About

One of our foremost public affairs practitioners.

 

One of the finest public affairs consultants and PR education trainers.

 

Most insightful.

 

One of the best commentators on and practitioners of public affairs.

 

Stuart delivered an enjoyable and engaging training session which was both thorough and idea provoking.

 

Stuart recently delivered training for a large group of us on Parliamentary Engagement. His ability to demystify complex political concepts was invaluable. Stuart’s passion for the subject matter was evident, creating an environment that fostered active participation. His approachability and willingness to address questions contributed to a positive and collaborative atmosphere throughout the session.

 

I firmly believe in supporting my team’s professional development and we have a dedicated annual training budget to enable this. I commissioned Stuart to deliver some bespoke public affairs training, tailored to our team’s needs as part of our annual training programme. It was a very interactive session, which everyone found hugely helpful. Stuart’s wealth of knowledge and expertise make him my top choice when investing in public affairs training and development.

 

Dr Stuart Thomson Chart.PR is a political communications and public affairs consultant. Winner of Current Affairs Online Influencer of the Year 2020.

Stuart runs his own consultancy, CWE Communications.

He advises on public affairs strategies including political and corporate communications and reputation management. His work also includes consultation and planning communications and he has advised on a number of high profile media relations and crisis communications programmes. He also has a podcast.

He was previously the Head of Public Affairs at  BDB Pitmans where he worked between 2005 and 2022.

Stuart graduated from the University of Aberdeen with a degree in Economics and Politics before completing a Ph.D. from the same institution. His thesis, ‘The Social Democratic Dilemma’, went on to form the basis of a book published by Macmillan.

He began his career in communications with the Rowland Company, part of Saatchi & Saatchi, before moving to Upstream, part of DLA Piper, a global legal services organisation where he was a Director.

Stuart was an honorary research fellow in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Aberdeen and the author of several books including ‘New Activism and the Corporate Response‘ (heralded as a book that “every aspiring business leader should read” by MIS Asia), ‘Public Affairs in Practice‘ and ‘The Dictionary of Labour Quotations‘ which was published by Britain’s leading political publisher, Biteback. ‘Public Affairs: A Global Perspective‘ has been called ‘an absolute treasure-trove’ and is a recommended read by the Government Communication Service (GCS). ‘Reputation In Business: Lessons for Leaders’ was called “an invaluable handbook for every leader.”

Stuart regularly writes and lectures on a range of business and political issues and as well as blogging he contributes regular columns to Transport Times and Finito Worlds and has written for the Huffington Post, Total Politics and LabourList. He is also an adviser to the Entrepreneurs Network (TEN).

His appearance in the media include Sky News, BBC 5 Live, BBC World, and the Today programme as a political commentator, responding to reputation management and crisis management stories and newspaper reviewer.

He has been a judge for awards including PR Week Awards and PRCA Public Affairs Awards.

He is a former associate editor of Renewal: the Journal of Labour Politics, and has also contributed to other political and business publications.

Stuart was listed as one of the Top 100 Public Affairs Consultants by Total Politics, was shortlisted for the IoD and CIPR Director of the Year award in 2014 and won the Vuelio online influence award in the current affairs category in 2022.

He delivers public affairs and communications training for the CIPR  and PRCA. He is a CIPR Accredited Practitioner.

Outside of work, Stuart enjoys reading crime novels, watching Nordic Noir, and listening to music. He also plays the guitar.  Stuart lives in North London with his wife, Alex and their children.