A general election: when and who
Guto Harri CBE, former 10 Downing Street Director of Communications
Sam Lyon, Global Head of Campaigns, CT Group
Dr Matt Carter, former Labor Party General Secretary, political advisor and pollster
Sam White, former Chief of Staff to Opposition Leader Sir Keir Starmer
After a turbulent few years, the UK is heading towards a General Election, likely later in 2024. With corporate head offices expecting country and regional leadership teams to be on top of domestic politics and sentiment, the Global CFO Network is hosting a timely discussion on what’s ahead for the nation.
We’ll be joined by Guto Harri, who was at the heart of No 10 Downing Street during Boris Johnson’s premiership. Having met the future Prime Minister at university and worked for him when he was Mayor of London, he entered Downing Street when Johnson was fighting for his political life. As Director of Communications, he oversaw the response to the police investigation into “partygate”, the Sue Gray inquiry, a vote of no confidence and ultimate implosion of the cabinet which led to the PM’s downfall. He listened in on the intimate calls between Boris Johnson and President Zelensky, joined the PM on foreign visits and international summits to rally support for Ukraine, helped him end the final covid restrictions, and start to grapple with the enormous challenges of the cost of living crisis.
Guto was previously a senior BBC correspondent, covering UK politics and posted to Rome and New York.
Sam Lyon advises international business leaders, governments, and high-net-worth individuals on their most important and complex issues, as Global Head of Campaigns at CT Group. His expertise spans campaigns, communications, and crisis management. Sam leads and advises on CT’s most challenging and demanding campaigns, drawing on his experience running CT’s global campaigns and his previous roles as Director of Communications for Boris Johnson and in journalism.
Matt Carter was Labor General Secretary during he prime ministership of Tony Blair, responsible for the day-to-day running of election campaigns, including the 2005 General Election. Subsequent to his political career, Matt has held senior leadership positions at global public relations and corporate affairs firms, including as UK CEO of Burson-Marsteller. In 2013 he founded campaign and research firm Message House.
Sam White recently helped Keir Starmer rebuild the Labour Party into a serious force in British politics and a government-In-waiting; first as Keir’s Senior Adviser on strategy during the Covid pandemic, then as his Chief of Staff. He was an adviser to both the Blair and Brown Governments, working across Whitehall and Parliament; including as Chancellor Alistair’s Darling’s longest serving adviser in the Treasury during the Global Financial Crisis. Sa also has an extensive corporate career, including a decade working for the UK FTSE insurer Aviva as Group Sustainability & Policy Director. His firm, Next Chapter Strategy, provides businesses with insight and advice on politics, sustainability and economics.
To be followed by a facilitated member discussion.
This session will commence with drinks, and will include light food.