Jolyon spoke alongside notable names from the industry such as Paul Holmes, Founder of the Holmes Report, which organizes the one of the world’s largest and most sought after public relations awards competitions, the SABRE Awards, and Christina Gallach, Spokesperson and Chief Media Advisor of the High Representative of the European Union for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), Dr. Javier Solana. Following his speech Jolyon was nominated to join the organising committee for Forum Davos 2011.

“This conference was a great success and I think the organizers have tapped into something here in Davos,” said Kimble. “We shared a lot of expertise, particularly about the deployment of new and social media techniques, the importance of CSR and the developing sophistication of political communications.

“Next year I think the focus has to be around the criticality of comms in boardroom decision-making, and how we make the case for that. The industry still has a long way to go there. I look forward to working with the organizers to help them raise the profile of the conference,” he said.

NOTES TO EDITORS

The annual global forum “Communication on Top” aims to bring together best practices, new developments and creative ideas in the communications world.  It promotes an open dialogue with a focus on uniting high-ranking managers of leading companies, political and state-run institutions, NGOs, research centres and media experts. 

The First Forum Davos was held from February 8-9 at the Kongress Centre Davos.

More information on the event and the speakers can be found at http://www.forumdavos.com.

Sovereign has a long track record of supporting charities and is proud to currently help the Topsy Foundation.  As well as offering advice and support, Sovereign donated its advertising space in the Labour Party’s 2009 annual dinner brochure. The Dinner was attended by a host of Cabinet Ministers and the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown was the guest speaker.

Topsy seeks to address the effects of HIV and AIDS by intervening in the lives of individuals infected and affected by HIV and AIDS, as well as addressing the plight of affected children, by attending to their basic needs.

Rob Burlison, Associate Director at Sovereign Strategy said “It is really important that we all do our bit. Sovereign has an excellent history of helping charities, and is pleased to support Topsy. Seeing firsthand the passion and commitment the foundation has to helping communities in Africa is truly inspiring.”

For further information about Topsy please visit www.topsyfoundation.org.uk

Mark Field MP

Mark Field MP, Syed Kamall MEP and Sovereign CEO Michael Quigley were among the speakers as well as Dr. Thomas Grant and Kate McCarthy representing Republicans Abroad and the CLWCA respectively. Both Mark and Syed stressed the importance of the special relationship between Britain and the US, as well as paying tribute to the work of Republicans Abroad and the CLWCA in strengthening the bond between Conservatives on both sides of the Atlantic.

Sovereign CEO Michael Quigley said: “It is an honour for us to support this important event at the Conservative Party conference, which we hope will become a regular fixture going forward. The transatlantic relationship remains a source of strength and inspiration for British and American politicians alike, and we hope this event can play an important role in reaffirming that bond.”

About Sovereign Strategy

Sovereign Strategy is a communications consultancy staffed by leaders in the fields of politics, journalism and business. Over the last ten years, we have advised some of the world’s most recognised brands on public policy, communications and social responsibility. Our client list reflects our core strengths in financial services, energy, sports and technology issues.

About Republicans Abroad UK

RAUK provides a political home away from home for Republicans overseas and offers a chance for members and like minded individuals to meet up and discuss the political topics of the day either over a pint or in a formal setting with guest speakers from the US, the UK and the EU from both the political and the business world. Republicans Abroad UK is a chapter of Republicans Abroad International.

About the WCLCA

The Cities of London and Westminster Conservative Association is a modern forward-looking Association of like-minded people from all walks of life – rich, poor, young and old – with a common belief that their country should be run by a Conservative government. The Association has an elected Executive Council, which oversees the administration of functions such as Prospective Parliamentary Candidate Selection, Campaigning and Constituency events.

The ball was supported by Lulu Mubarak AlـSabah, a wellـknown supporter of Kuwait’s natural habitat, and several members of the Royal Family, and was attended by several diplomats including the Ambassador to the United States of America. Over 4,000 Kuwaiti Dinar (£10,000) was raised on the evening, which saw the premiere of a new documentary about the threats to Kuwait’s environment, produced by Gulfsat, the exclusive license satellite service provider in the State of Kuwait.

The night was organized by K’S PATH Founder and Director, Ayeshah AlـHumaidhi and supported by major companies including platinum sponsors AlـSayer Group, Silver Sponsors Animal Care and Sovereign Strategy.

AlـHumaidhi described K’s PATH as a non-profit organization designed to meet the needs of every animal in Kuwait. In her address to the audience, she noted the urgency of conserving Kuwait’s wildlife.

“Getting the message out about our work and our organization is the key to raising awareness. Our habitat and our animals are under threat, and the way that the people of Kuwait, and Lulu AlـSabah, supported this major event and the premiere of our groundـbreaking documentary was tremendous,” she said.

Jolyon Kimble, Director of Middle East, Africa and Asia for Sovereign Strategy said: “It was a privilege to be able to help K’s PATH stage this hugely successful event. Ayeshah is a genuine pioneer and her efforts are making a big difference. This is what we at Sovereign believe social responsibility and sustainability is all about.”

Over 300 guests attended the ball, most dressed in full costume and hand-made Venetian Masks. Those wishing to support K’s PATH can contact the Society at http://www.kspath.org/.

With engineering consultants in the Gulf experiencing trouble getting paid as per their contractual agreements, Kimble discussed the importance of leveraging stakeholders and building political profile to help resolve the difficulties.

Kimble spoke for 20 minutes, firstly on the context and culture of operating in the Gulf. He then presented a six-step methodology he has devised that provides an integrated communications strategy for companies to establish and protect reputation. The methodology has been devised to help companies understand the importance of mitigating political risk, and a simplified version is available on the ACE website. Kimble used the example of Britain’s Crossrail to highlight some basic differences between infrastructure projects in the west and in the Gulf, then took questions for 10 minutes before joining a panel of journalists to discuss the issues raised under the Chatham House rule. CEO Nelson Ogunshakin and Chairman of ACE International Business Group Gavin English moderated the session.

Sitting on the panel were Frank Kane, Senior Business Correspondent of The National newspaper, Sean Brierley, Content Director for EMAP Middle East, and Rob Denman, Editor in Chief and CEO of Pathfinder Business. The panel discussed issues critical to successful lobbying and press engagement in the Gulf. Other speakers discussed key legal, contractual, health and safety and insurance issues that consulting engineers operating in the GCC have to consider.

“[ACE CEO] Nelson Ogunshakin and the team at ACE have been working on behalf of their members since it first became apparent that there would be a squeeze in the Gulf,” said Kimble. “The background to the issues in the UAE is similar to elsewhere, but the culture is very different. I thought delegates would benefit if I could illustrate how they might employ public affairs to their advantage regionally and internationally. I would like to thank Frank, Rob and Sean for their time and their insight – it was a heavyweight discussion.”