people

Our team bring their experience, insight and political network to provide senior counsel and expert advice.

GARETH MORGAN
MANAGING DIRECTOR
David Button

Verity Barr
BOARD Director

JAMES BIRD
Board DIRECTOR
Alex Challoner
BOARD DIRECTOR

Steve Norris
Senior Strategic Advisor

Stephen Pomeroy
Senior Strategic Advisor

David Button

Tom Bradley
Director

David Button

David Button
Senior Account Director

CARRIE LOWE
SENIOR ACCOUNT DIRECTOR

Oliver hazell
SEnior Account Director

Matthew Morrison
Account Director

ESMÉ ROBERTS
ACCOUNT Director

TOM GOSSCHALK
Account Director

Jack Spriggs
Account Director

Samuel Carr
Senior Account Manager

Abigail Simons
Senior Account Manager

Sam Freedman
Senior Account Manager

Olivia Choudhry
Account manager

Chloe Bester

Jago brockway
Account Manager

Pavel Pertsov
Senior Account Executive

Chloe Bester

alexia d’rosario
 Senior Account Executive

Isobel fitzsimons
Senior Account Executive

Zoë Varenne
Senior Account Executive

Alex Challoner

Alex Challoner

Board Director

A political strategist with more than thirty years’ experience in public affairs and communications advocacy, Alex provides clients with senior counsel to ensure policy supports their corporate aims, be that policy change or raising their profile on key issues.

As a former adviser to the Conservative Party during the 1997 General Election Campaign, Conservative Campaign Director of the London Mayoral Campaign in 2000 and current Board Member of the Tory Reform Group, Alex has a comprehensive knowledge of the key figures and the trends and power-bases within the Party.

He has advised clients such the Met Office, John Lewis Partnership, Canal & River Trust, Crest Nicholson, Aster Group and Arvato.

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Gareth Morgan

Gareth Morgan

MANAGING Director

Gareth has over a decade’s experience in advising leading brands on relations with policy-makers in Westminster and Whitehall. Prior to working in public affairs he was a think tank researcher and as such he is the agency lead on developing thought leadership content for clients to underpin profile raising and network building.

As a Labour activist he has advised on Labour London Mayoral selection, Parliamentary and London Assembly campaigns and stood as a local election candidate.

He has broad sectoral experience having advised a range of brands including Starbucks, Google, Infosys, East Midlands Airport, the Business Travel Association, London School of Economics and Keolis UK.

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James Bird

James Bird

Board Director

James has over a decade’s experience in delivering award-winning public affairs and advocacy campaigns for clients across multiple sectors.

A former councillor and two-time parliamentary candidate for the Conservative Party, James has been involved in the last five general election campaigns. From thought leadership and profile raising to stakeholder engagement, media training and crisis communications, he is well versed across the communications spectrum.

This is supported by an enviable network of media contacts, secured through reporting as a freelance broadcast journalist for the BBC. He has advised clients such as Stonewater Housing Association, Midlands Connect, GEMS Education, Northamptonshire Local Enterprise Partnership, West Midlands Combined Authority, Bovis Homes.

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Stephen Pomeroy

Stephen Pomeroy

Strategic Advisor

Stephen is the founder and Chair of the BECG Group Advisory Board. He provides strategic leadership counsel to the Cavendish Advocacy team and clients. As an innovator in communications, Stephen is focused on driving the value of new technology and platforms for government relations.

A high-level strategist with more than 25 years’ communications experience in political, business, stakeholder, digital and media communications, Stephen has advised FTSE companies, CEOs and company boards and delivered award-winning campaigns that have supported clients to achieve their commercial objectives.

A devoted supporter of corporate social responsibility, Stephen has advised organisations on cause-related marketing and advocacy. He was previously a trustee of the UK and International charities Fixers and the Global White Lion Trust, and currently provides strategic support for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Endangered Species. Stephen is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a member of the Institute of Directors.

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Matthew Crisp

Matthew Crisp

Associate Director - REGIONs

Matthew is a communications and engagement specialist with in-house and agency experience across the public, private and third sector. He has devised and managed the delivery of strategies and campaigns for a number of public bodies, effectively engaging with a wide range of audiences to achieve results across the UK.

His agency experience includes leading the delivery of public affairs and corporate communications support for West Midlands Combined Authority, South Tyneside Council Highways England and Midlands connect.

Prior to his current role, Matthew was Communications Manager at Transport for the North with experience spanning the organisation’s communications and stakeholder engagement activity from inception through to its establishment as England’s first statutory Sub-national Transport Body.

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David Button

David Button

Senior Account Director

David has considerable experience of designing and delivering public affairs and communications programmes across the housing, transport, healthcare, energy, FMCG and infrastructure sectors.

He has an excellent track record of helping clients to build their influence with the Government and Parliament, being an expert in the parliamentary and legislative process, as well as raising the profile of campaigns and asks.

His work has helped clients to achieve changes to legislation including securing government funding for infrastructure projects, exemptions to UK and European legislation and regulations, and reversing harmful policy decisions that would have a detrimental effect on their commercial interests.

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Oliver Hazell

Oliver Hazell

Senior Account Director

Oliver has more than three years’ experience in public affairs and complements this industry experience with local, regional and national campaigning for both the Conservative Party and ‘Remain’ during the EU referendum.

He is a former Campaign Manager and local Association Chairman for the Conservative Party in North West London and was the Deputy Field Director for London for Britain Stronger In Europe. Oliver remains involved with the Conservative Party at a local and regional level.

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Abigail Simons

Abigail Simons

Account manager

Abigail brings experience of working in public affairs for a London-based housing association and as an assistant to an MP in Parliament. She recently completed a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning and brings strong political insight and understanding of parliamentary processes. She works with a wide range of clients assisting with political monitoring, events management, and research.

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Pavel Pertsov

Pavel Pertsov

Senior Account Executive

Pavel brings in over two years’ experience in Public and Investor Relations, having previously worked with clients across multiple sectors including retail, international payment systems, mining and energy. Prior to Cavendish Advocacy he was involved in supporting communications and social campaigns, offline events, as well as liaison with the media and administration of client accounts.

Pavel has a BSc in Philosophy and Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science where he was also a part of a student committee organising an annual international business forum, taking on logistics and speaker communications tasks.

Olivia Choudhry

Olivia Choudhry

Account Manager

Olivia has a BA in International Relations from King’s College London. During University, she was involved in civic activism as part of the Intersectional Feminist Society, the Action Palestine Society and various charities. She has volunteered with the Conservative Party at both a Constituency Office and a Mayoral Campaign.
Olivia has experience working within Communications and Marketing, having worked on Awards and Summits catered towards gender inequality in prominent industry sectors. At Cavendish Advocacy, she works with a wide array of clients across sectors and aids her teams through political monitoring, research and client relations.

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Jack Spriggs

Jack Spriggs

Senior Account manager

Jack Spriggs is a political campaigner with 8 years of experience running local, regional and national campaigns for MPs and candidates, for the Conservative Party, and for global brands. Specialising in grassroots, digital activity, Jack has experience building cross-party campaigns; he worked as a regional organiser for Britain Stronger in Europe in 2016.

Away from party politics, Jack has delivered award-winning community engagement programmes, created digital content, and delivered complex sustainability projects for a FTSE 100 firm.

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Carrie Lowe

Carrie Lowe

Senior Account DIRECTOR

A public relations and reputation management specialist, Carrie has more than 20 years’ communications experience that embraces both strategy development and tactical implementation.

Tom Gosschalk

Tom Gosschalk

Account Director

Tom has over three years’ experience managing and delivering communications campaigns for clients across different sectors, with a focus on housing, environment, and infrastructure. He has worked extensively with clients on reputation management in both the media and government.

Jago Brockway

Jago Brockway

Account Manager

Jago brings experience as a former campaign coordinator across six constituencies in Somerset, where he was involved in planning and delivering strategies for PCC, local election and issue-based campaigns, as well as engagement activities designed to enhance public profile for MPs and other incumbents.

He has a BA (Hons) degree in Politics from the University of Exeter and while there was chairman of the university’s Conservative Association and twice stood in City Council elections.

ISOBEL FITZSIMONS

ISOBEL FITZSIMONS

Senior Account Executive

Isobel is a graduate from the University of Manchester where she studied Politics, Philosophy and Economics. During her degree Isobel spent a year studying Social Sciences at the University of Amsterdam and completed an internship programme with Cavendish prior to joining the team.

Isobel brings her academic experience in political monitoring and research to her teams, providing public affairs and campaign support to a variety of clients.

Tom Bradley

Tom Bradley

Associate Director

Tom is an Associate Director and heads up Cavendish Advocacy’s Energy & Green Growth team. He has over a decade’s experience in working with U.K. and international businesses, trade associations and charities, helping them to achieve real cut-through with Governments and regulators.

Prior to joining Cavendish Advocacy, Tom worked for the UK’s largest gas distribution network, leading on their decarbonisation of heat and transport work. He also worked in consultancy and advised clients such as Shell, U.K. Power Networks and Autogas. He previously worked for Conservative MPs and MEPs in Westminster and Brussels.

Tom is a former parliamentary candidate for the Conservative Party, currently serves as a local councillor and is a member of The Cotswolds Conservative Association’s Executive Council. He serves as a trustee and Non-Executive Chairman of a rural charity.

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Steve Norris

Steve Norris

Senior Strategic Advisor

Steve Norris is the former Transport Minister, Conservative Party Vice Chairman and twice candidate for London Mayor.

Steve has extensive global experience in infrastructure, property, and transportation. He currently chairs Soho Estates, This Land, and Driver Group plc and provides expert counsel and strategic advice to businesses operating in infrastructure, property, energy and transportation. He is President of ITS-UK, the UK arm of the ITS Global Network and a former board member of Transport for London. He is Chairman of the Council of the National Infrastructure Planning Association.

Alexia D'Rosario

Alexia D'Rosario

senior Account Executive

Alexia has a BA in Political Science from Queen Mary University of London. During University, she was involved in debate and politics as a committee member of the Debate Society and the Politics Society. She has work experience with her local Conservative MP and Conservative Association.

Alexia has experience working within public relations and commercial marketing, having worked at Markettiers during her final year at university.

Zoë Varenne

Zoë Varenne

Senior Account Executive

Zoë has a BA in Philosophy and Literature from the University of Warwick and an MSc in Global Governance and Ethics from UCL. During her MSc she co-founded the ‘Global Governance Futures: Imperfect Utopias or Bust’ podcast.

Zoë was involved in the planning and research of the UCL Global Governance Institute’s workshop ‘Pathways to a Green and Just Recovery from COVID-19’ and has experience in environmental and social impact strategy and communications.

Matthew Morrison

Matthew Morrison

Account Director

Matthew graduated from Durham University with a BA (Hons) in Politics and International Relations.

He is a public affairs and public relations professional with five years experience working in agencies focusing on the built environment sector.

On a day-to-day basis he is a trusted advisor to clients on communications and stakeholder engagement. He is experienced in successfully crafting effective campaigns for clients to meet their goals.

He has previous experience working for an MLA within the Northern Ireland Assembly and has extensive knowledge of the political environment across the UK.

Sam Freedman

Sam Freedman

Account manager

Sam has over three years’ experience working in built environment communications, working with clients across the value chain, from building materials manufacturers through to commercial and residential developers. He has a particular passion for sustainability and social housing.

He works with clients to devise strategic and creative communication plans and campaigns to help them achieve their goals, engage with key stakeholders, and secure prominent and effectual coverage.

 

Verity Barr

Verity Barr

Board Director

Verity heads up our Birmingham office with 20 years’ experience of developing and delivering integrated strategic and creative communications campaigns for businesses involved in the built environment. Having also led community and stakeholder consultations for two DCO projects, she is able to combine her knowledge of the planning process with a broader corporate communications approach.

Verity has worked across both the private and public sectors with organisations in the energy, infrastructure, housing and construction industries, providing strategic counsel as well as devising and managing the delivery of creative marcomms and media-based campaigns.

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esmé roberts

esmé roberts

account director

Esmé has breadth of experience in property, from large projects like the regeneration of Elephant and Castle town centre, Anfield in Liverpool and Rochester in Kent, to housing  associations including Places for People, Your Housing Group and One Manchester.

She takes pride in creating strategic communications plans to help them achieve their key goals and deliver new homes and amenities for a wide range of communities.  Esmé’s work on the campaign ‘can you hear me from up here?’ with the housing association, One Manchester, was nominated for two industry awards. The successful campaign was designed to help those suffering from loneliness and depression in One Manchester’s communities. It gained widespread national print and broadcast coverage as well as regional print coverage.

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Samuel Carr

Samuel Carr

Senior Account Manager

An established public affairs specialist and political campaigner, Samuel has extensive experience designing and delivering engagement, advocacy, and consultation strategies for corporates, charities, and major developments.

A creative and adept communicator, he has delivered engagement support and political counsel at Westminster and the local authority level, with expertise in the residential, aviation, energy, commercial, and industrial sectors.

As a borough councillor and deputy chairman of his local Conservative Association, Samuel brings considerable campaign experience and an appreciation of the cross-pressures faced by elected decision-makers.

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