Lobbying part two of five

This is the second set of  names from the Cusick/Milmo article of 2011 referred to yesterday. These firms were still listed by the ORCL in 2017. Links are to Powerbase entries, where these exist.

ACPO Worldwide  was born out of the US tobacco industry. Its UK arm had strong Labour connections in 2011. Employees included Darren Murphy, former adviser to Alan Milburn, and Razi Rahman, a former Blair aide. Murphy and Rahman went on to found Centreground (see below) which was bought out in 2014 by Bell Pottinger (see below).
2011 clients included British Association of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers, eBay, GE, Microsoft, Netjets, EuropePfizer and RBS

Bell Pottinger is now in administration after exposure of its unethical activities in South Africa.
2011 clients included Axa, Nomura, Blackstone, Kellogg's and Pizza Express

Brunswick was founded by Alan Parker, financial PR guru. Cusick/Milmo report him as being godfather to one of Gordon Brown's sons, that David Cameron attended his 50th birthday party and that Blair attended his wedding. Mike Girling, who had been press aide to Nick Clegg, worked for Brunswick before moving on to work for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in Pakistan.
2011 clients included BA, BT and Blue Circle

Burson Marsteller, once the largest PR company in the world, is part of the WPP group and as a result of a merger earlier this year is now Burson Cohn & Wolfe. The chief executive in the UK in 2011 was Matt Carter, former general secretary of the Labour party. Former Conservative MP Andrew MacKay was also on the strength. Carter went on to found Message House in 2013.
2011 clients included Bacardi Martini, Danone, Heineken, Lloyds Banking Group and Pilkington.


Centreground Political Communications picked up Jonathan Powell, Chief of Staff in 10 Downing Street in the Blair years and controversial Labour spin doctor Adrian McMenamin. Bell Pottinger took the company over in 2014. No clients were listed by Cusick/Milmo in 2011.