Born in West Yorkshire, Paul Baverstock, the eldest of three, has always had political campaigning in his blood. His father was a socialist and an active union organiser in the textile mills where he worked, while his mother was a Liberal activist. It was something of shock to his parents then when, in 1998, he joined the Conservative Party.
A keen footballer and cricketer, he won a sports scholarship to Millfield School in Somerset. From there he went to Harvard University in the US, also on scholarship, where he studied modern political history.
“It was a fantastic opportunity”, he says. “It gave me access to one of the world’s best research institutions and the chance to continue playing football at a decent standard.”
After four years at Harvard, Baverstock joined management consultancy AT Kearney in New York working in their financial services strategy practice. After five years there he took time out to do a Masters in Public and Private Management at Yale University School of Management, where he specialised in Public Sector Management and Health Economics.
In 1997 he came back to the UK to work for Mitchell Madison Group management consultants but felt the political itch and joined LLM Communications, a political consultancy where he became Managing Director.
This brought him to the attention of Bell Pottinger founder, Tim Bell, who, in 1999, made him Managing Director of Bell Pottinger Public Affairs and then Bell Pottinger Group. His political interests meant that Baverstock could not resist leaving Bell Pottinger to become Director of Strategy and Communications for the Conservatives under the leadership of Iain Duncan-Smith. “It was the triumph of ambition over reason”, he says wrily. “I learnt more in that period than in my entire professional career to date about the business of politics, and about the human condition. It was by no means entirely enjoyable.”
After Duncan-Smith’s demise he took a job as European Director and Associate Global Director of Omnicom-owned Ketchum PR, where he led international public relations programmes for large companies such as Kodak, FedEx and Starbucks.
Following two years away from the industry he has a new perspective on life. “I have reassessed my priorities”, he says. “It has made me appreciate time with my children, family and friends and I have decided to earn my living working with colleagues I like and respect, engaged in work that interests me. That’s why I work at Bell Pottinger. "
Baverstock still adores cricket and is a member Surrey County Cricket Club. His other interests include Huddersfield Town Football Club, ballet, golf, and modernist architecture. He has two daughters and lives in London and Yorkshire.
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