Labour specialist agency Anacta opens in UK

Written by John Harrington for PR Week

Anacta, the Australia and New Zealand-based corporate advisory firm headed by individuals closely linked to the countries’ Labour parties, has launched a UK office.

Anacta was founded in 2019 by figures including Evan Moorhead, a former Labor MP in Queensland, state secretary of Queensland Labor and director of strategy at Australia’s Office of the Premier and Minister for Trade.

Other founding directors include David Nelson, who worked on the UK Labour Party’s 2024 general election campaign, having been involved in the election victory of the party’s Australian equivalent in 2022.

Anacta’s UK office will be led by MD Teddy Ryan, who worked for the UK Labour Party for 14 years, most recently as senior director, where he set up the Labour Business Network. Also in the UK is director Shonagh Munro, formerly head of office for Scottish Labour deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie, who joins from Arden Strategies.

The UK offer is “designed to help businesses navigate the policies, politics and personalities of the UK’s national, regional and local governments”, the firm said in a statement.

Anacta, which has seven offices in Australia and New Zealand, offers strategic advice, public affairs and comms support to corporate clients. The firm’s clients operate across sectors including tech, energy and infrastructure and include TikTok Australia, Glencore and Lion Brewing.

Other founding partners include David Talbot, the pollster and strategist for New Zealand’s last two Labour prime ministers, who also worked on Australian Labor’s successful campaigns in the 2022 Federal election and the Victorian state election; and Stephen Mills, formerly a senior political adviser to New Zealand prime minister David Lange and later to deputy PM Helen Clark.

Moorhead said: “We are delighted to be expanding into the UK market as Anacta’s global footprint continues to grow. Anacta is proud of the work that we do helping businesses to navigate Labour politics across Australia and New Zealand. Our expert UK team are ideally suited to provide the same level of delivery to our UK clients.