Bellenden
Newington Communications (formerly Bellenden) is a UK public and corporate affairs consultancy serving enterprise clients across planning, energy, transport, housing, and financial services with intelligence, strategy, campaigns, engagement, and training services delivered through 45+ consultants across six UK offices plus Brussels.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Bellenden does
Bellenden, which has operated as Newington Communications since an August 2016 rebrand, is a UK-based public and corporate affairs consultancy founded in 2006 by Mark Glover and Phil Briscoe from a two-person start on Bellenden Road in Peckham, South London. The firm provides six integrated service lines — Intelligence, Strategy, Campaigns, Engagement, Corporate Affairs, and Training — plus a specialized Brexit Unit delivering ongoing analysis on Brexit and trade negotiations. Its core offer is senior-led advisory work for clients navigating political, regulatory, and media environments at local, devolved, national, and European levels, with deep sector expertise in planning and development (75,000+ new homes advised on, 95%+ planning consent success rate), energy and infrastructure (60+ planning applications), transport, housing, and financial and professional services.
The business is a partner-led professional services firm delivering engagements through 45+ consultants (as of 2016-17) across offices in London (Great Suffolk Street HQ), Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham, Chelmsford, and Brussels. Revenue is generated through professional services consulting engagements; no pricing is publicly disclosed. The firm's competitive position rests on a talent bench drawn from politics, the Civil Service, media, and business — including a former APPC Chairman and a Consultant of the Year winner — combined with a UK-wide office footprint and international reach delivered through strategic partnerships, most notably the September 2016 acquisition of a 60% controlling stake by Italy's SEC Group and subsequent alliances with Porta Group and the Iprex Global Communication platform. Under the SECNewgate parent network, the combined group operates roughly 600 staff across 30 offices in 14 countries, with SEC Group's international headquarters co-located at Newington's London office.
Bellenden firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bellenden
- Legal name
- Newington Communications
- Website
- https://newingtoncomms.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Newington Communications (formerly Bellenden) is a UK public and corporate affairs consultancy serving enterprise clients across planning, energy, transport, housing, and financial services with intelligence, strategy, campaigns, engagement, and training services delivered through 45+ consultants across six UK offices plus Brussels.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Bellenden industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Affairs Consulting
- NAICS
- Management Consulting Services (54161), Public Relations Agencies (54182)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting (BPAHACAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Change Management & Transformation Consulting (BPAHAGAC)
Keywords
Where Bellenden is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices6 records
Markets served
Bellenden business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Professional Services - Public Affairs Consulting: Advisory and consulting services in public affairs, corporate communications, campaigns, and training for government relations and reputation management
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Bellenden product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Newington Communications (formerly Bellenden) is a UK public and corporate affairs consultancy providing intelligence, strategy, campaigns, engagement, corporate affairs, and training services to organizations. It helps clients navigate political and media environments, influence policy, secure planning consents, and protect corporate reputation at local, national, and European levels through senior consultant-led engagements.
Product overview
Newington Communications (formerly Bellenden) is a public and corporate affairs consultancy offering integrated communications services. The core service portfolio includes Intelligence, Strategy, Campaigns, Engagement, Corporate affairs, and Training. The company also operates a specialized Brexit Unit providing dedicated analysis and monitoring on Brexit and trade negotiations. These services work together to provide clients with comprehensive political and media engagement support at local, national, and European levels.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Intelligence Helping clients understand the political and media environment and how it affects them — covering perceptions, policy, and the people involved. Provided as a core consultancy service to corporate and public affairs clients.
- Strategy Advising clients on how to get from where they are to where they want to be, providing strategic counsel for moving from current state to desired outcomes.
- Campaigns Crafting messages, connecting with the right people and making a real impact through targeted public affairs and corporate communications campaigns.
- Engagement Cultivating relationships with the people that matter to clients through stakeholder engagement and political relationship management.
- Corporate affairs Building and protecting client reputation with the media, politicians, investors, and staff through strategic corporate communications.
- Training Equipping clients with the skills and experience needed to communicate messages effectively, including public affairs training, corporate communications training, select committee training, media training, and CPD and sector-specific training.
- Brexit Unit Specialized team providing Brexit analysis, monitoring, and strategic communications advice on Brexit and trade negotiations for clients navigating the UK-EU political landscape.
Companies that use Bellenden
Customer profileNamed customers18 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Bellenden technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Bellenden partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Iprex Global Communication PlatformminorAward-winning public affairs agency Newington Communications joined Iprex Global Communication platform, expanding international network.
- Porta GroupcoreStrategic partnership with Porta Group provides access to offices in Australia, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, and Hong Kong, extending global reach for clients.
- SEC GroupcoreSEC Group (Italy's largest PR firm, AIM-listed) took 60% stake in Newington Communications, forming a strategic partnership. SEC Group has operations in Brussels, Germany, and Spain. The combined turnover reached over £22 million (€26 million). SEC Group's international headquarters based at Newington's London HQ.
- CambrecoreCambre is SEC Group's Brussels agency. Newington works with Cambre on joint Brexit taskforce. Tom Parker is Managing Director of Cambre and chairs SEC Group Management Committee.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Bellenden competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Portland Communications: Strategic communications and public affairs consultancy with offices in London, Brussels, and other European capitals. Comparable services in political intelligence, campaigns, and corporate affairs.
- Hanbury Strategy: UK public affairs and strategic communications consultancy founded by former Vote Leave operators. Directly competes with Newington in corporate affairs, public affairs campaigns, and political intelligence for enterprises.
- Tulchan Communications: London-based corporate communications and public affairs firm serving FTSE-listed and large enterprise clients. Comparable advisory model and consulting-style engagements with senior practitioner-led teams.
- Headland Consultancy: UK public affairs consultancy with comparable service lines (media, public affairs, corporate communications) and a similar mix of regulated-sector enterprise clients. Direct head-to-head competitor in UK PA market.
- Hawthorn Advisors: UK public affairs consultancy providing public affairs, corporate communications, and stakeholder engagement services. Direct competitor in the mid-sized UK PA consultancy segment.
- MHP Group: UK strategic communications consultancy combining public affairs, corporate communications, and health/policy advisory. Direct competitor with comparable service portfolio and similar enterprise client base.
- FGS Global (formerly Finsbury): One of the UK's largest public affairs and strategic communications firms, with strong corporate affairs and crisis advisory practice across regulated sectors. Among the top-tier UK PA consultancies Newington is benchmarked against.
- WPI Strategy: London-based public affairs and strategic communications consultancy focused on corporate reputation, campaigns, and political engagement. Direct competitor in UK PA sector with similar client profile.
Others
- SEC Newgate (parent group): Italy-headquartered PR and communications group that owns 60% of Newington. Parent and strategic partner, providing access to 600 staff across 30 offices in 14 countries; relevant for network-level comparability.
Broad incumbents
- Brunswick Group: Global advisory firm specializing in critical issues and corporate communications with significant UK public affairs presence. Larger incumbent offering overlapping stakeholder and reputation services at the top of the market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Bellenden social profiles
Digital presenceBellenden financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bellenden leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Bellenden funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bellenden M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Bellenden
What does Bellenden do?
Newington Communications (formerly Bellenden) is a UK public and corporate affairs consultancy providing intelligence, strategy, campaigns, engagement, corporate affairs, and training services to organizations. It helps clients navigate political and media environments, influence policy, secure planning consents, and protect corporate reputation at local, national, and European levels through senior consultant-led engagements.
Is Bellenden a public or private company?
Bellenden is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Bellenden founded?
Bellenden was founded in 2006. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Bellenden based?
Bellenden is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Bellenden make money?
One revenue line is on record: professional Services - Public Affairs Consulting.
Who are Bellenden's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Portland Communications, Hanbury Strategy, Tulchan Communications, Headland Consultancy, Hawthorn Advisors, MHP Group, FGS Global (formerly Finsbury) and WPI Strategy. SEC Newgate (parent group) is listed as an others. Brunswick Group is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Bellenden have an API?
No public API is recorded for Bellenden.
What industry is Bellenden in?
Bellenden's product category is Public Affairs Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHACAA, Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting, with a secondary code of BPAHAGAC, Change Management & Transformation Consulting. Its NAICS code is 54161 and its SIC code is 8742.