LONDON — Lansons has appointed a new head of public affairs in Michael Stott, who joins from H+K Strategies where he was director of public affairs.

Stott will also sit on the Lansons board as a director when he arrives at the firm on 23 April. He replaces former head of public policy James Dowling, who is now a special adviser to the Lord Chancellor and secretary of state for justice.

Before joining H+K in November 2013, Stott also had a stint at Luther Pendragon and spent three years in-house at EDF Energy, where he was senior public affairs manager.

His sector experience includes energy, industrials and transport, as well as defence, manufacturing and financial services. A former Conservative party press officer, he advised the former Minister of State for Energy between 2006 and 2010. 

Stott reports to Lansons CEO and co-founder Tony Langham, who said the consultancy had seen a number of strong candidates, including current Government advisers, before making the appointment.

Langham told the Holmes Report: “Michael has an integrated campaigning and a broad public affairs background, and our future is about integrated corporate work, with less and less stand-alone public policy and public affairs work. His energy and industrials experience is also broader than some of us, so he will help us to build in that direction.”

Stott added: “The public affairs team is doing impressive work as part of the wider agency's insights-driven integrated campaigns, and I see enormous potential for further success. More than ever, clients expect greater in-depth understanding of the issues their sector faces and I can't wait to bring my experiences to bear in the months and years ahead.”