysis team, working with companies like KPMG and Barclays on matters related to the UK’s decision to leave the EU. Prior to that he was Director of Research for the successful Vote Leave campaign in the UK’s referendum on the EU. He was previously Director of Research at Business for Britain and before that worked with the then Education Secretary Michael Gove and with the New Schools Network. Author of the seminal publication "Change or Go", he has advised Cabinet Ministers on a range of policy issues. He has written for The Spectator and Standpoint and has served as a Borough Councillor.
  • Olivia Robey, Director. Olivia was formerly Head of Political Section at Conservative Campaign Headquarters where she led on opposition research, working closely with Downing Street and Govt Special Advisers. She principally works on political risk and polling for a variety of Hanbury’s clients.
  • Jonathan Suart is one of the leaders of Hanbury’s Corporate communications practice where he advises key clients such as Deliveroo. He previously worked for the British Bankers' Association and the successful Vote Leave campaign in the UK’s referendum on the EU where his role included strategic communications, social media, activist engagement and media relations.
  • Nick Bonstow, Associate Director. Nick graduated from Harvard University with High Honours and a Prize Fellowship in Ethics, studying political philosophy as well as polling methodology. He was appointed Membership Director of the John F. Kennedy Institute of Politics and worked at Microsoft for the Chief Strategy Officer. Nick served as the first international student to run Harvard’s D.C. summer program and worked in producing the university’s national monthly survey of Americans. At Hanbury, Nick has developed and led cutting-edge public opinion research and analytics projects for clients.
  • Felix Lettau, Associate Director. Felix is one of Hanbury’s lead policy and research analysts, with a particular focus on energy clients such as Bulb – the UK’s fastest growing renewable supplier. He was previously responsible for political research at the Labour Party, including the 2017 General Election campaign. Prior to this he worked for Britain Stronger in Europe during the 2016 EU Referendum and a pro-European business coalition in the City of London, providing research and analysis to a variety of stakeholders in politics and industry. Felix has also worked for the German foreign ministry and the Handelsblatt international correspondent’s office in Beijing, China.
  • James McBride, Associate Director. James previously worked in the Labour Party's Policy Unit, where he led on economy and business policy. James worked on the "Labour In" 2016 EU Referendum and GE-2017 campaigns, as well as the party’s response to 3 Budgets and one Autumn Statement. Prior to this, James was on the Civil Service Fast Stream programme working in five government departments across Whitehall.
  • Simon Neville, Associate Director. Simon is an award-winning former journalist who has worked across several national newspapers, BBC, ITN and online publications for almost a decade, with an unparalleled knowledge of British newsrooms and campaigning journalism. A graduate of the Daily Mail’s highly-acclaimed trainee scheme, he also worked for the Guardian, Evening Standard and Independent as a Retail Correspondent, and was appointed the first UK Business Editor of BuzzFeed. Simon was named London Press Club Business Journalist of the Year in 2013 and shortlisted at the British Journalism and Press Awards in 2015. Since joining Hanbury, he has helped land extensive media coverage for exciting new brands including green energy supplier Bulb and Deliveroo.
  • Emily Fermor, Executive. Emily previously led on communications campaigns at a global communications agency, where she gained experience across a range of sectors, from financial services to tech and utilities. Prior to this, Emily managed campaigns at Liberal Democrat HQ for the 2015 General Election and she was a Parliamentary Assistant to an MEP. Emily is currently an elected councillor in Kent, and stood for the Liberal Democrats in the 2017 General Election. Emily previously led on communications campaigns at a global communications agency, where she gained experience across a range of sectors, from financial services to tech and utilities. At Hanbury, she specialises in communications, including for Deliveroo.
  • Alex Hackett, Executive
    • As a researcher and consultant, Alex has worked on projects around the world, engaging with govt departments in China and Korea as an advisor on market entry into those countries. In his last role, he organised conferences and exhibitions in the defence sector, which again involved engagement with senior public officials from around the world. He continues to utilise this combined experience in his projects with Hanbury where, most recently, he helped organise the launch event of a major new report published by a Magic Circle law firm. He has also conducted policy research and analysis on behalf of political campaigns, and cross-party political projects.
  • Conor Higgins, Executive
    • Conor worked as a Communications Officer on the successful Vote Leave campaign in the UK’s referendum on the EU. Conor also has experience of working in an international political consultancy and public relations agency. At Hanbury, Conor primarily works on communications and political research. He has helped some of the UK’s most exciting tech companies successfully communicate their story and conducted extensive research on British, European and international politics.
  • Robert Littleton, Executive
    • Robert graduated from Durham University with a First Class Honours degree in Politics, where he was awarded the SGIA Prize for the highest result in his subject cohort. After Durham, Robert won a scholarship to read Modern British History at Cambridge University. Robert’s research has focused on quantitative political science, where he has used a range of statistical techniques and coding programs. Prior to Hanbury, Robert worked as an intern for the Institute of Economic Affairs and the Department for Work & Pensions.
  • Kit Preston Bell, Executive
    • Kit joined Hanbury in 2017, having previously worked in corporate and financial communications for a global integrated communications agency. He has advised on a range of successful corporate campaigns and transactions, as well as broader work on media perceptions, messaging and positioning. Since joining Hanbury, Kit has worked on corporate reputation and positioning research for a number of blue chip UK companies, and he has also worked on the development of new cutting edge approaches to internal communications. Kit studied Theology and Religious Studies at Clare College, Cambridge, graduating in 2014 with a college prize for academic achievement.
  • Cicely Robinson, Executive
    • Cicely studied Mathematics at Somerville College, Oxford University where she received an exhibition for academic excellence. She has a wide range of experience in Data Analysis including a six-month Data Analytics internship at The Health Foundation and working for a digital marketing agency as Analytics Consultant. She campaigned for Remain before the EU referendum and is an active member of the Liberal Democrats having stood as a candidate in local elections.
  • Joseph Slater, Executive
    • Joe graduated from Durham University in 2017 with First Class Honours, studying History and Politics. He has also worked as a research intern for the liberal conservative think tank Bright Blue. In 2016 he was awarded the organisation’s Tamworth Prize – his essay ‘Friends without Benefits: Britain and the European Union’ was published alongside contributions from a range of academics and policy thinkers.
  • Jodi Baxter, Operations Manager
    • Jodi has over ten years’ experience in operational management and support. She previously worked in a number of cancer charities where she led management of operations including HR, Finance, the Board of Trustees and partner collaborations. Prior to this Jodi worked in the Middle East for an international airline.
  • Emma Harris, Administrative Assistant
    • Emma graduated from SOAS, University of London with a degree in Politics with Law. She has over 5 years’ experience in client facing roles and previously managed diaries for a successful studio in Camden.

Articles

  • Sept.11.2018: Lobbyists: Brexit's Biggest Beneficiaries. Another lobby shop created just after the referendum, Hanbury Strategy, similarly promises to ‘shape public opinion’ by building ‘winning campaigns’. It has form. It was co-founded by Vote Leave’s communications lead, Paul Stephenson. Campaigns involve finding out ‘what motivates people’, Stephenson writes, ‘their hopes and fears’. Add to that ‘cutting edge data and research’, the right messaging and the ‘recruitment of activists’ and you can create ‘winning campaigns’ for corporations, according to Hanbury. ‘On any given issue there are millions who are open to persuasion,’ claims Stephenson ref. Hanbury’s real selling point, however, is more mundane. It sells intel on govt thinking, particularly on Brexit. With a team drawn from Theresa May’s office and that of her predecessor, they have been described as a ‘very, very good source’. ‘We see round corners,’ says Stephenson. Law firms Linklater and Herbert Smith Freehills have both hired Hanbury. It has also contributed to the Red Tape Initiative; been hired by the opposition research outfit, UK Policy Group and worked with AIQ, one of the firms at the centre of the allegations that the Leave campaign cheated in the Brexit referendum. Tamasin Cave, Unlock Democracy, Spinwatch.