LONDON — Cicero Group has hired senior public affairs consultant Joey Jones to provide strategic political and communications counsel to clients. He comes from Weber Shandwick, where he was head of public affairs.

Before joining Weber Shandwick in September 2016, Jones had previously spent 16 years at Sky News, where he was political correspondent and deputy Political Editor, and was a spokesperson for UK prime minister Theresa May during her time as home secretary.

His arrival follows Cicero’s recent acquisition of Westbourne Communications, creating the UK’s largest independent public affairs agency.

Weber Shandwick’s chair of corporate, financial and public affairs Jon McLeod also recently left after 21 years at the firm, and will be joining Brunswick as a partner this September.

Cicero’s executive chairman Iain Anderson said: “Joey Jones is a world-class communications professional who possesses everything our clients need: political connectivity, a skilled consultant with a lifetime of experience in front of the cameras. He firmly understands what makes business tick and will further strengthen our team at an extremely exciting time for our business, assisting across the Cicero and Westbourne client base.”

Jones said: “I am delighted to be joining Cicero at such an exciting time in the company’s history. The acquisition of Westbourne shows this is a business that is going places, and I can’t wait to play my part with Iain and the rest of the team. Cicero and Westbourne consultants rightly enjoy an enviable reputation for dynamic and insightful work in the service of a range of top clients. I am grateful for the opportunity to bring my media, government and consultancy experience to bear in advancing this offer further.

“I must extend my gratitude to colleagues at Weber Shandwick, in particular [UK CEO] Rachel Friend and [public affairs MD] Anthony Marlowe for their generous support during my time at the company. I know I am leaving public affairs at Weber Shandwick in very good hands.”