Boris Johnson’s business chief is poised to reignite criticism of the revolving door between business and the public sector by taking a government affairs role with one of Britain’s biggest consulting firms.
Sky News can reveal that Alex Hickman is finalising plans to join Teneo, a US-based advisory business which has a substantial presence in the UK.
City sources said on Wednesday that Mr Hickman, who took up his role at 10 Downing Street just over two years ago, is expected to lead Teneo’s UK government affairs practice.
The post will be focused on advising major corporate clients of Teneo on key developments in Whitehall policy once a new Conservative leader and cabinet are in place.
Teneo’s retained UK clients in areas such as strategic communications include the likes of Pearson, Phoenix Group, Tesco and National Grid.
Mr Hickman’s appointment will be subjected to scrutiny by Whitehall’s Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA).
The committee, which is chaired by Lord Pickles, has been criticised in the past for adopting an excessively soft approach to facilitating moves into the private sector by former ministers and officials, although in practice it has little power to block such appointments.
Energy crisis: Five big household energy suppliers called out over unjustified direct debit levels
UK economy returns to growth aided by travel rebound and haulage
Business leaders call for Tory leadership hopefuls to prioritise economic growth
Sources said that Mr Hickman’s influential role in the outgoing prime minister’s team was likely to mean he would be barred from directly lobbying the government for at least 18 months after his departure from Downing Street.
He is said to have been exploring his exit for some time, and has been keen on a lucrative move into the private sector.
His appointment at No 10 as special adviser to the PM on business, appointments and honours followed a career in which he consistently opposed closer integration between the UK and European Union.
He was chief executive of Business for Sterling, the organisation which lobbied against Britain joining the Euro, before co-founding the thinktank Open Europe.
A stint as Mr Cameron’s foreign policy adviser focusing on UK policy towards the EU and India followed.
Mr Hickman then set up Chartwell Partners, a speaker bureau, before leaving in 2016 to spearhead a number of Brexit-related initiatives, including Prosperity UK.
It was unclear on Wednesday whether he would step down immediately.
Mr Hickman is effectively being hired as a replacement for Craig Oliver, who ran David Cameron’s communications team when he was in Number 10.
Last year, Mr Oliver left Teneo to join Finsbury Glover Hering, another leading London-based financial communications and public affairs firm.
Business leaders who have had dealings with Mr Hickman since 2020 have largely praised his efforts to rebuild relations between Downing Street and the private sector which became increasingly fractured in the period around the Brexit referendum.
He was instrumental in assembling a new business advisory group for Mr Johnson, whose most memorable utterance about business remains the one accompanied by an expletive in relation to the Brexit debate.
Teneo’s current roster of special advisers includes Lord Hague, the former Tory leader and foreign secretary, and Oliver Letwin, the former chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
In the US, it employs Paul Ryan, the former speaker of the House of Representatives, as a senior adviser.
Teneo is part-owned by CVC Capital Partners, the private equity firm, and provides services ranging from lobbying and public relations to management consulting and financial restructuring.
A year ago, Teneo’s founder, Declan Kelly, resigned from the firm after allegations about his behaviour at a corporate function.
It has been acquisitive across its range of operations, buying independent financial PR firms in London as well as the UK restructuring unit of Deloitte, the big four accountancy firm.
Teneo declined to comment, while Mr Hickman could not be reached for comment.
