Simon Pope Email and Phone Number

Director of Campaigns and Communications, World Animal Protection UK. May 2010 - September 2015Headhunted to establish high-profile campaigning remit for WSPA (now renamed as World Animal Protection). Within a year gained major campaign success and visibility via WSPA’s “Not in my Cuppa!” campaign, highlighting threats to traditional UK dairy farmers from US-style intensive dairy units. Created and developed both the campaign slogan and the award-winning (2011 CIPR Excellence Award - Public Affairs) campaign itself, receiving a unanimous vote from the judges against established opposition. “The (CIPR) judges praised the campaign for its creativity and said that, “It would not be an overstatement to say that their (WSPA) work has changed the future of British farming and established WSPA’s reputation as a force for the future.” CIPR Judges citation – June 2011“…one of the best animal welfare campaigns ever.” Lord Peter Melchett (Soil Association & former Executive Director of Greenpeace UK - 2012) ”..a hugely successful campaign, with (an) inspired slogan.” – The Battle for the Soul of British Milk, The Guardian. Oct 2014) Originated and managed public-facing campaign that achieved objective of safeguarding specialist Wildlife Crime Unit in the Metropolitan Police. This campaign won the UK Government’s “Partnership of the Year (PAW)”award for contributing towards the fight to end wildlife crime. Between 2012/2013 acted up as Director of International Wildlife Campaign, developing and launching investigative campaigns on practices at the Cayman Turtle Farm and the cruelty behind Civet coffee (Guild of Food Writers – Broadcast of the Year Award 2014 - BBC Our World's "Coffee Cruel Secret") Currently manage team of 8 and annual budgets up to £600,000.

Director of Communications, Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad (SPANA). Jan 2005 - May 2010Appointed as first ever communications director for this 90 year old charity. Achieved substantially increased awareness for its work through negotiating major news features (Duty and the Beast – Stanley Johnson, Daily Telegraph 2005, ITV’s “Good Morning” Animal Sanctuary 2 x 15 min features with Oscar-winning actor Jim Broadbent, Channel 4 News – Lead story on SPANA’s intervention in Kenya drought (Feb 2006) with live studio in/v with SPANA’s CEO). Brokered charity’s intervention on behalf of working animals in Chad and Mandera region of Kenya. Commissioned by UNHCR to produce study into interventions for livestock in Western Chad. All of this achieved on the back of a minimal budget and with no support staff.

Recruited by Blue Cross, one of Britain’s oldest animal welfare charities, to raise profile of the organisation through initiating and project managing a programme of campaigns. Examples include joint campaigns with the Environment Agency (Pets & Floods), the DTI, DeFRA and British Firework Association (Fireworks & Pets) awareness raising initiatives (Horse Trailer Safety Campaign) along with ‘fun’ events like the Blue Cross ‘Take Your Dog to Work Day’ (5,000 participants and an estimated 100 million media ‘hits’). Achieved rare distinction of getting a Private Members Bill (Bill Tynan MPs Bill on Firework reform) onto the statute book, through brokering consensus between animal welfare lobby and industry. Led a coalition of 12 animal welfare groups in responding to a Private Members Bill on Firework reform, and advised its sponsoring MP on content. In the previous 7 years only 32 PMB’s received Royal Assent out of 542 introduced – a success rate of 5.9% Successfully defended the organisation against a reputationally-damaging news item with the Broadcasting Standards Commission upholding a complaint leading to subsequent “on air” and printed apology from broadcaster. Managed a team of three and budgets in excess of £100,000 pa. As a measure of success, spontaneous public awareness about Blue Cross nearly doubled in 12 months to December 2003. (Future Foundation survey of members of the public – December 2002).

Recruited by IFAW in 1997 in order to bring greater prominence to the wide variety of international campaigns and issues that the organisation was involved in and to deploy the proactive media skills which were so successful during the 1997 Labour Party election campaign.At IFAW I managed entire UK campaigns section (covering for a vacant post 1999 - 2001), leading on important and high profile animal welfare and conservation issues like CITES and the Canadian Seal Hunt Campaign. Managed 10 staff while covering for this post. During this time I managed budgets totalling over £500,000 Initiated/managed the successful international IFAW Basking Shark campaign (1998-2001) which realised its objective of seeing the UK Government win an Appendix II listing proposal to CITES. Managed budgets, drew up Campaign plans, worked in partnership with other NGO’s and raised awareness of the issue through a planned and proactive media campaign. Member of IFAW's CITES Campaign Team 1999-2002, Wildlife and Conservation Link CITES and International Whaling Commission Team 1998-2002. Also led IFAW UK PA team during run-up to International Whaling Commission 53 in London in July 2001. Key position as Public Affairs/Campaigns co-ordinator (IFAW UK) of the award winning (PR Week 1998) campaign to end Hunting with Dogs in the UK (1997 - 2001). Sustaining both public and political pressure was instrumental in achieving campaign objectives, which resulted in the current Government Bill to end hunting. Working as part of the Deadline 2000 coalition with the RSPCA and League Against Cruel Sports, we won this campaign despite a largely hostile press and indifferent Government.Senior member of IFAW Global Public Affairs team. In 2000 I was deployed at short notice to manage the media surrounding the world’s worst ever oiled wildlife disaster in Cape Town in July, which generated unprecedented international media coverage for IFAW, earning bought media of over $1 million US.

Westminster-based political researcher to Shadow Minister for Consumer Affairs, under Gordon Brown and Robin Cook’s tenures as Shadow Secretaries of State at DTI (1992-1997). Also ran Labour Party Consumer Policy Unit. Between 1992 and 1997 I was the sole researcher to Nigel Griffiths, providing research and media support to this busy and hard-working Member of Parliament. Consumer Affairs was a very media-friendly portfolio and we created populist, media-driven campaigns on a diverse range of areas from fireworks reform to the price of CDs. “For any boardroom executives who come across him, Griffiths is a force to be reckoned with. Last year he persuaded three of the four clearing banks to reduce the processing of cheques from three days to one – a move that cost the banks millions of pounds. Added to that are a string of successes – on issues such as phoney warranties and photo-copying rackets – that have regularly brought company executives to the attention of the Office of Fair Trading.” (Labour’s hit-man has British Gas in his Sights – Financial Times May 1995) Nigel was appointed as Minister for Consumer Affairs following Tony Blair’s 1997 election victory and I continued to work for him in a Special Adviser capacity until leaving in September 1997.

Intern game ranger on Wilderness Leadership Foundation VIA programme working with SRT and covering for vacant ranger post at Mowe Bay, Skeleton Coast Park