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 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 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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Jenny has more than a decade’s experience in corporate relations, both in-house and in an agency setting. She previously led public affairs programmes for the housing association L&Q, helping to position the London based organisation with No.10 and the Treasury.

She has led campaigns for high profile brands, including Sainsburys, the Co-operative Group, Luton Airport and Biggin Hill Airport, as well as a range of third sector clients. In 2019, her work with client Communities that Work saw recognition with three national awards, highlighting the role housing associations play in helping deliver employment support.

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Stephen is the founder and CEO of BECG. As a member of the Cavendish board he provides strategic leadership counsel to the 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 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 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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David has had a distinguished career in public affairs, having worked at director level in leading public affairs and PR consultancies. He has been an Associate with Cavendish since 2006 and provides senior counsel to clients on the workings of Government.

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Leslie brings nearly a decade of international experience working in corporate communications and public affairs. She has a proven track record of delivering strategies that establish brands and guide public opinion across a wide range of sectors.

Leslie previously led communications for the expansion programme at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago – the world’s busiest airport – as well as the largest technology transition in U.S. lottery industry history. She has also held key communications roles in government and on political campaigns at the state and federal level in the U.S.

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Samir has extensive experience of business and politics having worked in corporate affairs at KPMG, where he advised on political and public policy developments across a range of issues, including social mobility, apprenticeships and the Industrial Strategy. He also managed the firm’s party conference activity.

He has a broad Westminster network and campaign experience, having worked in Parliament for the former Brexit Secretary and now Chief Secretary to the Treasury,  Steve Barclay MP, as well as through his involvement in local politics and the EU referendum campaign.

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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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Thomas is an experienced public affairs professional and has worked across a broad range of sectors including financial services, pharmacy, aviation and the creative industries.

He is a Conservative activist, campaigned for Leave in the EU referendum and has a background in Parliament working for Conservative MPs.

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Sabrina has more than 5 years’ experience advising clients on policy development, legislation and reputation management utilising her knowledge of UK and European politics.

As a leading Left-wing campaigner and commentator she brings invaluable insight into the ethical expectations of brands and experience of the development of politics and campaigning on digital platforms.

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Yerin brings experience delivering national public affairs, strategic communications and crisis communications in the property, social housing, infrastructure and environment sectors. She plays a key role in shaping campaigns, delivering communications strategies and leading political stakeholder engagement.

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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 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 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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David Henig is Director of the UK Trade Project and had a 10 year career in the civil service that included being a negotiator on the EU/USA Trade Deal, developing policy on sensitive international investment into the UK, working on G8/G7 meetings and establishing the Department for International Trade after the referendum. He co-founded the UK Trade Forum and is a leading commentator on trade issues across UK and International media.

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

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.

Olivia has a BA in Marketing from the University of Liverpool. Whilst at university, she completed a placement year at Alder Hey NHS Children’s Trust,working within their communications team throughout the COVID-19 pandemic communicating complex guidance internally and externally.

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. 

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 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 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.

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.

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 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.

Since joining BECG, Georgina has been involved in some of UK’s largest housing associations crisis response and stakeholder management processes. She has also worked on a number of significant community engagement projects for high-profile developments such as the Paddington Square redevelopment and the luxury Cheval Blanc Mayfair Hotel in Westminster.

Michael has more than 25 years’ experience working in the media and public relations. As a former print journalist, he has worked in national Daily and Sunday Newsrooms, headed up the media operations for a political leader and led the corporate communications for a leading public sector organisation within the justice sector. With a keen news sense and trusted relationships with print and broadcast journalists he is adept at working with the media to generate positive coverage. Michael has particular expertise in taking control of complex and challenging media crisis situations and providing counsel on how best to protect reputations, by offering calm and rational advice to clients on how best to position themselves both internally and externally.

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 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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Jay studied BA History at the University of Oxford, specialising in the political history of modern Britain, India, and the Middle East. Whilst at university, Jay was President of the Arnold and Brackenbury Society (Balliol College’s historic comedy debating society) and the Oxford University History Society.

Jay is an active member of the Labour Party, volunteering with Wandsworth Labour and getting involved in canvassing events across London. Prior to joining Cavendish, Jay had accumulated substantial campaign experience in a variety of contexts, from knocking on doors in general elections to contesting university society hustings. Jay has also completed work experience in an MP’s constituency office.

Esme 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.  Esme’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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