Guto Harri

Guto Harri (Welsh pronunciation: [ˈɡɪtɔ.hariː]; born 8 July 1966) is a writer, broadcaster, and strategic communications consultant. He read Politics, Philosophy and Economics at The Queen's College, Oxford, followed by a postgraduate diploma in broadcast journalism from Cardiff University. He spent 18 years as a journalist at the BBC. From 2008 to 2012 he was Director of External Affairs for the Mayor of London Boris Johnson.[1]

Guto Harri
Communications Director to the Mayor of London
In office
2008–2012
MayorBoris Johnson
Preceded byJoy Johnson
Succeeded byWill Walden
Personal details
Born (1966-07-08) 8 July 1966
Cardiff, Wales, UK
Children3
ResidenceLondon
EducationBA The Queen's College, Oxford
PG Dip., School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies, Cardiff University
OccupationJournalist, political correspondent, public relations

Harri has since worked in a number of roles, first at News International from 2012 to 2015, and from 2016 to 2017 at Liberty Global. Since 2018 Harri has worked at Hanover Communications as a vice president.[2]

Background

Guto Harri was born in Cardiff to writer and physician Harri Pritchard-Jones and Lenna (née Harries).[3] A native Welsh speaker, he studied at Tonyrefail School and Ysgol Bryntaf,[4] before attending Ysgol Gyfun Llanhari.[3] Following his A Levels, Harri was accepted into The Queen's College, Oxford, where he studied Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE). He then undertook a postgraduate course in Broadcast Journalism at Cardiff University.[3]

Career

He started his career in Welsh-language radio before moving into national radio and television. He worked on the S4C news programme Newyddion[4] as well as on a number of historical documentaries for S4C.[4] He later presented a number of BBC Wales' main election programmes.[4]

Harri was a regular presenter on BBC television and radio programmes such as The World at One,[5] Westminster Live, Straight Talk, Despatch Box and The World This Weekend.[4] 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.[6][4] He became the BBC's Chief Political Correspondent in November 2002[3] and also presented the channel's weekly interview programme, One To One.[3] He moved briefly to Rome from July 2004 to January 2005 and then became North America business correspondent based in New York City 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. In May 2008 he was appointed Communications Director for Mayor of London Boris Johnson's administration at London City Hall.[1] Harri joined News UK in May 2012 as a Director of Communications and Corporate Affairs, but left in December 2015, remarking that he was leaving with the "job done" after the fallout over phone hacking at the company.[7]

He then joined Virgin Media owner Liberty Global in February 2016 as their Managing Director of External Communications.[8][9] He left the role in December 2017.

Since May 2018 Harri has worked for London PR firm Hanover Communications as a vice president,[2] for GQ Magazine as a Contributing Political Editor,[10] and also for Hydro Industries Limited as a Non Executive Director.[11]

Since June 2018 he has presented the S4C current affairs television programme, Y Byd yn ei Le.[12]

Family and personal life

Harri grew up in Rhondda Cynon Taf. He married his wife Shireen in 2000, and has three children.[13] In 2005 Harri published an advert in the Western Mail seeking a Welsh-speaking nanny for their two children while he worked for the BBC in New York, in which he argued the importance of the language in bringing up his children.[14] Outside of work, he says he enjoys rowing, sailing, fishing and cooking.[15]

Harri is a trustee for S4C and a member of the S4C authority appointed by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. He is also a non-executive board member for Hay-on-Wye book festival.[16] He was previously a trustee for UK based cultural NGO Visiting Arts.[17] Harri is trained and serves as a volunteer crew member for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.[3] He holds an honorary doctorate from the University of South Wales.[3]

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References
  1. "Ex-BBC man is Johnson spokesman". BBC News. 9 May 2008. Retrieved 9 May 2008.
  2. "Guto Harri". Hanover Communications. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  3. "Honorary Doctorate for political broadcaster, Guto Harri". www.southwales.ac.uk. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  4. "Guto Harri". 20 October 2005. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  5. Sparrow, Andrew (9 May 2008). "New recruit: Boris Johnson appoints Guto Hari". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  6. Prior, Neil (21 May 2012). "From Boris to Murdoch for PR man". Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  7. Sweney, Mark (10 November 2015). "News UK PR chief Guto Harri to leave after three years". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  8. Mulholl, Hélène. "Boris Johnson's former aide takes PR job with News International". the Guardian. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  9. Sweney, Mark. "News UK PR chief Guto Harri to join Virgin Media owner Liberty Global". the Guardian. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  10. "The Vatican has proved that, if you want a decision made quickly, you need to lock them in". British GQ. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  11. "HYDRO INDUSTRIES LIMITED - Filing History (free information from Companies House)". Companies House. 14 June 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  12. "Guto Harri yn rhoi'r byd yn ei le mewn cyfres newydd" (in Welsh). Lleol.Cymru. 12 June 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  13. BBC Press Office biography
  14. WalesOnline (1 June 2005). "Guto seeks Welsh-speaking nanny". walesonline. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  15. Neil Prior (21 May 2012). "Profile: Guto Harri goes from Boris Johnson to News International PR chief". BBC News.
  16. https://uk.linkedin.com/in/guto-harri-21815313%5B%5D
  17. http://www.visitingarts.org.uk/about/board/
Media offices
Preceded by
Nick Robinson		 Chief Political Correspondent: BBC News
2002–2004		 Succeeded by
James Landale
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