GK Strategy: Alistair Burt and John Griffith-Jones

Strategic research and communications agency and due diligence provider GK Strategy has appointed former Conservative MP and health minister Alistair Burt (pictured) and ex-Financial Conduct Authority chair John Griffith-Jones as strategic advisors.

The pair have been appointed to bolster GK’s political, policy and regulatory offer to the private equity sector. They join the former Liberal Democrat education and treasury minister David Laws and Labour’s former care minister Phil Hope on the agency’s advisory team.

Burt served as minister of state for care at the Department of Health, overseeing primary and community care and mental health. He has held several ministerial roles over a 33-year career as an MP, including at the Foreign Office, the Department for International Development and the Department for Social Security. He left the government and stepped down from Parliament last year.

Griffith-Jones was the inaugural chair of the FCA from 2013 to 2018. He was previously UK chairman and senior partner at KPMG.

GK advises investors and management teams on both sell-side and buy-side in a transaction process, and has provided political due diligence and environmental, social and corporate governance advice on more than 325 deals worth over $15 billion across a range of sectors.  GK also works with investor-backed businesses and public providers on their communications strategies and engagement with policy-makers, providing support in the political and regulatory environment to mitigate risk and create value.

Burt said: “I’m excited to be joining GK at a crucial time for the health and social care sector. Covid-19 has quickened the pace of reform for the care sector and crucial NHS legislation is expected in the New Year. I’m looking forward to working with GK’s clients to help them navigate this period of change.”

Griffith-Jones said: “Covid-19 has had a devastating impact on the economy, which will be felt by the financial services sector acutely. The sector also faces many other challenges, from a shake-up of audit regulation, to changes caused by the digital revolution and a greater use of big data. I look forward to working with investors, who play a crucial role in driving the UK economic recovery, to meet the challenges the sector faces.”

Robin Grainger, chief executive of GK Strategy, said: “Political due diligence has become an integral part of the transaction process since it was pioneered by GK in 2008, but we are continuously improving our offer to the private equity industry. John and Alistair bring decades of experience from government and the private sector to advise our clients and cement our position as the recognised voice on political, policy and regulatory risk in deal processes.”

Join our mailing list

Stay up to date with all our events, awards and publications.

Information you provide us with will be kept private at all times, and will be used for communication and research purpose only.