Bell Pottinger’s British business collapses after South African scandal
London — Bell Pottinger’s British arm collapsed on Tuesday after the global public relations agency ran a racially charged political campaign in South Africa that prompted a client exodus. After working behind the scenes on some of the most defining moments in recent history, from the election of Margaret Thatcher to the death of Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko, Bell Pottinger crumpled following a scandal of its own making. Having lost customers, partners and its second-biggest shareholder in recent weeks, the UK company was put into administration by accountants BDO, entering a form of creditor protection after it failed to find a buyer. “Following an immediate assessment of the financial position, the administrators have made a number of redundancies,” BDO said. “The administrators are now working with the remaining partners and employees to seek an orderly transfer of Bell Pottinger’s clients to other firms in order to protect and realise value for creditors.” Bell Pottinger ent...
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