Mark Glover is a UK public affairs adviser, chairman of SEC Newgate UK and Professor in Practice at the University of Glasgow, with four decades of work across business, politics, the livery movement and charity. He led Newington Communications into the UK’s top ten public affairs consultancies, served 12 years as a Southwark councillor and is a past Master of the Worshipful Company of Communicators.”
My four-decade contribution to business, politics, livery, and charity encompasses a committed belief in the transformative power of business within political, social, and civic life. While governments set economic goals, businesses deliver them by creating jobs, generating wealth, and investing in essential infrastructure.
For 30 years, I’ve championed purposeful business, working at the heart of government to bridge the priorities of policymakers and the needs of business. Profit is vital for any enterprise, but it must also deliver for stakeholders—shareholders, employees, communities, and the environment. I understand the impact of the barriers to success and the challenges of unnecessary bureaucracy, as well as the importance of the Government setting clear objectives and providing economic stability. Engaged, thriving businesses are the bedrock of strong communities.
As a Southwark councillor for 12 years, I witnessed the transformational impact of safer neighbourhoods, environmental investments, and partnerships between businesses, government, and communities. In the City, my involvement with the livery movement has shown me the strength of collective charitable efforts. As Master of the Company of Communicators, I helped position it for Worshipful status, leaving a legacy of capable leadership.
Born on the Wirral, I was educated in the comprehensive system and studied mathematics and statistics at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne. Alongside my life in London, I am also connected to the West of Scotland, committed to bringing my professional insight to the region, and passionate about spreading opportunity nationwide. In 2024, my wife Johanna Baxter was elected as the Labour MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South, whilst in October 2025, I was appointed as Professor in Practice: Public Affairs and Economic Development at the University of Glasgow.
True progress lies in empowering talent from all backgrounds, ensuring everyone has a fair chance to contribute and thrive. Success requires harnessing the potential of the entire country, regardless of geography or economic status.
That’s why, through my academic role, my political interests and through serving on the advisory boards of Rewired Earth and the International Trade Council, my focus for the future will be on widening participation for young people from low-income families to create opportunities to access the best education and jobs particularly for those from communities outside London and the South East.
Mark Glover is a senior public affairs and corporate communications adviser, Chairman of SEC Newgate UK, and Professor in Practice for Public Affairs and Economic Development at the University of Glasgow. He has worked at the intersection of politics, communications, and business for over four decades, and is a Fellow of the PRCA.
SEC Newgate UK is a corporate affairs, communications, and public affairs agency, part of the international SEC Newgate Group. Mark Glover serves as its Chairman, having built the agency from Newington Communications, which he founded in 2006 and which merged fully into the SEC Newgate Group in 2021.
Yes. Mark Glover is a professional lobbyist registered on the UK’s Statutory Register of Consultant Lobbyists and a Fellow of the PRCA. He sees lobbying as a vital part of the economy: it helps businesses understand the focus of Government, and helps Government understand the real impact of policy on business and employment.
Alongside this, he is a Professor in Practice at the University of Glasgow, sits on the Advisory Board of Rewired Earth, and served as a Labour councillor for twelve years.
Mark Glover founded the public affairs agency Newington Communications (originally established as Bellenden Public Affairs) in 2006. He built it into one of UK’s leading independent public affairs consultancies without external investment, before it merged fully into the SEC Newgate Group in 2021 to form SEC Newgate UK.
Mark Glover is a Professor in Practice for Public Affairs and Economic Development at the University of Glasgow, splitting his time between London and Scotland. The role draws on his decades of consultancy experience to support teaching, research links, and widening participation in the university’s business and economic development work.
Mark Glover sits on the Advisory Board of Rewired Earth, an organisation that encourages and rewards company investment aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, working with partners across finance, government, and business.
Mark Glover was a Labour councillor in Southwark from 2002 to 2014, serving as Chair of the Labour Group and chairing the council’s audit and governance committee. He has long been engaged in British centre-left politics and has advised businesses on political and stakeholder engagement throughout his career.
Mark Glover won the PRCA’s Outstanding Contribution to Public Affairs Award in 2020. He is regularly featured in the PR Week Power Book, where he was ranked No. 6 in 2026 and PR Week’s list of Top Ten Public Affairs Professionals, and has been named in the MACE Top 100 Lobbyists list.
Mark Glover is a Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Communicators, the City of London livery company for the public relations and communications industry. He served as Master in 2022/23 and helped position the Company for its Worshipful status.
Yes. Mark Glover is registered on the UK’s Statutory Register of Consultant Lobbyists and is a Fellow of the PRCA. He was elected Chair of the Association of Professional Political Consultants (APPC), now part of the PRCA Public Affairs Board, and has given expert evidence on lobbying transparency to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.
Yes. Mark is married to Johanna Baxter, Labour MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South, elected in July 2024. The relationship is a matter of public record, including in Johanna’s entry in the House of Commons Register of Members’ Financial Interests.
No. Mark’s lobbying work is governed by the PRCA Code of Conduct and the UK’s Statutory Register of Consultant Lobbyists, both of which require transparency about who a lobbyist is contacting and why. Separately, Johanna Baxter MP has declared the relationship in her own Register of Members’ Financial Interests — a second, independent layer of the same transparency.
