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DeHavilland Information Services Ltd is a British media company that provides political monitoring services for public affairs professionals. The company was founded in 1998 by Conservative MP Adam Afriyie.


History

DeHavilland Global Knowledge Distribution PLC was set up in 1998 by Adam Afriyie and William Bracken. The business was initially funded using profits from Mr Afriyie's previous successful business venture, IT solutions firm Connect Support Services Ltd. Based in a small office in Victoria, London, the service was set up to offer a tailored stream of information and analysis covering the latest developments in
UK politics The United Kingdom is a unitary state with devolution that is governed within the framework of a parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy in which the monarch, currently Charles III, King of the United Kingdom, is the head ...
, designed to assist public affairs professionals in achieving their campaigning objectives. Later moving to
Canary Wharf Canary Wharf is an area of London, England, located near the Isle of Dogs in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Canary Wharf is defined by the Greater London Authority as being part of London's central business district, alongside Central Lo ...
in December 1998, the company initially provided both a news service entitled DirectNews and a core monitoring product entitled Public Affairs Briefing. Mr Afriyie sold his 72 per cent stake in DeHavilland to publishing, information and events business
EMAP Ascential plc, formerly EMAP, is a British business-to-business media business specialising in exhibitions & festivals and information services. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. History Ric ...
in July 2005 for a reported £13m. He would later go on to become Conservative MP for
Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...
. Immediately prior to the sale the news division was separated out to become a standalone company, Adfero Ltd. Adfero was later rebranded as content marketing agency Axonn Media. Having previously been listed on the
FTSE 100 Index The Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index, also called the FTSE 100 Index, FTSE 100, FTSE, or, informally, the "Footsie" , is a share index of the 100 companies listed on the London Stock Exchange with (in principle) the highest market ...
, EMAP was bought by
Apax Apax Partners LLP is a British private equity firm, headquartered in London, England. The company also operates out of six other offices in New York, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Tel Aviv, Munich and Shanghai. As of December 2017, the firm, including its ...
and
Guardian Media Group Guardian Media Group plc (GMG) is a British-based mass media company owning various media operations including ''The Guardian'' and ''The Observer''. The group is wholly owned by the Scott Trust Limited, which exists to secure the financial and e ...
in 2008. In 2010, a London-and-Brussels-based sister service, DeHavilland EU, was created. EMAP was rebranded to
Top Right Group Ascential plc, formerly EMAP, is a British business-to-business media business specialising in exhibitions & festivals and information services. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. History Ric ...
in 2012, and DeHavilland became part of the company's 4C information services division. In 2012, it was widely reported that DeHavilland would be sold to rival political monitoring provider
Dods (Group) PLC Merit Group plc is a British publishing holding company founded in 2001. It is company number 04267888. Its largest shareholder is the Conservative politician and businessman Lord Michael Ashcroft. It was formerly known as Huveaux plc (from 20 ...
. However, the planned deal was dropped after being referred to the
Competition Commission The Competition Commission was a non-departmental public body responsible for investigating mergers, markets and other enquiries related to regulated industries under competition law in the United Kingdom. It was a competition regulator under t ...
by the
Office of Fair Trading The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) was a non-ministerial government department of the United Kingdom, established by the Fair Trading Act 1973, which enforced both consumer protection and competition law, acting as the United Kingdom's economic ...
, which ruled that if combined, the two companies would command a market share of more than 25 per cent. The OFT concluded: "The evidence suggests that the parties are by far, the largest suppliers in the market. The OFT has found that the parties are also close competitors, indeed each other’s closest competitor, the estimated diversion ratios between them are high. Internal documents suggest that this acquisition could aid Dods to maintain and increase its yields rather have them reduced by competition". DeHavilland therefore remained a subsidiary of Top Right Group, which was again renamed in late 2015, becoming known as
Ascential Group Ascential plc, formerly EMAP, is a British business-to-business media business specialising in exhibitions & festivals and information services. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. History Ric ...
. Following rumours of a sale, the company floated on the stock exchange at £800m in early 2016. On the 12th February 2021 it was announced that DeHavilland and had been sold for £15 million to international alternative asset fund management group Bridgepoint.


People

A successful businessman at the time he created the company, founder Adam Afriyie stepped back from day-to-day operations in his latter years of financial involvement in DeHavilland, ultimately selling his two-thirds stake in 2005, the same year he entered Parliament as the Conservative MP for
Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...
. In 2022, Adam Afriyie was declared bankrupt. Former employees of DeHavilland include Conservative MP
Conor Burns Conor Burns (born 24 September 1972) is a British politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bournemouth West since 2010. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as Minister of State for Trade Policy from 2019 to 202 ...
. DeHavilland continues to have ongoing workforce and retention issues with staff referencing low pay and the internal culture.


References


External links


Official websiteDeHavilland EU website
{{DEFAULTSORT:DeHavilland * Companies based in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets Mass media companies established in 1998 Mass media in London 1998 establishments in the United Kingdom