Tim Bell, the UK PR mogul behind global PR institution Bell Pottinger, has left the firm to start a new PR consulting venture next year.
Seventy-four-year-old Bell, who parlayed his stint as Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's spokesman into the successful agency, will open Sans Frontieres.
Bell Pottinger said in a statement that Bell wanted to "step back" from day-to-day agency business but still counsel clients. CEO James Henderson called Bell the "founder and driver of this business since he started it in 1987."
Henderson said BP will "find ways of mutually working together with [Bell] in his new business where there are clients that need a combined expertise." Bell retains a minority stake in BP.
Mark Smith takes over the chairman role at BP.
Bell in 2012 helped orchestrate the $32M buyout of BP from Chime Communications.

Businesses operating in today’s fragmented global landscape face increasingly complex challenges, underscoring the crucial role they play in achieving meaningful impact.
Edelman is providing communications support to Panama’s Ministry of Commerce and Industries under an agreement capped at $97,100 per month.
Ballard Partners has recruited State Department veteran Matt Bryza as a senior policy advisor.
Teneo has extended its contract with the Salama Bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation for an additional four months to July 31, adding another $1.8M in fees to the New York firm’s coffers.
The Syrian Kurdish militia recruits Jim Dornan Strategies to press Congress for continued support in their battle against ISIS and Syrian president Bashar Assad.



