The CIPR Public Affairs executive committee consists of a chairman, two vice-chairmen, secretary, treasurer and membership secretary in addition to six non-office holding committee members. The committee is elected annually at the Group's AGM in March or April, although there is some scope for additional co-options.
Chairman | |
Simon McVicker |  |
| Simon has been Head of Public Affairs at the PCG, the voice of freelancing, since January 2009. Before that he headed up public affairs at the Manufacturing Technologies Association and previous to that he was Public Affairs Manager at The Independent Schools Information Service. Simon worked for two years in the 1980s as research assistant to Christopher Chope MP and then worked at Conservative Central Office, running the Conservative Collegiate Forum in its early years. He was a team leader in John Major's Campaign Team at the 1992 General Election. He was also a Councillor in the London Borough of Ealing from 1990 to 1994 and on the Conservative Candidates' list from 1990 to 1995. | |
Vice-Chairman | |
| Jane Bowles jane@hyconsulting.co.uk |  |
| Jane is co-Director of Hy Consulting, a consultancy offering political PR, media relations and event management assistance. Hy helps clients communicate with key audiences and the media in the political sector and the arts including festivals, charities, NGOs and corporates. The consultancy runs promotions, launches campaigns and political fringe meetings, and advises on profiling and branding issues. Hy Consulting is responsible for initiating an All Party Group in Parliament on Islamic Finance and Diversity in Financial Markets. Jane has been co-opted on to the CIPR PA committee since 2010, helping to run the CIPR PA events calendar. She is also a member of MIPAA, the Motor Industry Public Affairs Association. | |
Vice-Chairman | |
| James Tyrrell james@insightpa.com |  |
| James has nearly a decade of experience in consultancy and in-house roles, and has advised some of the UK's largest companies and organisations. He co-founded Insight Public Affairs in early 2006, and has spearheaded projects in the Health, Pharmaceuticals, Education and Social Enterprise sectors. Previously James headed Public Affairs at the British Retail Consortium, where he also ran the London Retail Consortium. He joined the CIPR GAG Executive Committee in 2010 and was voted on to the CIPR PA Committee in 2011. | |
Secretary | |
| Vernon Hunte ciprpasec@gmail.com |  |
| Vernon Hunte works at GK Political, a consultancy offering public affairs and political due diligence services. Previously he was the Public Affairs Manager at the Institution of Civil Engineers. He has experience in political engagement and policy across a broad range of areas including transport, energy and health. He headed the parliamentary office of the Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP, working on European and home affairs and has served as secretariat to a number of All-Party Groups. He was first elected to the executive committee in 2011. | |
Treasurer | |
| John Letizia john.g.letizia@gmail.com |  |
| John is Head of Public Policy at Lloyds Banking Group, having previously worked for the British Bankers Association where he was Director of Government Affairs with responsibility for building strong relations with key people at all levels across UK Government, Parliament and other key stakeholders. Prior to joining the BBA, John was Political and Regional Affairs Adviser at a leading manufacturing employers' organisation. John has also worked for a number of consultancies and has been an Adviser to a Government Minister. He was elected Treasurer of CIPR PA in 2011. | |
Membership Secretary | |
| Tim Wainwright |  |
| Tim is Parliamentary Affairs Officer at RICS, the largest organisation for professionals in land, property and construction worldwide. Tim focuses on influencing parliamentarians and key stakeholders in the public interest, on housing, planning, construction and infrastructure policy. A newcomer to the world of public affairs, graduating from Leeds University in 2010 with a degree in Politics and Parliamentary Studies, Tim is interested in building opportunities for political debate and engaging with young professionals. He has gained experience interning and working in the UK Parliament and US Congress during the inauguration of President Obama. | |
Committee Member | |
| Simon Astley simon.astley@balfourbeatty.com |  |
| Simon is Head of Public Affairs at engineering and construction giant Balfour Beatty. Prior to that he was Director of Parliamentary Relations for BAE Systems, responsible for the company's UK public affairs activity. Over the last 18 years Simon has worked in aircraft communications at BAE Systems, in Public Affairs for the construction industry and in local and national politics. He has been a member of the CIPR and formerly the CIPR GAG since 1998. Simon is also an Executive Committee member of the Industry and Parliament Trust Executive Committee. | |
Committee Member | |
| Alexander Ehmann Alexander.Ehmann@iod.com |  |
| Alexander is the IoD's Head of Parliamentary and Regulatory Affairs. Leading the Institute's engagement with Parliamentarians, Government, Civil Servants and other stakeholders, Alexander is responsible for the IoD's lobbying strategy and legislative interventions. He also leads on the Institute's Regulatory Policy, and is responsible for the development of IoD policy towards Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), finance and lending policy as well as leading the IoD's policy research programme via the unique Policy Voice community. He was elected to the executive committee in 2011. | |
Committee Member | |
| Debbi Powton FCIPR Deborah@swa-pr.co.uk |  |
| Deborah is Director of Sam Weller Associates PR, an all-round consultancy also offering public affairs experience in local and national environments, especially the not-for-profit sector. Experienced at representing clients at Select Committee hearings and the ensuing Government law reform committees. Deborah was elected to the GAG Committee in 2005 and as hon. treasurer from 2006 to 2010. A full member of the CIPR Council in her own right, where she serves on the Professional Practices Committee, Deborah, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), is also currently hon. treasurer of the CIPR Greater London Group. | |
Committee Member | |
| Ben Stafford Ben.Stafford@cicero-group.com |  |
| Ben is Director of UK Public Affairs at Cicero Consulting, the award-winning corporate communications practice. Ben is a specialist in pensions, insurance, asset management and banking, with wide-ranging experience in public policy, financial services lobbying, communications and PR. Ben has advised a range of financial institutions and campaign groups since joining Cicero in August 2010, with a specialism reflecting over 10 years in financial services. His resume includes spells as a lead policy adviser for the Association of British Insurers and the Association of Mortgage Intermediaries, having first entered the industry as a financial journalist. Ben is also a fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts and joined the CIPR PA Committee in March 2012. | |
Committee Member | |
| Simon Goldie simon.goldie@gmail.com |  |
| Simon studied Government at Essex University and went on to a varied career as a writer and performer before becoming a communications professional. He is Head of External Relations for LexisNexis. The role is responsible for corporate reputation, external communication and stakeholder engagement. His previous employment includes the Chartered Institute of Taxation and the Association for Consultancy and Engineering. In 2009, he was named as one of the top 100 lobbyists in the UK. In 2010 he was included in the top 75 Liberal Democrat bloggers in a Total Politics poll. He is an occasional contributor to the CIPR's the conversation and Liberal Vision as well as maintaining his own blog. | |
Committee Member | |
| Ilan Jacobs Ilan.Jacobs@ge.com |  |
| Ilan has 16 years' experience in public affairs in both an agency and in-house setting. Currently, he is Government Relations Leader in GE's UK Corporate headquarters, supporting the whole range of GE's businesses in their engagement with UK policymakers. In the UK GE employs over 18,000 people in sectors as diverse as aviation, energy, transportation, healthcare and financial services. Ilan first joined GE as Head of UK Government Relations at GE Money in May 2006, coming from the Internet Bank Egg, where he was Head of Public Affairs. Previously he worked in public affairs consultancy for a range of clients. | |
