Barclays brings in Fleishman-Hillard for Brussels lobbying work

The British multinational bank launched a search for an EU-level public affairs agency in May, before it was exposed for interest rate rigging, leading to the resignation of chief executive Bob Diamond.

Issues the agency’s Brussels office will deal with include increasing pressure from proposed legislation such as financial transaction tax.

Barclays has consolidated its European retail and investment banking public affairs into a single agency, in a process similar to when it appointed Cicero Consulting in April to handle all UK lobbying. The bank formerly used Fleishman-Hillard for the investment banking public affairs side of the brief.

Donald Ricketts, senior vice-president and partner and head of financial services, Fleishman-Hillard Brussels, said: ‘We are delighted to serve the broader Barclays Group, following a number of years of working closely with Barclays Capital’s European team.’

A Barclays spokesman confirmed the appointment but declined to comment further.

The news comes as Barclays named finance industry veteran David Walker as its new chairman, succeeding Marcus Agius. He will take on the role in November.

Walker is a former Bank of England and UK Treasury official who wrote one of the most significant corporate governance manuals for British banks.

This article was first published on prweek.com