Wikipedia
Chelgate Limited is an independent and international public relations and public affairs consultancy. Founded by Terence Fane-Saunders in 1988, the firm has its headquarters in London with offices in Brussels, Belgium, and Bucharest, Romania, and a network of associates across the world.
Terence Fane-Saunders is noted as being one of the world's leading international public relations professionals. Before founding Chelgate he was chairman and chief executive of Burson-Marsteller in the UK, and before that, Executive Vice President, International and a member of the world board of Hill & Knowlton Inc, based in New York. Previously, he worked extensively in the Far East, based in Hong Kong, and was responsible for the establishment of the first public relations consultancy in the People's Republic of China. In late 2013, Spear's Magazine - a publication targeted at UK-based ultra-high-net-worth individuals - listed Fane-Saunders as one of the UK's top ten reputation management PR experts, calling him "a heavyweight... and a reputation manager with a pedigree".
Although operating as a "full service" PR consultancy providing the normal range of services, Chelgate is recognised for its particular expertise in issues and crisis management. The firm keeps a low profile and its client list remains confidential. However it is a matter of record that Chelgate assisted Shell Oil Company with its Brent Spa and Nigeria (Ken Saro-Wiwa) issues, and Mitsubishi Corporation with environmental issues, including deforestation. The firm also ran a high-profile global campaign against Zimbabwe dictator Robert Mugabe (" Save Zimbabwe") resulting in significant hardening of international opinion against that regime. It was also unusually visible during the negotiations between the Duke of Sutherland and the National Galleries of Scotland over the £100 million sale of two Titians on loan to the Galleries, with Terence Fane-Saunders acting as spokesman for the Duke. Since 2008 Chelgate has worked with the leading insurer Hiscox to provide crisis containment and communications support to management liability and other groups of policyholders in any claim or the likelihood of an insured event with a risk to reputation. Similar arrangements have subsequently been made with AXA Insurance and ARAG Group.
Chelgate is also known to be very active in environment-related PR. Deputy chairman Nick Wood-Dow, who heads the firm's environment division, is also founder of the Tory Green Initiative, and deputy chair of The Environment Council.
Other areas include education, property, construction, energy and utilities, gambling, broadcasting, art and culture, technology, transport, planning and professional services, whilst a political relations unit provides specialist public affairs services.
Chelgate opened an office in Bucharest, Romania, in 2006, and was one of only a handful of Western public relations firms operating in the country when it became a member of the EU in 2007. Chelgate's first public relations contract was handling communications for the European Commission in the run-up to accession, and Romania's early years as a member state. The European Commission remain a key client today.
Chelgate has operated a Brussels office since 1994, specifically for work covering the European Commission and European Parliament.