Chris Wilkins is a political consultant, strategist and writer and co-founder of global campaigns & advisory firm the Hanwell Group.
Beginning his career as a political advisor to the Rt Hon Ann Widdecombe in Westminster, Chris went on to become the youngest Director of the renowned Conservative Research Department (CRD) in over 30 years. He later served in the government of David Cameron before becoming Downing Street Director of Strategy and Chief Speechwriter to Prime Minister Theresa May. In this role he had a front row seat in the Brexit negotiations that led to Britain’s departure from the European Union, as he recently documented in Anthony Seldon’s the Brexit Effect.
Beyond Westminster, Chris spent several years living in the Middle East working on national security projects for the UK and US governments, before returning to London in 2012 to work on counter-terrorism communications for the UK Home Office.
As well as being co-founder of The Hanwell Group, Chris is also the Strategy Director of the Atlantic Future Forum (AFF), an annual summit of military leaders, security officials and policymakers held onboard the Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers. He performed the same role for Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant in 2022, during which more than 10,000 performers took to the Mall in central London on the final day of the Jubilee celebrations.
Chris sits on the Board of Centrepoint, the youth homelessness charity whose patron is the Prince of Wales. He has worked in a number of countries around the world including Iraq, Kuwait, Pakistan, the UAE, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Morocco, as well as the UK and US. With deep experience in politics, strategic communications and national security, he is a frequent commentator on politics and global affairs on UK and international media.
1. The music of Martyn Joseph: I grew up listening to Martyn’s music and have seen him in concert many times. He’s been described as the ‘Welsh Springsteen’. We have very different political views but I love his passion and his search for justice – even if we ultimately disagree about how that should be delivered. ‘Please Sir’ is a track that speaks to me particularly given my political background.
2. Centrepoint’s 2037 ambition: I sit on the Board of the youth homelessness charity Centrepoint. It’s our ambition to end youth homelessness by 2037 – and we have a strategy to get there. The new PM has made ending rough sleeping a priority. I’d like more people to be aware of Centrepoint’s specific pledge because it can be delivered. And giving every young person a place to call home is the very foundation of a more just society.
3. The virtues of a Rhodia pad and HB pencil: I love nothing more than a Rhodia writing pad and a good HB pencil. But the real point of this is that it’s a reminder to step away from the laptop, stop worrying about the email inbox and to take time to think. There’s not enough of that in this world. Pick up a pad and pencil and it forces you to do it – rather than sitting in front of a computer screen the whole time. My best speeches start being sketched out by hand with a pad and pencil. This is the best way to craft the story you want to tell. Staring at a computer screen won’t cut it.
4. The joy of making music: I grew up learning to play instruments and played in various county orchestras and jazz bands. Every child should be able to do this. It builds confidence, teaches empathy and is a great leveller. I always say that it was my music training, participation in music ensembles and regular concert appearances that set me on the path to becoming a speechwriter, with everything that has followed from that. We talk all the time about the importance of sport in schools. The virtues of teaching and participating in music should be much better known.
5. Maya Angelou quote: the great American poet Maya Angelou once wrote “people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”. As a speechwriter and communications advisor, this is my guiding mantra. My industry should be all about understanding how people feel and therefore how you can connect with, and move, them. Too many people spend too long worrying about the ‘message’ rather than the effect. Thinking about how you make someone feel is the very art of strategic communications. So the point is about the quote but also about what I do – strategic comms – and how it works when at its best.
6. A Six Nations game in Cardiff: there’s nothing better in life than Cardiff on international day. The Principality Stadium, which my father helped to build, is the best rugby stadium in the world, and the atmosphere in Cardiff on international day is second to none. But it’s also about rugby: a sport that should be much better known because it entails all of the values and virtues that are absent from a game like football, which we seem to revere. The sportsmanship of a rugby game is what it’s all about. You can support your team as vehemently as you like – but at the end of the day you shake hands with supporters of the other side in a spirit of camaraderie. We need more of this in life. Cardiff on international day is a great example.
