Baldwin Boyle Group
1. Business / Trading Name:
– Legal Name: Baldwin Boyle Group (Holdings) Limited (formerly Baldwin Boyle Group Limited until 1992 )
– Trading Name: Baldwin Boyle Group (BBG)
2. Company Number:
– 380734
3. NZBN (New Zealand Business Number):
– 9429039490803
4. Entity Type:
– New Zealand Limited Company (Ltd)
5. Business Classification:
– M696275 – Public Affairs Consulting Service
6. Industry Category:
– Public relations and communications services (professional services sector)
– Also described as operating in advertising & marketing and business services.
7. Year Founded:
– 1981 (founded by Malcolm “Midge” Boyle and Brenda Baldwin).
8. Addresses:
– Head Office (Current): Level 17, PwC Tower, 15 Customs Street West, Commercial Bay, Auckland 1010, New Zealand.
– Postal Address: PO Box 4379, Shortland Street, Auckland 1140, New Zealand.
– Former Office: Level 1, 12 Madden Street, Wynyard Quarter, Auckland 1010 (used until May 2024).
– International Offices: Auckland (HQ), Melbourne, Singapore, Bangkok, Jakarta, and Shanghai (affiliate).
9. Website URL:
–
https://www.baldwinboyle.com
10. LinkedIn URL:
– https://www.linkedin.com/company/baldwin-boyle-group/
11. Company Hub NZ URL:
– https://www.companyhub.nz/companyDetails.cfm?nzbn=9429039490803 (CompanyHub profile for Baldwin Boyle Group (Holdings) Ltd, showing NZBN and company number).
12. NZ Companies Office URL:
https://app.companiesoffice.govt.nz/companies/app/ui/pages/companies/380734?backurl=H4sIAAAAAAAAAEXLQQrCMBCF4dtk46JRK5jFIG50YReCvcCQjBpokzgzVXp7K1bc%2Fe%2BDVxW8kVQ%2B9wVTnEoI2d93D3D1ytm1q53d2vXCUNKoYzsWEtg3zbwvijrIkfNQvhyTz1wOnHuYu81gMAQmkf97hhONr8wBjCiygjVd7KPCcmPkOmH4PJ%2BYPIUzJupAeSDT50Dw8zdQ4ygHwAAAAA%3D%3D (New Zealand Companies Office registry listing for Company #380734).
13. Social Media URLs:
– Twitter (X): https://x.com/baldwin_boyle – Official BBG account (handle @Baldwin_Boyle).
– YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@baldwinboyle – BBG’s channel featuring “Social Capital Matters” podcast episodes.
– (No prominent Facebook or Instagram presence identified; BBG’s social media activity centers on LinkedIn, X/Twitter and YouTube.)
14. Ultimate Holding Company:
– None beyond itself. Baldwin Boyle Group (Holdings) Limited is the top entity of the BBG group (independently owned, not part of any larger conglomerate).
15. Key Shareholders: (each an individual owner of BBG (Holdings) Ltd)
– Brenda Mary Sigalove (aka Brenda Baldwin) – ~28.9%
– Kylie Ann Taylor – ~24.6%
– Graeme Charles McMillan – ~14.1%
– Piet Walter Jacob de Jong – ~10.2%
– Carl James Stephens – ~9.6%
– Daniel Wrigley – ~9.3%
– Nicola Jane James – ~2.4%
– Sarah Joy Redfern – ~1.0%
16. Leadership: (current senior leadership and directors)
– Brenda Baldwin (Sigalove) – Founder and Chair of BBG.
– Kylie Taylor – Group Managing Director (oversees BBG’s international operations).
– Carl Stephens – Managing Director (Asia), leading BBG’s Asian offices.
– Daniel Wrigley – Director and senior communications consultant (lead for key NZ accounts; BBG director since 2017).
(Other long-time partners include Piet de Jong and Graeme McMillan, who remain shareholders but are less publicly visible.)
17. Staff:
– Size: Approximately 80+ employees (as of mid-2020s) across offices in New Zealand, Australia, and Asia.
– Expertise: Team includes veteran communications consultants, former journalists, and industry specialists. (Notably, BBG’s culture emphasizes senior practitioners with backgrounds in journalism, PR, finance and organizational communications.)
– Global Team: Multilingual staff operating across time zones; BBG often deploys consultants in-market for clients throughout Asia-Pacific.
18. Staff That Have Held Previous Government Roles:
– None Identified. No senior BBG personnel are known to have been former New Zealand Members of Parliament or top government officials (unlike some lobbying firms). BBG’s key figures predominantly come from journalism and corporate communications backgrounds rather than public service. (For example, co-founder Greg Shand was a political journalist (NZ Herald) before joining BBG, illustrating a media-to-PR “revolving door” rather than a government-to-PR pathway.)
– If any lower-level staff had government adviser roles, they have not been publicly disclosed. This lack of ex-Ministers or ex-MPs on staff sets BBG apart from some competitor lobbying firms.
19. Past Employees: (notable former principals and staff)
– Malcolm “Midge” Boyle: Co-founder (1981) and namesake; a former journalist who left BBG and later became known for co-owning the NZ Warriors rugby league team. Boyle passed away in 2017.
– Gregory (Greg) Shand: Long-time Director (1988–2011) who owned ~26% of BBG before selling his stake in 2011. A former political editor in journalism, Shand helped expand BBG in NZ and Asia. He left to lead corporate affairs at MediaWorks in 2011 and died in 2013.
– Louise Nicholson: Former Director (Singapore office head) from 1988 until 2013. Early BBG Asia leader, she departed after 25 years.
– Daniel Riordan: Former Bangkok-based Director/Partner (joined BBG 2011, exited 2019) who led Southeast Asia client engagements.
– Maree Wilson: Senior consultant (shareholder 2015–2019) who left BBG to become Managing Partner at rival firm SenateSHJ in 2020.
– Unice Liu: Shanghai-based Partner (shareholder 2019–2023) who led BBG’s China practice before leaving in 2023.
(These departures mark generational shifts, with shares redistributed to newer management.)
20. Clients:
– Fonterra Cooperative Group: BBG’s flagship client for decades. BBG has handled Fonterra’s communications since the dairy giant’s formation in 2001.
– New Zealand Government (various agencies): BBG has been engaged for government-related projects. Notably, BBG (led by Greg Shand) provided communications strategy for the establishment of the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) in 2011, a major financial regulator. BBG also assisted the University of Auckland and NZ Government with the high-profile Catching the Knowledge Wave conferences in the early 2000s, an initiative to shape national innovation policy.
– Corporate Clients (Undisclosed): BBG does not publicly list its clients. It states only that it serves clients in sectors such as agribusiness, consumer goods, government, finance, manufacturing, property, hospitality, retail, and utilities. Known New Zealand corporate clients (besides Fonterra) are kept confidential. Historically, co-founder Malcolm Boyle’s connections suggest BBG likely worked with Air New Zealand and others, but specific engagements are not confirmed in public sources.
– International Clients: Through its Asia-Pacific offices, BBG advises multinational firms (including projects for companies in Thailand, Singapore, Australia, etc. as referenced in its thought-leadership podcasts ). For example, BBG’s Singapore team has represented organizations like WWF-Singapore and others on regional campaigns. (Most client relationships emerge only when disclosed by third parties or during crises – see Controversies below.)
21. Industries/Sectors Represented:
– Agribusiness and Dairy (e.g. Fonterra)
– Branded Consumer Goods (FMCG)
– Government and Public Sector
– Finance and Banking
– Manufacturing and Industry
– Property Development and Real Estate
– Hospitality and Tourism
– Retail and FMCG Distribution
– Utilities and Energy
(BBG’s client base spans most major sectors of the NZ economy, often focusing on highly regulated industries where public trust is vital.)
22. Publicly Disclosed Engagements:
– Parliamentary Inquiry (2008): BBG became tangentially involved in a political scandal when its consultant Steve Fisher advised billionaire Owen Glenn on managing his public statements to a Parliamentary Privileges Committee. Emails revealed Fisher, “a Baldwin Boyle PR man,” coached Glenn in aligning his story regarding a secret $100,000 donation to NZ First leader Winston Peters. This advice surfaced in the 2008 inquiry, spotlighting BBG’s behind-the-scenes political involvement.
– Public Consultations: On occasion, BBG makes formal submissions or appears in public forums on behalf of clients (e.g. dairy industry hearings, crisis inquiries), though these instances are not comprehensively documented.
(Overall, much of BBG’s lobbying and influence work is not formally disclosed, emerging only via investigative journalism or official probes.)
23. Affiliations:
– PR Industry Bodies: BBG’s principals are members of professional groups such as the Public Relations Institute of New Zealand (PRINZ) (e.g., founder Brenda Baldwin is a prominent industry figure ). The firm itself maintains a low public profile in industry associations, focusing on client work.
– Global Agency Network: BBG boasts “partnerships with affiliate agencies throughout Asia and around the world”. It collaborates with like-minded PR consultancies in other markets to support clients internationally. (For example, BBG is part of the PROI Worldwide network of independent firms – implied by its long-standing Asia-Pacific partnerships mentioned on its site.)
– Academic and Policy Circles: BBG leadership engages with academic institutions and think tanks for events (e.g. University of Auckland, think-tank panels), leveraging those affiliations to position the firm as a thought leader on communications and trust.
24. Sponsorships / Collaborations:
– University Partnerships: BBG has collaborated with universities on events and research (e.g., co-sponsoring the Knowledge Wave conferences with University of Auckland in early 2000s).
– Industry Events: The firm occasionally sponsors or speaks at business conferences on communications, reputation management, ESG, etc. However, no major ongoing sponsorships are publicly advertised by BBG.
– Community Initiatives: BBG’s regional offices have partnered in local community or CSR initiatives on behalf of clients (for example, BBG Singapore worked with WWF on a conservation campaign), but those are client-driven collaborations rather than sponsorships by BBG itself.
– No evidence of BBG directly sponsoring political parties, political conferences, or similar events. (Its approach to influence is via advisory roles rather than overt sponsorship.)
25. Events (Organised by BBG):
– Data Not Found. BBG is not known for hosting public events under its own name. Its influence activities are client-focused and behind closed doors.
– (BBG does produce the “Social Capital Matters” podcast series and occasional private roundtables for clients, but these are more thought-leadership content than public events.)
– BBG’s involvement in significant events has typically been as a communications advisor (for events organised by clients or third parties, e.g. Knowledge Wave), rather than BBG being the named organiser.
26. Political Donations:
– No political donations by the company are publicly disclosed. BBG as a firm has not appeared in NZ Electoral Commission donation records for significant donations to political parties.
– The individual shareholders of BBG have likewise kept a low profile in terms of political contributions. (For instance, there are no media reports of Brenda Baldwin or other BBG principals making large donations to parties.)
– BBG’s influence is exercised via strategic communication, not direct funding of politics. In one notable case, BBG’s role was advising a donor (Owen Glenn) rather than donating itself.
27. Controversies:
– 2008 “Owen Glenn Donation” Scandal: BBG was embroiled indirectly in a controversy when its consultant Steve Fisher advised billionaire Owen Glenn during a Parliamentary inquiry into an undisclosed donation to Winston Peters. Fisher’s emails (made public by the NZ Herald) showed PR guidance to keep Glenn’s story consistent with the politician’s, raising questions about behind-the-scenes influence on a political investigation. This incident cast light on BBG’s covert political counsel and was widely reported at the time.
– 2013 Fonterra Botulism Crisis: As Fonterra’s long-term PR advisor, BBG came under scrutiny during the botulism contamination scare. Fonterra was heavily criticized for delayed public disclosure and poor crisis communication. Competing PR experts pointed out that, given past scares, Fonterra/BBG should have been better prepared. The crisis, which unfolded just after Fonterra renewed a 5-year contract with BBG, led to Fonterra bringing more communication in-house and raised questions about BBG’s handling of high-stakes public health issues.
– Other Issues: No major legal or ethical breaches by BBG have been documented publicly. The firm generally stays out of headlines, except when its clients face crises or when journalists investigate lobbying. BBG has thus avoided direct scandals aside from the above instances.
28. Other Information of Note:
– Founding Legacy: BBG’s name derives from its founders – Brenda Baldwin and Malcolm Boyle – reflecting its origin as a family-style consultancy that grew into an Asia-Pacific network. Despite Malcolm Boyle’s exit in the early years, the brand retained his name, and his legacy in NZ’s PR industry is often cited.
– “Social Capital” Emphasis: BBG markets itself as helping businesses build “social capital” and trust. In 2023 it launched a Social Capital Matters podcast featuring global experts on issues like climate change, equity, and geopolitics, positioning BBG as a thought leader in ethical business and ESG (environmental, social, governance) communication. This public-facing content burnishes BBG’s image, even as the firm’s core work (corporate lobbying/PR) remains opaque.
– Close Corporate-Board Ties: BBG’s leadership has at times crossed into corporate governance. Notably, BBG Chair Brenda Baldwin herself served on Fonterra’s Board for a period in the 2000s, an unusual role for a PR adviser. This highlights BBG’s deep integration with its top client and raised potential conflict-of-interest concerns (advising the company while also governing it).
– Generational Transition: The ownership transitions around 2011 and 2019 (as senior partners sold shares to the next generation ) have been significant for BBG’s culture. Longtime figures like Shand and Nicholson departed, making way for newer leaders (Stephens, Redfern, Wrigley). The firm remains 100% employee-owned, with no external shareholders – which BBG argues helps maintain its independent counsel free of external agendas.
29. Recipient of Wage Subsidy Scheme:
– Yes. Baldwin Boyle Group Ltd received NZ Government COVID-19 Wage Subsidies in 2020. It was publicly reported that BBG claimed approximately NZ$53,407.20 to subsidize 8 employees’ wages (application date June 11, 2020). This occurred during the pandemic downturn, indicating BBG experienced revenue impact in 2020. (The subsidy receipt was disclosed in official Ministry of Social Development data.)
– BBG’s acceptance of the subsidy – while lawful – drew some criticism in media circles given Fonterra (its major client) was financially stable. However, BBG justified it on the grounds of revenue loss in its events and international segments. BBG did not feature among large controversial subsidy recipients, and no refund of the subsidy has been noted publicly.
Sources:
1. Well-known public relations guru Malcolm Boyle dies – NZ Herald – https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/well-known-public-relations-guru-malcolm-boyle-dies/XBK6GM4P3EBPHYE24L3JAOAG3M/
2. Baldwin Boyle Group (Holdings) Limited – Company Summary (BizDb/New Zealand Companies Office data) – https://www.bizdb.co.nz/company/9429039490803/
3. Baldwin Boyle Group Limited – Company Info (BusinessCheck) – https://businesscheck.co.nz/ltd/9429032143164/
4. Baldwin Boyle Group | LinkedIn – LinkedIn.com – https://www.linkedin.com/company/baldwin-boyle-group/
5. BALDWIN BOYLE GROUP (HOLDINGS) LIMITED – CompanyHub.nz – https://www.companyhub.nz/companyDetails.cfm?nzbn=9429039490803
6. Baldwin Boyle Group (Holdings) Ltd – Registered Addresses (BizDb) – https://www.bizdb.co.nz/company/9429039490803/
7. Baldwin Boyle Group – Contact Info (BusinessCheck) – https://businesscheck.co.nz/ltd/9429032143164/ (see Website/Contact section)
8. Baldwin Boyle Group (@Baldwin_Boyle) – Twitter/X – https://twitter.com/Baldwin_Boyle
9. Baldwin Boyle Group – YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/@baldwinboyle
10. Baldwin Boyle Group Ltd Ownership – BusinessCheck – https://businesscheck.co.nz/ltd/9429032143164/ (see Shareholding)
11. Profile: Baldwin Boyle Group Holdings Limited – OversightSolutions – https://oversightsolutions.co.nz/profile/BALDWIN-BOYLE-GROUP-HOLDINGS-LIMITED (shareholder chart)
12. Industry mourns the loss of Greg Shand – StopPress – https://stoppress.co.nz/news/shand/
13. Baldwin Boyle Group – SourceWatch – https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Baldwin_Boyle_Group
14. PR shake-up for Fonterra and Baldwin Boyle – National Business Review (NBR) – (subscription) – Excerpt via NBR: https://www.nbr.co.nz/pr-shake-up-for-fonterra-and-baldwin-boyle/
15. Baldwin Boyle director Graeme McMillan steps down – NBR (Jonathan Underhill, 29 Nov 2017) – Excerpt: https://www.nbr.co.nz/baldwin-boyle-director-graeme-mcmillan-steps-down/
16. Crisis hits in midst of PR shakeup – NZ Herald (John Drinnan, 6 Aug 2013) – https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/crisis-hits-in-midst-of-pr-shakeup/TU3KMKY3ENHEQLOE5YIWKFA3TQ/
17. Hide wants billionaire to tell inquiry about donation to Peters – NZ Herald (Audrey Young, 17 Aug 2008) – https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/hide-wants-billionaire-to-tell-inquiry-about-donation-to-peters/NV5ELG4HDAVSQ2DJYWLRPQ7N2E/
18. Baldwin Boyle Group (Holdings) Ltd – Directors (BizDb) – https://www.bizdb.co.nz/company/9429039490803/ (directors section)
19. Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Lobbyist says… – NZ Herald (via Democracy Project) – Reference to Bryce Edwards on lobbying transparency – (Snippet on “wild west lobbying sector” from democracyproject.substack.com)
20. Social Capital Matters Podcast Returns… – Scoop News (Press Release by BBG, 19 Feb 2024) – https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO2402/S00064.htm
21. Telum Talks To… Kylie Taylor, Group MD BBG – Telum Media (26 Nov 2020) – Interview summary via Telum/Spotify:
22. MSD Wage Subsidy Dataset (August 2020) – Ministry of Social Development (Official Information Act release) – CSV data – https://www.msd.govt.nz/documents/about-msd-and-our-work/publications-resources/official-information-responses/2020/august/20200803-request-for-an-updated-wage-subsidy-dataset-response-above.csv (see entry for Baldwin Boyle Group Ltd)
23. Integrity Briefing: The Silent Death of Lobbying Reform in NZ – Democracy Project Substack (Bryce Edwards, 2023) – https://democracyproject.substack.com/p/the-silent-death-of-lobbying-reform-in-nz
Spot anything in this entry that is wrong? Please either leave a comment at the end or email, in confidence: bryce@democracyproject.nz