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Guto Harri

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Guto Harri
Born (1966-07-08) 8 July 1966 (age 58)
Cardiff, Wales, UK
Occupation(s)Journalist, political correspondent, public relations
Notable credit(s)The World at One, Westminster Live, Straight Talk, Despatch Box and The World This Weekend

Guto Harri (born 8 July 1966) is Director of Communications at News UK. A former BBC Chief Political Correspondent, in May 2008 he was appointed as Communications Director for the Mayor of London Boris Johnson's administration at London City Hall.[1] He quit Johnson's team when Johnson was re-elected mayor in May 2012 and was confirmed in his role at newspaper publisher News International shortly afterwards. His first name is Welsh and is pronounced [ˈɡɪtɔ].

Background

Guto Harri was born in Cardiff to writer/physician Harri Pritchard-Jones and his wife Lenna (née Harries). A native Welsh speaker, he studied at the Tonyrefail and Bryntaf schools before attending Ysgol Gyfun Llanhari and Queen's College, Oxford, where he studied Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE).[2] He then undertook a postgraduate course in Broadcast Journalism at the Centre for Journalism Studies, Cardiff University.

Career

He started his broadcasting career in Welsh-language radio before moving into national radio and television, working on the S4C news programme Newyddion and on a number of historical documentaries for S4C, as well as presenting BBC Wales' main election programmes. He was a regular presenter on BBC television and radio programmes such as The World at One, Westminster Live, Straight Talk, Despatch Box and The World This Weekend. He played a key role in covering the collapse of Communism in Romania, Czechoslovakia and East Germany before reporting on the Gulf War from Saudi Arabia, Jordan and northern Iraq. He became the BBC's Chief Political Correspondent in November 2002 and also presented the channel's weekly interview programme, One To One.

He moved briefly to Rome from July 2004 to January 2005 and then became North American Business correspondent based in New York until June 2007. After leaving the BBC at the end of 2007, he was approached to work for Conservative Party leader David Cameron, but joined London public relations agency Fleishman-Hillard as a Senior Policy Advisor, spending four weeks as an adviser to Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.[2] In May 2008 he was appointed Communications Director for the Mayor of London Boris Johnson's administration at London City Hall.[1] He joined News International (renamed later as News UK) in May 2012 as the Head of their PR team and left at the end of 2015. He joined Virgin Media owner Liberty Global in February 2015 as their managing director of external communications.[3][4]

Family and Personal Life

He is married and has three children.[5] Outside of work, he enjoys rowing, sailing, fishing and cooking.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b "Ex-BBC man is Johnson spokesman". BBC News. 9 May 2008. Retrieved 9 May 2008.
  2. ^ a b "Boris Johnson signs BBC journalist Guto Harri as his chief spin doctor". Daily Mail. 9 May 2008. Retrieved 9 May 2008.
  3. ^ Mulholl, Hélène. "Boris Johnson's former aide takes PR job with News International". the Guardian. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  4. ^ Sweney, Mark. "News UK PR chief Guto Harri to join Virgin Media owner Liberty Global". the Guardian. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  5. ^ BBC Press Office biography
  6. ^ Neil Prior (21 May 2012). "Profile: Guto Harri goes from Boris Johnson to News International PR chief". BBC News.

Media offices
Preceded by Chief Political Correspondent: BBC News
2002–2004 		Succeeded by

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