Leading and award-winning communications consultancy Cavendish Consultancy (formerly BECG Group) with offices based in Southampton, has appointed national political expert and Michael Gove’s former Special Adviser, Charlie Rowley as a Senior Strategic Advisor to the Consultancy’s Advisory Board.
With a deep understanding of issues across the whole political spectrum, the political and media adviser has an impressive background of over 10 years’ experience in Westminster working in Government, Parliament and for the Conservative Party. Charlie brings his invaluable insights to the eight-strong board of specialist senior counsel members who provide expertise to Cavendish’s clients and consultants.
Charlie, who was Special Adviser to Michael Gove from 2019 to 2022, spanned three government departments at DEFRA, Cabinet Office and DLUHC covering Brexit preparedness, the UK’s response to Covid-19 and Levelling Up. Prior to this, Charlie was a communications adviser to Theresa May while she served as Prime Minister. He has also worked at the Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ), covering a number of Local Elections and the 2015, 2017 and 2019 General Election campaigns.
In 2016 he undertook a secondment as a media adviser to the Conservative Party in Brussels following the EU referendum. Charlie also worked in Parliament as a researcher for former Housing Minister Mark Prisk and has been a local councillor for East Hertfordshire District Council where he was vice chairman of the Environment Scrutiny Committee. He is now a freelance consultant and regular commentator on news and current affairs programmes for BBC, Sky News, LBC, Times Radio, GB News and TalkTV.
As part of his new advisory role, Charlie will provide important awareness into Government’s priorities, issues and visions to CEOs and Senior Directors across Cavendish’s client portfolio.
Commenting on his appointment, Charlie said:
“The work that Cavendish and its clients are doing is instrumental in improving our built environment whilst also helping to deliver on the Government’s agenda. I’m delighted to be joining the Advisory Board to guide and inform their communication and engagement strategies.
“In the run up to the next General Election, it is even more important to remain resilient and informed on political processes and announcements to ensure an agile response and approach. Whether supporting on international, national or local community projects, I’m looking forward to working together to make a positive impact.”
Stephen Pomeroy, Founder and Chair of the Advisory Board said: “Charlie is a key appointment to our Advisory Board and with his extensive experience in working within the political system at local and national level, he will be providing vital counsel that really makes a difference. His input will be an unrivalled value-add to our clients, providing an additional layer of understanding of today’s politics to inform their strategies. His expertise will be well utilised across the Consultancy’s multi-disciplines including corporate affairs, PR, social media, internal communications, crisis and reputation management.”
For more information on Cavendish’s Advisory Board visit: cavendishconsulting.com/our-people/
