News London, UK, 29 May 2026: Blakeney, a corporate communications and public affairs consultancy with offices in London and Edinburgh, continues to build on a significant period of growth after being appointed by Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA), which manages collective copyright licensing for books, journals, magazines, and other published content.
CLA licenses on behalf of approximately 4,500 publishers and more than 200,000 authors and visual artists, working in partnership with its members that represent those rightsholder groups. The organisation, which also generates more than £100m in annual revenues, has turned to Blakeney for support in its strategic communications and external positioning.
The partnership will look to capitalise on the opportunities presented by AI to the creative and publishing industries. As CLA seeks to shape the debate around copyright, licensing, creator rights, and the future of the creative economy, this will reinforce the organisation’s position as the practical go-to solution for the market.
Blakeney will also aim to position it more prominently within the national debate around responsible innovation, licensing, and creator content, while also supporting broader communications across its existing work.
“CLA has a solution which is vital to creators, technology platforms, and policy makers. We are delighted to be working with them and we look forward to helping the CLA become a defining voice across the AI debate.”
Gabe Winn, Blakeney Founder
“This is both an important moment for CLA and for the wider creative and publishing industries. It’s vital that the voice of collective licensing is part of the discussion around AI, copyright, and creator content protection.
“We were impressed by Blakeney’s understanding of both these challenges and the opportunities, as well as the company’s ability to see the wider strategic role CLA can play. We’re looking forward to working together as we continue to build our profile and help shape the debate.”
Simon Hutson, CLA Chief Executive
The CLA appointment builds on Blakeney’s strong first half to 2026. The consultancy, which was founded ten years ago, has already appointed Tim Knight, former UK and Ireland Head of Public Affairs at Oatly and PLMR MD as new MD of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs, and Lucy Harris, a former Conservative and Brexit Party politician, as Associate Adviser.
