Red Flag Consulting

This page was last edited on at

Red Flag is a public relations (PR) company with offices in London, Dublin, Brussels, Washington DC and Cape Town.1 Alongside companies from the biotechnology, food and alcohol industries, its client list has included British American Tobacco (BAT) and the Consumer Choice Center (CCC), which has received funding from BAT and other tobacco companies.

In February 2025, Ankura Consulting Group announced its acquisition of Red Flag.2

Background

Founded in 2013 by Karl Brophy in Dublin, Ireland, it offers services such as coalition building, grassroots mobilisation, reputation management and political engagement.34 Brophy was previously a partner in PR company Hume Brophy.5

In July 2021, Red Flag acquired International Business-Government Counsellors, a US lobbying firm that specialises in “providing technical advice to large corporate companies on trade legislation.”6

Relationship with the Tobacco Industry

According to the EU Transparency register, BAT was a client of Red Flag from 2017 to 2023.78 The company lobbied for BAT on the EU Tobacco Products Directive.7

As of 2024, BAT was no longer listed as a Red Flag client,7 and BAT no longer listed Red Flag as an intermediary.9

Other activities

CCC was listed as a Red Flag client from 2020 to 2023.7 CCC’s 2021 tax return shows that it paid Red Flag over US$2.2 million for “strategic communications”,10 and a further US$200,000 in 2022.11

Red Flag maintained the World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA) website between December 2019 and April 2022.1213 WVA was set up by, and receives funding from, CCC. According to an investigation by Le Monde and The Investigative Desk, Red Flag was involved in WVA’s “Back Vaping. Beat Smoking” campaign, which saw a branded van visiting major European cities including Geneva during the 9th Conference of the Parties (COP 9) to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). The investigation describes Red Flag’s speciality as setting “up movements that seem to be grassroots-oriented, but are not.”14 In response, Karl Brophy told the Business Post in July 2022 that WVA was no longer a client of Red Flag, and the relationship had been brief.15

In 2018, Red Flag lobbied the Irish Government on behalf of PJ Carroll, BAT’s main Irish subsidiary, on e-cigarettes and smoking cessation.161718

Relevant Link

Tobacco Tactics Resources

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

References

  1. ↑Red Flag, Our locations, undated, accessed August 2022
  2. ↑Ankura, Ankura Acquires Red Flag Global, Enhancing Capabilities in Strategic Communications and Public Affairs for Global Clients, Ankura website, 6 February 2025, accessed 31 July 2025
  3. ↑Red Flag, Our services, undated, accessed 11 February 2020
  4. ↑Red Flag, Our Team: Karl Brophy, undated, accessed October 2021
  5. ↑C. Hancock, Light thrown on media group, Irish Times, 12 May 2011, accessed October 2021
  6. ↑M. Paul, Red Flag expands lobbying operation in Washington DC, The Irish Times, 7 July 2021, accessed September 2022
  7. ↑abcdRed Flag, Lobby Facts profile, database, accessed October 2025. Available from lobbyfacts.eu
  8. ↑Red Flag, EU Transparency Register, 13 April 2017, accessed October 2022
  9. ↑British American Tobacco, Lobby Facts profile, accessed December 2025. Available from lobbyfacts.eu
  10. ↑US Internal Revenue Service, Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax: Consumer Choice Center, 2021, available from irs.gov
  11. ↑US Internal Revenue Service, Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax: Consumer Choice Center, 2022, available from Non-Profit Explorer, propublica.org
  12. ↑World Vapers’ Alliance, Privacy Policy, 10 August 2020, accessed March 2021
  13. ↑World Vapers’ Alliance, WhoIs record, accessed March 2022
  14. ↑S. Horel, The Vapour Trail, Le Monde, 3 November 2021, accessed March 2022
  15. ↑B. Whyte, Group with links to Big Tobacco rows in on flavoured vapes ban, Business Post, 23 July 2022, accessed September 2022
  16. ↑Red Flag Consulting Limited, Red Flag Consulting Limited, Irish Standards in Public Office Commission Register of Lobbying, last accessed 11 February 2020
  17. ↑Red Flag Consulting Limited, Red Flag Consulting Limited, Irish Standards in Public Office Commission Register of Lobbying, 21 May 2018, accessed 28 February 2020
  18. ↑Red Flag Consulting Limited, Red Flag Consulting Limited, Irish Standards in Public Office Commission Register of Lobbying, 21 May 2018, accessed 28 February 2020

Categories