Outstanding Contribution (V)
WINNER Vivien Hepworth, Executive Chairman, Grayling
Vivien Hepworth’s contribution to the industry is - without question - outstanding. She is a consultant whose political and commercial nous is valued by her clients; an inspirational leader; and a compelling ambassador for the industry, constantly striving to increase awareness and understanding of public affairs.
Hepworth entered the profession in 1988 when she joined Westminster Strategy – the public affairs arm of Grayling – as a senior account executive. Her talent was quickly recognised and in just over a year she was promoted to director. This rise reflected her ability to win new business, deliver for clients and retain them.
She left Grayling 1997 to work in the voluntary sector. She returned in 2002 as chief executive of Grayling Political Strategy - a position she held until April 2008 when she became UK executive chairman of Grayling UK and Brussels.
Over her career she has worked a wide range of clients including working with Roche to uphold its position in what was then the biggest-ever class action in the UK.
She led the team that provided public affairs and public relations advice to Grantham Hospital and other regional health authorities over the infamous case of Beverley Allitt, the nurse who murdered several children in her care. More recently she led the team advising the postal services regulator to put the case for sustained reform in the mail sector and worked with a leading health think-tank to redefine and reposition itself.
Hepworth still has a hands-on approach, leading the team supporting cultural and urban renaissance in the East of England as well as the team advising Team Stadium for the 2012 Olympics.
From the start she has championed the public affairs industry, articulating to all her belief that it is a force for good.
Most recently, in the January edition of Public Affairs News she took on Nick Hurd MP in a two-page feature, debating with him over his report that criticised public-sector spending on public affairs.
She has had a lasting and positive influence of the careers of hundreds of consultants. She is immensely well respected and her advice is constantly sought. But, most of all, she is fun.
Michael Burrell, Vice-Chairman Europe, Edelman
Michael Burrell, who joined Edelman in 2002, has overall responsibility for the agency’s public affairs practice in Europe.
In that time, Edelman’s public affairs operations in London and Brussels have grown significantly and new operations have recently been launched in Berlin, Paris and Rome. Last year the London practice, led by Alex Bigg, won the Public Affairs News award for UK Consultancy of the Year.
Before joining Edelman, Burrell was chairman of Westminster Strategy, which he co-founded in 1986. Many of his former colleagues there have gone on to become leading figures in the industry in their own right and the firm was widely known as the ‘University of Westminster’.
During his career as a public affairs practitioner, Burrell has advised many of the world’s leading companies, including Microsoft, Pfizer and Samsung. Indeed, his principal focus on a daily basis remains the provision of strategic advice to clients.
From 2000 to 2002, he was chairman of the Association of Professional Political Consultants (APPC). In July 2000, he gave evidence as APPC chairman to the Committee on Standards in Public Life in its inquiry into Standards of Conduct in the House of Lords. He remains a member of the APPC’s management board and a regular participant in its training sessions on the APPC code of conduct.
He is also a deputy chairman of the European Centre for Public Affairs (ECPA), a Brussels-based ‘best practice in public affairs’ think-tank, whose members are companies, trade associations, NGOs and consultancies.
The author of Lobbying and the Media: Working with Politicians and Journalists (2001), Public Affairs News recently described him as a ‘European public affairs legend’.
Keith Johnston, Director of Policy and Communications / Editor-in-Chief, STEP
Keith Johnston is director of policy and communications at the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP). He has bags of personality, and is known for his gregarious manner, Clarke Gable moustache and trademark trilby hat.
Currently chairman of the CIPR's Government Affairs Group (GAG), Johnston has ensured that the group does not simply run excellent events, but that it is a strong voice for lobbying both inside and outside the CIPR.
Having spent seven years on CIPR GAG committee, including posts as treasurer and secretary, he is its youngest-ever chairman. He has also been a CIPR council member for four years and chaired the CIPR working party on the public administration select committee (PASC) response.
He is also a member of the new Public Affairs Council, established with the PRCA and APPC to provide effective regulation of lobbyists in the public interest. He has provided important input to this, including working with Sir Philip Mawer on the crucial definition of what is lobbying and what is a lobbyist.
Johnston is the face of the new, more dynamic lobbying profession, and a refreshing break from its more fogeyish past.
