Over the past 23 years, Lewington has built his firm into a corporate and public affairs heavyweight with true trusted advisor status.
Hanover CEO Charles Lewington will be honoured with PRovoke Media’s Individual Achievement SABRE Award on 23 March 2023, at the EMEA SABRE Awards in Frankfurt, Germany.
Lewington founded Hanover in 1998 after a high-profile career in Downing Street and political journalism, latterly in senior management roles at the Daily Express and Sunday Express newspapers.
He was head of communications for the UK’s Conservative Party and press secretary to prime minister John Major from 1995 to 1997, handling some of the biggest political issues of the decade and overseeing political strategy, crisis communications; brand and advertising strategy, conference management and policy-led communications. He was awarded the OBE in 1997 for political services.
Under Lewington’s direction, Hanover Group has now grown to a team of more than 200 consultants, based across London, Brussels, Dublin and the Middle East, and has become a heavyweight corporate, public affairs and healthcare consultancy with true trusted advisor status and a formidable senior bench.
In 2019, Hanover was bought by Canadian holding company Avenir Global – Lewington plans to remain at the helm post-earnout this year – and the firm was named as one of PRovoke Media’s Global Agencies of the Decade in 2020.
Charming, composed and possessed of a fierce intellect, Lewington is still very much hands-on 23 years after he founded the agency, providing strategic counsel to CEOs and senior communications executives at clients including Microsoft, Sky, Tata Steel, Airbus and Goldman Sachs.
He is also passionate about developing young talent across the business, particularly from a broader range of socio-economic backgrounds than has been usual in the corporate communications and public affairs world, and promoting women into senior leadership positions.
Gavin Megaw, group managing director of Hanover’s corporate, brand and strategy business, said of Lewington: “Charles is an extraordinary leader, mentor and friend. I couldn’t ask for a better person to work for and alongside. He initially sold me on his vision for Hanover 14 years ago over many drinks at Soho House. Back then it looked like a pipe dream given Hanover’s then size, but Charles had a brilliant long-term plan to build and diversify the business in the right way.
“He gets that communications is all about people and relationships. And throughout he has been a man of his word. Every promise he made he has stuck to. What’s notable to anyone who works with him is that despite his success he continues to deliver on a daily basis for the team and clients with an infectious energy that demonstrates just how much he loves what he does. I have met many leaders in our sector over the years and Charles is at the top of the tree in every way. He really does represent the best of this industry and I am thrilled that is being recognised with this coveted award.”
Press release from PRovoke Media.
About Hanover
Hanover is one of Europe’s leading strategic communications and public affairs consultancies, with offices in London, Brussels, Dublin, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Hanover Group also includes creative communications agency The Playbook.
Hanover Group has over 200 full-time employees across Europe and the Middle East. Hanover provides a full suite of communications services to clients in healthcare, financial services, technology, media, energy, urban mobility, FMCG & retail, and sport. Its client list includes Goldman Sachs, Airbus, Apple, Sky, Lucozade Ribena Suntory, Netflix, Uber, Novartis, Lilly, Takeda, and Merck. Hanover is an AVENIR GLOBAL company.