SEC Newgate has appointed Simon Donohue as the Associate Director of its Northern office.
He will lead a team based in Manchester, delivering strategic communications and local advocacy across the North.
A former Manchester Evening News stalwart as a journalist, Donohue joins SEC Newgate from Transport for Greater Manchester, where he supported the rollout of the transformational Bee Network – GM’s vision for a fully integrated ‘London-style’ transport network – and led communications for the revised Greater Manchester Clean Air Plan.
He has worked in public and private sector communications for more than a decade, including serving as Greater Manchester Content Curator on behalf of the Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership (now Greater Manchester Business Board) at Marketing Manchester, part of the Growth Company. He was previously part of the senior management team at independent Manchester-based PR consultancy Intelligent Conversation, with clients including United Utilities, EMIS Group, Pharmacy2U and Manchester Metropolitan University.
An NCTJ-qualified journalist and editor, he spent 15 years at the Evening News, with stints on the business and features desks. He edited the MEN’s award-winning standalone business magazine, Greater Manchester Business Week. As a freelance journalist, he wrote for titles including Place North West, North West Business, Insider, Property Week, Estates Gazette and The Big Issue in the North.
SEC Newgate is an insights and research-driven strategic communications and advocacy group with consultants working across six regional offices in the UK, combining global expertise with local market knowledge and execution. It has in-depth expertise across the energy, property, transport and infrastructure sectors.
Perry Miller, head of advocacy local, SEC Newgate UK, said: “We are delighted to have Simon join us as head of our Northern Office. He brings a wealth of experience, rooted in the North West, which will boost our ability to deliver positive change for our clients across the region.
“Fresh insight and analysis are at the core of our offer and Simon knows Greater Manchester like no one else. Our growing team, based in the heart of Manchester, is shaping the debates that affect our clients and the communities in which they work.”
Donohue added: “It’s a great privilege to have been appointed to lead SEC Newgate’s Northern office. It enables me to draw on my extensive local knowledge and experience as part of a network of advocacy and strategic communication specialists who support the most recognised UK and international businesses in navigating the challenging political, regulatory and media landscape.
“It’s clear that SEC Newgate understands the challenges facing its clients and offers insight and advice that makes a real difference in shaping positive outcomes – doing things in the right way for clients and colleagues, the communities it works with and the wider environment.
“I’m proud to have championed Greater Manchester and the North throughout my career, initially as a journalist and more recently as a strategic communications professional. I look forward to continuing that work at SEC Newgate.”
