Best advice? Always make
a decision.
Favourite book The Hobbit
by J. R. R. Tolkien.
Private members club?
Reform, Frontline, Le Beaujolais.
Burning career ambition?
To feel good about what I do,
respected by the people who
work for me, and to have as
much fun as possible.
One luxury you will keep
despite the credit crunch
Red wine.
MacDuff, Robbie
Director of public affairs,
Precise Public Affairs
MacDuff took over
this year as chair of
the Association
of Professional
Political
Consultants.
His affable and polite exterior
masks a steely determination to
stand up for lobbyists
Address 1st Floor,
The Registry, Royal Mint Court,
London EC3N 4QN
Telephone 020 7866 7871
Born Prestatyn, Wales, 1958.
Lives Victoria Park, Hackney,
with partner Marsh, dog
Jasmine and cat Tag.
Career highlight Being
elected by peers as UK
Consultant of the Year 2007/2008
in the Public Affairs News Awards.
Worst moment of career
Flying with the shadow
transport minister in a glassbottomed
helicopter to view the
Clyde Port PLC operations
(Glasgow). I’m terrified of flying.
Professional inspiration?
Consultancy: Michael Burrell;
in-house: Mark Pendlington;
for experience: Ian Greer.
Media must-haves? The Daily
Telegraph, Public Affairs News,
The Guardian, New Statesman.
Most respected journalist
Michael Crowe (Scotland,
recently moved post);
Polly Toynbee.
Most respected politician
Tony Benn, historically (my era);
Alan Johnson, currently.
Business or brand to
watch? 3 Monkeys.
Best advice? To be honest,
straightforward and not to say
what you think your client
might want to hear.
PR campaign you wish
you’d thought of? The
campaign against centralising
the English police authorities
(the Connect Public Affairs
campaign).
Favourite book Wuthering
Heights by Emily Brontë.
Burning career ambition?
To be a jazz music biographer
and jazz-club owner.
One luxury you will keep
despite the credit crunch
CDs.
Mackenzie, Amanda
Chief marketing officer, Aviva
Joined the
insurance giant
from British Gas
this year in time to
lead the group-wide
rebrand under the
Aviva name.
Address St Helen’s,
1 Undershaft, London EC3P 3DQ
Telephone 020 7662 9531
Born Yorkshire, 1963.
Lives Wandsworth Common,
with John (lovely hubbie), Alice
and Jacob (scrummy children).
Career highlight
Moving from the agency world
to Air Miles and into a customer
service business.
Worst moment of career
The communications for a
22 per cent energy price rise.
Professional inspiration?
Cilla Snowball, Angus Porter,
Peter Davies, Andrew Moss.
Media must-haves? The
Week, The Spectator, House &
Garden, The Guardian, The Times,
FT, bbc.co.uk, John Lewis online.
Most respected journalist
Anyone who writes fairly, and
hasn’t decided what they think
regardless of the truth.
Most respected politician
Vince Cable.
Business or brand to
watch? Aviva, of course.
Best advice? Be yourself.
PR campaign you wish
you’d thought of?
The online campaign for
Barack Obama.
Favourite book Anything
by Thomas Hardy.
Private members club?
Royal Over-Seas League.
Burning career ambition?
Apart from success for Aviva, to
finish my book and become a
coach when I grow up.
One luxury you will keep
despite the credit crunch
The gym.
MacKenzie, Jude
Director of advocacy and
communicatons,
Christian Aid
Former Downing
Street aide
MacKenzie joined
Christian Aid in
September 2008.
The move ended
her four-year stint as director of
comms for the Commission for
Social Care Inspection, and
before that she worked alongside
Alastair Campbell at the Prime
Minister’s Office.
Address 35-41 Lower Marsh,
London SE1 7RL
Telephone
020 7620 4444
Born London, 1964.
Lives in Bromley, Kent, with
husband Alistair.
Career highlight
Rebranding the NHS,
then two years at
Downing Street.
Worst moment of career
Endless politically driven
mergers in the public sector
have been tiresome because
they sap everyone’s creativity
and productivity.
Professional inspiration?
I learned lots from my
previous bosses: Bill
Gillespie, Helen McCallum,
Peter Hyman, Alastair Campbell
(thanks).
Media must-haves?
The Guardian, bbc.co.uk,
Facebook, Women & Golf.
Most respected politician
Tony Blair, and I have high
hopes for Barack Obama.
Business or brand to
watch? Too difficult to call,
but I hope that ethical
brands prevail.
Best advice? Who you work
for is more important than
what you do.
PR campaign you wish
you’d thought of?
The Department of Health’s
work on stigma and
mental health.
Favourite book The Bible.
Private members club?
Royal Over-Seas League.
Burning career ambition?
To see the end of global
poverty in my lifetime – then
retire to play more golf.
One luxury you will keep
despite the credit crunch
Chelsea FC membership.
The PRWeek Power Book 2009 75
MacLaurin, Brian
Founder, Brian MacLaurin
Associates
This well-connected
former-hack has a
range of radio
clients and has
advised Chris
Tarrant for years.
Address 26-28 Hammersmith
Grove, London W6 7BA
Telephone 020 8834 1034
Born Brookfield, Scotland, 1949.
Lives Esher, Surrey, with Gill
and four children.
Career highlight Starting
my own business in 1993, and
selling in 2001.
Media must-haves?
Radio 4’s Today programme,
MediaGuardian, Google.
Most respected journalist
My respect extends to all of them.
Most respected politician
Margaret Thatcher.
Business or brand to
watch? I will be watching my
bank very closely.
Best advice? Always surround
yourself with good advisers.
Favourite book
My HP notebook.
Private members club?
Number 50, St James.
Burning career ambition?
Been there and done it.
One luxury you will keep
despite the credit crunch
Lunch at the Wolseley.
MacMahon, Niamh
Senior corporate communications
manager, Novartis
Respected
healthcare
communicator
MacMahon moved
to Novartis from
the Prescription
Medicines Code of Practice
Authority just before the Power
Book went to press.
Address Frimley Business Park,
Camberley, Surrey GU16 7SR
Telephone 01276 698691
Born Dublin, 1979.
Lives London, with fiancé Colm.
Career highlight Being
named as one of PRWeek’s
‘29 under 29’ in 2006.
Worst moment of career
Having to fire a team member.
Professional inspiration?
Jacqueline Gold.
Media must-haves? The
Today programme, bbc.co.uk,
Google, Facebook, Glamour.
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