UK Consultant of the Year (J)
WINNER Tamora Langley, Director, Weber Shandwick Public Affairs
Since joining Weber Shandwick five years ago, Tamora Langley has thrived with four promotions, most recently in 2007 to director.
She has created a specialist healthcare public affairs team and won numerous health clients for Weber Shandwick, spanning the NHS and NICE, the pharmaceutical and medical technology sector, patient charities and professional bodies.
She is respected for a talent for humanising technical issues and bringing them to life in campaigns that use the full range of communications tools to effect policy change. She has led award-winning campaigns in the past year.
Working with a multi-disciplinary team of agencies for the British Pig Executive, it was her campaign idea - ‘Pigs Are Worth It!’ - that the client opted to use. Her strategic advice across the year-long campaign was central to its successes: securing an Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (EFRA) inquiry, ministerial commitments, TV chief Jamie Oliver and a Conservative campaign for ‘Honest Labelling’.
Langley is a trusted adviser to global healthcare company Abbott and has managed a series of campaigns for the client, notably its ‘Fit for Work’ collaboration with the Work Foundation, whose recommendations have fed into government policy. She led the Dispensing Doctors Association’s campaign that forced a U-turn by Government last year after winning support from scores of MPs.
Overall, Langley is an invaluable member of the WS team and the highest-billing director in the firm’s public affairs practice. For her tenacity in winning new clients she won Weber Shandwick’s ‘New Business Consultant of the Year 2008’ against competition from the company’s eight other practices.
MPs and Peers of all parties have commented on the quality and honesty of the briefings she provides, and will turn to her for a considered opinion. Her integrity above all contributes to promoting the professional status of political consultancy.
Langley currently leads 12 account teams and is excellent at prioritising, always making time to support and coach junior staff.
Suzy Awford, Managing Director - Europe and Asia, DLA Piper Global Government Relations
Suzy Awford is managing director accross Europe and Asia of Global Government Relations (GGR), the public affairs practice of the international law firm, DLA Piper. She co-founded the practice in the UK 10 years ago.
By introducing a new model to the UK public affairs market, Awford has helped the industry to innovate by introducing a new intellectual rigour to government relations advice, underpinned by legal and regulatory understanding and expertise.
She is a communications professional with 14 years' experience of government and media relations, with a background in Westminster. While building and leading a 25-strong team in the UK and continental Europe, leading pitches and developing a profitable multi-million pound business, she has focused on delivering for clients.
This has included providing strategic direction to GGR's lobbying for all of its busiest clients in 2008, delivering results for clients in financial services, hospitality, retail and health, as well as for foreign governments.
In addition, she has instilled in the GGR team the critical importance of client care - including delivering on commitments, understanding our clients' business, achieving results and exceeding expectations.
Over the past 12 months, Awford has overseen the expansion of GGR's team across the UK, and pushed on her own professional development by developing an integrated global offer with colleagues internationally, particularly in Brussels and Washington DC.
Martin Le Jeune, Director, Open Road
Martin Le Jeune exemplifies the ideal client service – timely, incisive, strategic advice and quality delivery. But he is never afraid to challenge his clients and subject their views and ambitions to robust analysis. He is – in the best sense – a consultant with attitude, but never dogmatic. As a result, clients rely on his judgment.
Because he has held a senior in-house role at BSkyB he is realistic about what can be achieved in the corporate environment, but never stops pushing his clients to go further. That has led to major public affairs successes for organisations as diverse as HSBC, BSkyB, William Hill and many others.
Le Jeune co-founded Open Road three years ago and has also now shown he can run a business. As a team leader he fulfils the ideal of never taking himself too seriously but taking the work very seriously indeed. He is generous with advice, gives credit to junior colleagues, but is vigilant on standards.
He has been a leader of the profession from the time he joined it. He regards it as part of his role to champion the contribution that public affairs makes, and has served on the management committee of the APPC twice, including at present. He has written frequently on public affairs and corporate responsibility. He is a leading thinker on new-style public affairs, bringing his expertise on corporate responsibility and business ethics to bear on strategies that go far beyond the old Westminster model.
He is a one of the best writers in the profession – quick, stylish, powerful and funny. As well as writing under his own name, corporate leaders in Sky, Unilever and other blue-chips owe major speeches and national op-ed pieces to his drafting. He is also an accomplished speaker in his own right, never afraid of controversy and able to hold his own in exalted company and senior-level debate.
