Lewis hire shakes up Caudwell PR

Mark Johnson, PR Week UK, Friday, 16 January 2004, 12:00am,

Mobile phone tycoon John Caudwell has hired Lewis PR to handle his personal publicity and corporate PR for his business interests, throwing into doubt his 12-year relationship with former Cicero PR MD Iain Macauley.

A statement released by Lewis PR to local newspaper The Sentinel in Stoke-on-Trent, where Caudwell is based, said Macauley ‘continues to be associated with the Caudwell business in a consultancy capacity. Lewis will continue to handle all corporate media business, until further notice.’

The appointment follows a prolonged period of sour relations between Macauley and The Sentinel in which he complained to the Press Complaints Commission of a persecution campaign by the paper and its sister title, The Sentinel on Sunday.

The PCC rejected the complaint, finding the paper had not breached the Editors’ Code of Practice (PRWeek, 17 September 2003).

Macauley’s position with The Caudwell Group and its owner was unclear as PRWeek went to press.

His involvement with Phones4U founder Caudwell continued while Macauley

was still MD at Cicero PR, despite a challenge in April when Caudwell was reported to have held a pitch for his personal publicity (PRWeek, 3 April 2003).

Lewis declined to comment on its role, other than to confirm the appointment.