Hanover among the winners at the seventh Public Affairs News Awards

PAN Awards

The sold-out ceremony was staged on 16 November at 8 Northumberland Avenue in central London. The presenter, for the second successive year, was ITV business editor Laura Kuenssberg.
Charles Lewington’s Hanover saw off powerful challenges from Interel Consulting UK, PLMR and Insight Public Affairs to be crowned ‘Consultancy of the Year’.
The MS Society beat ScottishPower, Macmillan Cancer Support and Keep Britain Tidy to pick up ‘In-House Team of the Year’.
Cicero Consulting (financial services) was named ‘Specialist Consultancy of the Year’ from a category shortlist that also comprised Helen Johnson Consulting (health) and Curtin & Co (planning/consultations).
PAN’s ‘Outstanding Contribution’ award saw the judges bestow the honour on well-known former Fleishman-Hillard boss Kevin Bell, while PLMR’s managing director, Kevin Craig, was named ‘Consultant of the Year’.
Lansons Communications’ Chris Bose was named ‘Rising Star – Individual (Agency)’ and Emma Boon of the TaxPayers’ Alliance was voted ‘Rising Star – Individual (In-House)’. Rhoda Macdonald was named ‘Freelancer of the Year’.  
Open Road, meanwhile, saw off MHP Communications and APCO Worldwide to be named ‘Best Agency to Work For’.
EEF, the manufacturers’ association, was awarded ‘Trade Body of the Year’, while the RSPCA won ‘Innovative Campaign of the Year’ for its ‘Fairer Fillings’ campaign (on which the charity worked with MHP Communications).
‘Campaign of the Year – Private Sector’ was awarded to the high-profile ‘Fair Tax on Flying’ campaign, while Royal Britian Legion bagged ‘Campaign of the Year - Voluntary Sector’ for its ‘Write the Principles of the Military Covenant into Law’ work.
A five-strong coalition of charities in Scotland won the hotly contested ‘Campaign of the Year – Devolved Administations’ title with their ‘Placing the Voice of the Child at the Heart of Children’s Hearings’ campaign.
Finally, in an innovation for 2011’s awards, this year’s ceremony witnessed interactive voting to decide the winners in two categories ‘on the night’.
After the audience had deployed their personal keypads (and the votes had been counted), Whizz-Kids emerged as winers of the new category for ‘Party Conference Innovation’. Open Road, InHouse Communications and IOSH were the other entries shortlisted from a record 22 category entries.
And, last but not least, the audience members opted for John Rentoul ahead of Kerry McCarthy MP and Mark Pack for the title of ‘Political Tweeter of the Year’.
Public Affairs Newseditor Ian Hall, who chaired the awards’ 24-strong judging panel, said: “These awards are the sector’s big chance to come together and celebrate success, and I thank everyone who supports them. It was an excellent night - the culmination of almost 12 months’ planning – and well done again to all the winners and shortlisted entries. In many categories it was very tough to decide the best.
“Thank you to everyone in the sector who attended; all the judges and sponsors; Laura for rattling through the winners with a patter and pace that everyone appreciates; and the events team at PAN’s publisher, Dods, for choreographing the evening so well.”

17th November 2011 by PAN staff