Who are the Whitehouse Consultancy team?

The Whitehouse Consultancy requires that every member of its growing team has a thorough grounding in politics and public affairs, and real experience in the field. The team we have built delivers value far in excess of the sum of its parts.

• Christopher Whitehouse - Managing Director
• David Hare - Senior Consultant
• Anna Laukkanen - Senior Consultant
• Camilla Horwood - Senior Consultant
• Kris Verlé - Consultant
• Paula Pohja - Consultant
• Mette Kahlin - Consultant
• Katie McDowell - Consultant
• Gary Jones - Parliamentary Monitor/Junior Consultant
• Lucy Craig - Parliamentary Monitor/Junior Consultant

Key Whitehouse Executives are accredited lobbyists of the European Parliament

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Christopher Whitehouse - Managing Director

After working for 16 years in the Houses of Parliament for MPs and Peers, Chris Whitehouse launched the company in 1996. Qualified with distinction in business studies and public administration, he has a solid track record of advising companies, trade associations and campaigning groups on strategies and tactics for influencing public policy in Westminster, Whitehall and Brussels. An experienced media performer he also regularly lectures on politics and public affairs.

His service in the House of Commons, particularly working for All-Party Parliamentary Groups and the Chairs of various Select Committees, provides excellent contacts with Government Ministers, Opposition Spokesmen, Special Advisors to Government Ministers and key backbenchers. He has worked closely with Members of the European Parliament, and has developed considerable expertise in handling matters before the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers.

Chris also served as Deputy Leader of a local council. He is currently a Director of the Westminster Media Forum, the Westminster Diet and Health Forum, the Westminster Education Forum, and the Westminster eForum. He is also Clerk to the All-Party Parliamentary Media Group.

An advisor over many years to the British Olympic Association, Chris is currently Chair of the Liaison Organisation for Business Investors in the National Health Service LIFT Scheme; and is a former Chief Executive of the Manufacturing and Construction Industries Alliance.

An active player in national politics, a senior figure in local government and a regular visitor to Brussels he has wide experience at every level of public policy development in the UK and EU.

David Hare - Senior Consultant

After graduation David took on the role of Westminster Day organiser, the largest political event in the UK, which featured the leaders of both opposition parties and senior government Ministers. He then worked for the Liberal Democrat Home Affairs team, drafting briefings and reports, tabling amendments to government legislation and assisting the party with their policy work.

Subsequently David worked in the voluntary sector, running campaigns, providing comprehensive monitoring services as well as acting as clerk to All Party Parliamentary Groups. He carried out lobbying work at party political conferences, provided advice to experts giving evidence to Select Committees and developed full media and public affairs strategies. With a personal interest in the criminal justice field, he has written a number of articles and papers on youth justice.

Since joining the Whitehouse Consultancy David has continued to specialise on voluntary sector issues and maintains a strong understanding of the sector. David has also led on a host of clients focused on European issues and has built up considerable contacts in all of the political institutions of the EU. In particular David has been heavily involved in lobbying on legislation in the health sector and has extensive knowledge of the European legislative process.

David also works on our primary health care accounts, including the Liaison Organisation for Business Investors in NHS LIFT which brings him into regular contact with senior policy makers, academics and Parliamentarians.

Anna Laukkanen - Senior Consultant

Anna holds an MA in International Peace and Security from King's College, London, and a BA in International Studies from the University of Birmingham. She has previously worked for the Finnish diplomatic service, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, and Reuters.

Anna has considerable experience of monitoring parliament and government, and of intelligence-gathering and policy research for a variety of clients from the transport, planning and environment sectors. She is familiar with the key political institutions in the UK and in European Union.

At Whitehouse her portfolio includes a number of clients with an interest in health policy and regulation, particularly in obesity, food and nutrition issues. She played a key role in our successful lobbying campaign in Brussels on the Regulation on Nutrition and Health Claims Made on Food, and supports our work for the European Specialist Sports Nutrition Alliance.

Anna has also handled complex portfolios on intellectual property rights in the digital environment.

Camilla Horwood - Senior Consultant

Camilla has many years experience in government affairs and stakeholder relations, with particular knowledge of the Healthcare/Pharmaceuticals and Financial Service sectors. She has delivered public affairs campaigns in Westminster, Whitehall, the Scottish Executive, and the Welsh Assembly, managing top-level political stakeholder engagement programmes for a wide range of companies, including: medical device suppliers, pharmaceutical companies, private healthcare providers, health insurers, health-policy think tanks, international financial service providers and trade associations. Before joining the Whitehouse Consultancy, Camilla was part of the government affairs division of a large international law firm in the City and prior to that, a Senior Account Executive at a public affairs consultancy based in London.

She has also managed relations with the National Health Service and Government for a major international pharmaceutical company.

Camilla holds a joint honours degree in Politics and International Relations from London Guildhall University and has worked in the House of Lords. In 2005, she worked in the team managing stakeholder and media relations for the high-profile publication of 'The Quest for Quality in the NHS' - the first major independent assessment of NHS progress under Labour.

Kris Verlé - Consultant

Having grown up in Brussels, Kris obtained a Masters degree in Comparative Politics and went on to study business management. Fluent in six languages, he has worked for the Liberal Democrats in the United Kingdom parliament for five years.

After having worked in the party Whips Office and press office, he worked as Head of Office for Simon Hughes MP, President of the Liberal Democrats, who was also spokesman on various Shadow Cabinet portfolios, including Home Affairs, local government issues and legal matters. Whilst working on numerous Bills, Kris was on the ‘receiving end’ of parliamentary lobbying campaigns many times. As a result, he has a proven track record of working successfully with MPs, Government, the EU and other stakeholders on a wide variety of issues and has a unique knowledge of parliamentary procedure and protocol.

He also developed excellent campaigning and communications skills whilst playing a leading role in a number of high profile election campaigns such as the London Mayoral Election in 2004, the General Election in 2005 and the Lib Dem Leadership contest in 2006.

Kris co-wrote The Human and Economic Cost of Epilepsy in England on behalf of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Epilepsy

At Whitehouse Kris is responsible for handling a number of our major client accounts.

Paula Pohja - Consultant

Paula has a BA in Politics and International Studies from the University of Warwick and an MSc in European Politics and Governance from the London School of Economics (LSE). Following graduation, Paula worked as Assistant to a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) in Brussels dealing particularly with the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee and the Regional Development Committee.

Paula then stepped up to work for the Finnish EU Presidency in 2006, focusing mainly on Internal Market issues such as the controversial Services Directive, Chemicals Regulation REACH and the Regulation on Heath Claims. Paula regularly took part in negotiations with members of the European Commission and key members of the European Parliament and developed an excellent understanding of the interrelationships within the political institutions of the EU.

At Whitehouse Paula will lead on our European monitoring and support clients seeking to influence European food and nutrition policy.

Mette Kahlin - Consultant

Having grown up in Sweden and New York, Mette received a Master’s degree in Politics and Economics. Following graduation, Mette worked for a global risk consultancy, analysing war, terrorism and political risks as well as opportunities for companies, Governments and organizations.

Before joining Whitehouse, Mette worked in the House of Lords as well as the House of Commons for the Liberal Democrats. She has considerable experience in parliamentary procedure, drafting legislation, media management as well as identifying and implementing national campaigns. Mette was also actively involved in the Swedish “Yes to the Euro” campaign in 2003.

At Whitehouse Mette’s portfolio include a number of clients ranging from the Financial to Health Sectors.

Katie McDowell - Consultant

At Whitehouse, Katie takes the lead in overseeing our detailed Parliamentary monitoring, political research and intelligence gathering services and has an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the Parliamentary process. She also works on client accounts covering the voluntary sector, early years and children’s policy, environmental issues and the primary healthcare market. Katie manages the Whitehouse internship programme.

Following an internship at leading think-tank, the Social Market Foundation, Katie went on to work at the Department of Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), in the National Climate Change Policy Division. There she specialised in emissions trading policy and the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

Katie has a BSc (Hons) in Economics and Politics and an MSc in International Relations from the University of Bristol. She wrote her dissertation on the interplay of politics and economic markets and retains a strong interest in international policy issues.

Gary Jones - Parliamentary Monitor/Junior Consultant

Gary has a BA in Contemporary History and Politics from the University of Salford, specialising in UK politics. He also spent time at the Anglo- American College in Prague where he studied European history and politics.

Gary worked in the office of Mark Prisk MP, Shadow Minister for Business and Enterprise, handling correspondence, arranging meetings including Shadow Department for Trade and Industry (DTI) events and carrying out detailed research and intelligence work across the portfolio.

He served as an intern at the National Skills Forum researching and producing articles on the skills agenda.

At Whitehouse Gary monitors the main UK political institutions as well as performing a range of intelligence and research focused tasks, specialising in the health and environment portfolios.

Lucy Craig - Parliamentary Monitor/Junior Consultant

Lucy has a BA in International Studies from the University of Leeds. Following graduation Lucy completed an Internship with the London Chamber of Commerce and Business, during which she researched and wrote parts of a published policy paper on the business case for airport expansion. She also completed an Internship with Conservative Friends of Israel.

Lucy then went on to work in the office of the Rt Hon James Arbuthnot MP, Chairman of the House of Commons Defence Select Committee, where she arranged meetings, liaised with the members of the Committee, drafted press releases and briefing notes as well as carrying out detailed research on behalf of constituents.

At Whitehouse Lucy is responsible for providing parliamentary monitoring for a number of health clients as well as monitoring the Scottish Parliamentary institutions. Lucy will also be providing Junior Consultant support, carrying out research tasks, drafting target lists of policy makers and Parliamentarians and ensuring that clients are kept fully abreast of key policy issues pertaining to their interests.