Co-ordinating messaging for
Jordan's Prime Minister
As a specialist consultant working for the UK Prime Minister's Office and Cabinet Office, Richard advised key strategic partners in the Middle East on communications.
On behalf of HRH King Abdullah and the Royal Hashemite Court, Richard advised the Prime Minister and Minister for Media on co-ordinating communications across key policy areas. He ran workshops with 27 ministries to streamline government messaging and train officers. Within weeks he had set up a forward planning group, now chaired and run by all-Jordanian staff, with the grid of events, announcements and campaigns endorsed by the Prime Minister at Cabinet meetings.
In the aftermath of an attack by Islamic State terrorists at the ancient city of Al-Karak in which 12 people were killed, Richard advised the government how best to organise crisis communications from immediate police-military operations through to political-civil reassurance.
Throughout the assignment, Richard worked closely with Prime Minister Hani al-Mulki and his office; the Minister for Media, Mohammed al-Momani; King Abdullah's Chief of Staff, Jaffar Hassan and the UK embassy in Amman.
“With Richard’s expert help we have been able to train spokespeople and present the communications grid to the Prime Minister’s Cabinet bi-weekly. Witnessing such success, we look forward to the next engagement.”
“We’ve had excellent feedback about the ministerial communications project led by Richard - we can’t recall anything as effusive about any other programme that we’ve run in the country”
On the ground: gathering insight at Al-Karak, Jordan