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{{Short description|British businessman (born 1963)}}
'''Matthew Freud''' (born 2 November 1963) is head of [[Freud Communications]], an international [[public relations]] firm in the [[United Kingdom]].
{{EngvarB|date=November 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name =
| image = Matthew Freud (38287066111) (cropped).jpg
| caption = Freud in 2017
| birth_name = Matthew Rupert Freud
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1963|11|2}}
| birth_place = London, England
| known_for =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| occupation = Public relations executive
| education = [[Westminster School]]
| alma_mater =
| spouse = {{ubl|{{marriage|Caroline Hutton|end=divorced}}|{{marriage|[[Elisabeth Murdoch (businesswoman)|Elisabeth Murdoch]]|2001|2014|end=divorced}}}}
| children = 5
| parents = {{ubl|[[Sir Clement Freud]]|[[June Flewett]]}}
| website =
| footnotes =
}}
'''Matthew Rupert Freud''' (born 2 November 1963) is a British entrepreneur and [[public relations]] executive<ref>{{cite news |last1=Thomas |first1=Daniel |title=Matthew Freud records £40mn dividend as PR boss moves into hotels and start-ups |url=https://www.ft.com/content/3eccf073-4ca5-41c7-92b9-741c91c161b7 |access-date=25 November 2024 |work=Financial Times |date=2 October 2024}}</ref> and head of [[Freud Communications]], an international public relations firm in the [[United Kingdom]].


==Biography==
==Early life==
Freud is the son of the late writer Sir [[Clement Freud]], his sister is television interviewer [[Emma Freud]]. [[Freud family|His great-grandfather]] is [[Sigmund Freud]] and he is doubly related to the 'father' of public relations, [[Edward Bernays]], whose father was the brother of Sigmund Freud's wife and whose mother was the sister of Sigmund Freud. He is the nephew of artist [[Lucian Freud]] and (by former marriage) of the late writer Lady [[Caroline Blackwood]], and his cousins include fashion designer [[Bella Freud]], novelists [[Susie Boyt]] and [[Esther Freud]].
Freud was born in London, the youngest of five children born to actress [[June Flewett]] and the writer and German-born British politician [[Sir Clement Freud]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Matthew Freud Will See You Now |url=https://www.envoy.cirrus.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-09-01/matthew-freud-will-see-you-now |access-date=25 November 2024 |agency=Bloomberg |date=1 September 2011 |language=en}}</ref> Matthew Freud's sister is television interviewer [[Emma Freud]]. His great-grandfather was [[Sigmund Freud]]. He is the nephew of the artist [[Lucian Freud]] and (by former marriage) of the writer Lady [[Caroline Blackwood]], and his cousins include fashion designer [[Bella Freud]], and novelists [[Susie Boyt]], and [[Esther Freud]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Freud family tree index {{!}} Media {{!}} MediaGuardian.co.uk|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/pictures/0,,457666,00.html|access-date=29 December 2020|website=www.theguardian.com}}</ref>


⚫
==Career==
He was educated at [[Westminster School]] and left in his third year and briefly attended Pimlico Comprehensive.
⚫
Matthew Freud founded [[Freud Communications]] in 1985.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.freud.com/ |title=Freud Communications |publisher=Freud.com |accessdate=25 December 2011}}</ref> [[Adam Curtis]] in his documentary [[Century of the Self]] describes Matthew Freud as a star in the "new culture of public relations and marketing in politics, business and journalism" that rose in the Clinton-Blair years.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/features/century_of_the_self_episode_4.shtml |title=BBC Four – Storyville |publisher=BBC |date=10 December 2011|accessdate=25 December 2011}}</ref> [[PRWeek|In 2009 PRWeek]] called Freud "the most influential PR professional in the UK".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Rogers|first=Danny|title=Power Book top ten PR gurus revealed|url=http://www.prweek.com/article/893996/power-book-top-ten-pr-gurus-revealed|access-date=29 December 2020|website=www.prweek.com}}</ref>


⚫
Freud, his sister Emma and brother-in-law [[Richard Curtis]], sit on the board of [[Trustee]]s for [[Comic Relief (charity)|Comic Relief]].<ref>[http://www.comicrelief.com/who_we_are/trustees Comic Relief – Trustees.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100223023220/http://www.comicrelief.com/who_we_are/trustees |date=23 February 2010 }}</ref>
⚫
===Career===
⚫
Freud Communications is currently the eighth largest public relations company in the UK, with around 150 employees. Landmark campaigns include the London 2012 Olympics, Product (RED), Nike, Pepsi, The Opening of Atlantis The Palm and UNHCR's Gimme Shelter.<ref>http://www.freud.com/</ref> [[Adam Curtis]] in his documentary [[Century of the Self]] describes Matthew Freud as a star in the "new culture of public relations and marketing in politics, business and journalism" which rose in the Clinton-Blair years.<ref>http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/features/century_of_the_self_episode_4.shtml</ref>. [[PRWeek]] says that Freud is "the most influential PR professional in the UK".<ref>http://www.prweek.com/uk/news/features/specialReports/893996/Power-Book-top-ten-PR-gurus-revealed/</ref>


⚫
In May 2005, in partnership with [[Piers Morgan]], he acquired ownership of the ''[[Press Gazette]]'' and the [[British Press Awards]] in a deal worth £1million.<ref>[http://www.journalism.co.uk/news/story1408.shtml "Piers Morgan clinches Press Gazette deal"], Journalism.co.uk, 13 June 2005.</ref><ref>Julia Day, [https://www.theguardian.com/media/2005/may/28/pressandpublishing.uknews "Piers Morgan turns proprietor with purchase of Press Gazette"], ''[[The Guardian]]'', 28 May 2005.</ref> Several major newspapers boycotted the event citing an apparent conflict of interest as one of the reasons.<ref>[[British Press Awards 2006#Controversy leading up to the 2006 awards|2006 British Press Awards]].</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070313100344/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2006/01/24/ccslade24.xml&menuId=242&sSheet=/money/2006/01/24/ixcoms.html ''The Daily Telegraph''], 24 January 2006 – Money.</ref>
⚫
Matthew Freud, along with his sister Emma Freud and brother-in-law [[Richard Curtis]], sit on the board of [[Trustee]]s for [[Comic Relief (charity)|Comic Relief]], which is aired every second year on the [[BBC]] as a nationwide charity event.<ref>[http://www.comicrelief.com/who_we_are/trustees Comic Relief - Trustees]</ref>


According to the ''[[Sunday Times Rich List]]'' in 2020, Freud is worth an estimated £170 million, a decrease of £10m from the previous year.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Times|first=The Sunday|title=Rich List 2020: profiles 703–799=, featuring Eric Clapton and Rory McIlroy|newspaper=[[The Times]] |language=en|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rich-list-2020-profiles-703-799-featuring-eric-clapton-and-rory-mcilroy-rj8cv08vw|access-date=4 August 2020|issn=0140-0460}}</ref>
⚫
In May 2005, in partnership with [[Piers Morgan]], he acquired ownership of the ''[[Press Gazette]]'', a media trade publication, and its 'cash cow' the [[British Press Awards]], in a deal worth £1million.<ref>[http://www.journalism.co.uk/news/story1408.shtml Journalism.co.uk]</ref><ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1494334,00.html The Guardian]</ref> An apparent conflict of interest in this ownership is cited as ''one'' of the reasons many major newspapers have boycotted the event.<ref>[[British Press Awards 2006#Controversy leading up to the 2006 awards|2006 British Press Awards]]</ref><ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2006/01/24/ccslade24.xml&menuId=242&sSheet=/money/2006/01/24/ixcoms.html Daily Telegraph, Jan 24 2006 - Money]</ref>


===Personal life===
==Personal life==
⚫
Freud's first wife was Caroline Hutton with whom he had two sons: George Rupert Freud and Jonah Henry Freud. Caroline then married the [[Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer|9th Earl Spencer]], brother of [[Diana, Princess of Wales]], from whom she was divorced in 2007.


His second wife was [[Elisabeth Murdoch (businesswoman)|Elisabeth Murdoch]], second daughter of [[Media proprietor|media magnate]] [[Rupert Murdoch]], head of [[News Corporation (1980–2013)|News Corporation]]. When the couple met in 1997,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/11142399/Elisabeth-Murdoch-and-Matthew-Freud-to-divorce.html?ref=hihidnews|title=Elisabeth Murdoch and Matthew Freud to divorce|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=5 October 2014|accessdate=30 July 2024|first=Emily|last=Gosden}}</ref> she was pregnant with a second child by her first husband and business partner, Elkin Pianim (the son of Ghanaian financial and political [[Magnate|mogul]] [[Kwame Pianim]]). The couple married 18 August 2001 at [[Blenheim Palace]];<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2001/aug/18/uknews1|title=A private affair as golden couple keep wedding out of limelight|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=18 August 2001|accessdate=15 April 2009 | location=London | first=David | last=Teather}}</ref> they have two children, a daughter born in 2000 and a son born in 2007.<ref>{{cite news |last=Sweney |first=Mark |date=6 October 2014 |title=Matthew Freud and Elisabeth Murdoch to divorce |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/oct/06/matthew-freud-elisabeth-murdoch-divorce |work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=24 September 2020}}</ref> They divorced in 2014.<ref>{{Cite web |last = Gosden |first = Emily |date = 5 October 2014 |title = Elisabeth Murdoch and Matthew Freud to divorce |url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/11142399/Elisabeth-Murdoch-and-Matthew-Freud-to-divorce.html |website = [[The Daily Telegraph]] |accessdate = 15 October 2014 }}</ref> During the divorce, it emerged that Freud had fathered a child with a mutual friend two years previously, born in 2012.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}}
⚫
Freud's first wife was Caroline Hutton with whom he had two sons: George Rupert Freud and Jonah Henry Freud. Caroline subsequently married the [[Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer|9th Earl Spencer]] on 15 December 2001, and became the sister-in-law of [[Diana, Princess of Wales]].


In November 2012, Freud was banned from driving for six months and fined £830 after police caught him driving at {{convert|117|mph}} in a borrowed Ferrari on the [[M5 motorway]]. His son was asleep in the front of the car at the time of the offence. Exeter Magistrates' Court was told that he had already incurred nine [[Point system (driving)#England and Wales|penalty points]] on his driving licence in the previous three years–two fixed penalties for speeding and one for using a mobile phone while driving.<ref name="BBC News 15 November 2012">{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title= Matthew Freud banned for driving at 117mph with son | date=15 November 2012|publisher=BBC | url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-20347023| accessdate=4 December 2014 }}</ref>
His second wife is [[Elisabeth Murdoch (businesswoman)|Elisabeth Murdoch]], second daughter of [[Media proprietor|media magnate]] [[Rupert Murdoch]]. When the couple began dating (while working as colleagues), she was pregnant with a second child by her first husband and business partner, Elkin Pianim (the son of [[Ghana]]ian financial and political [[Magnate|mogul]], [[Kwame Pianim]]). The couple married in August 2001 at [[Blenheim Palace]]. <ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2001/aug/18/uknews1|title=A private affair as golden couple keep wedding out of limelight|publisher=The Guardian|date=2001-08-18|accessdate=2009-04-15 | location=London | first=David | last=Teather}}</ref> They have two children, Charlotte Emma Freud, born in 2000 and Samson Murdoch Freud born in 2007.{{Fact|date=March 2009}}


He is a friend of several members of the Conservative party, including [[George Osborne]] and [[David Cameron]]. Freud has also invited Cameron to many events and is part of the so-called '[[Notting Hill Set]]' of influential Conservative-linked figures. During their marriage, Murdoch and Freud owned [[Burford Priory]] in Oxfordshire, and hence were also considered members of the [[Chipping Norton set]].<ref name='TelegJul11'>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/interactive-graphics/9124278/Whos-who-in-the-Chipping-Norton-set.html|title=Who's who in the Chipping Norton set|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|author=Caroline Dewar|accessdate=6 May 2012|date=5 March 2012}}</ref>
He has a friendship with several members of the Conservative party including George Osborne and David Cameron. He was infamously at a meal, attended by Osborne and Peter Mandelson, where it was alleged George Osborne attempted to solicit a donation for the Conservatives from Oleg Deripaska, the Russian billionaire. Freud has also invited Cameron to many events and is part of the so-called 'Notting Hill set' of influential Conservative-linked figures.

==See also==
* [[Freud family]]


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*{{official website|http://www.freud.com}}
*{{Guardian topic}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110826054210/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/related-4937-matthew-freud.do Matthew Freud] collected news and commentary at ''[[The London Evening Standard]]''.
*[http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/13/follow-up-roger-ailes-on-matthew-freud/ Follow-Up: Roger Ailes on Matthew Freud], ''[[The New York Times]]'', 13 January 2010.
*[http://www.prweek.com/uk/news/1070562/Matthew-Freud-powerful-PR-operator-UK/ Matthew Freud Is The Most Powerful PR Operator In The UK], Danny Rogers, ''[[PRWeek]]'', 18 May 2011.


{{DEFAULTSORT:Freud, Matthew}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Freud, Matthew}}
[[Category:1963 births]]
[[Category:1963 births]]
[[Category:British businesspeople]]
[[Category:Freud family|Matthew]]
[[Category:Freud family]]
[[Category:English people of German-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:English people of German descent]]
[[Category:English people of Austrian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from London]]

[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Murdoch family]]
[[Category:Murdoch family]]
[[Category:Old Westminsters]]
[[Category:People educated at Westminster School, London]]
[[Category:British public relations people]]
[[Category:English public relations people]]
[[Category:Governors of the British Film Institute]]

[[pt:Matthew Freud]]

Latest revision as of 13:09, 8 December 2024

Matthew Freud
Freud in 2017
Born
Matthew Rupert Freud

(1963-11-02) 2 November 1963 (age 61)
London, England
EducationWestminster School
OccupationPublic relations executive
Spouses
  • Caroline Hutton
    ​
    (divorced)​
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 2001; div. 2014)​
Children5
Parents

Matthew Rupert Freud (born 2 November 1963) is a British entrepreneur and public relations executive[1] and head of Freud Communications, an international public relations firm in the United Kingdom.

Early life

[edit]

Freud was born in London, the youngest of five children born to actress June Flewett and the writer and German-born British politician Sir Clement Freud.[2] Matthew Freud's sister is television interviewer Emma Freud. His great-grandfather was Sigmund Freud. He is the nephew of the artist Lucian Freud and (by former marriage) of the writer Lady Caroline Blackwood, and his cousins include fashion designer Bella Freud, and novelists Susie Boyt, and Esther Freud.[3]

Career

[edit]

Matthew Freud founded Freud Communications in 1985.[4] Adam Curtis in his documentary Century of the Self describes Matthew Freud as a star in the "new culture of public relations and marketing in politics, business and journalism" that rose in the Clinton-Blair years.[5] In 2009 PRWeek called Freud "the most influential PR professional in the UK".[6]

Freud, his sister Emma and brother-in-law Richard Curtis, sit on the board of Trustees for Comic Relief.[7]

In May 2005, in partnership with Piers Morgan, he acquired ownership of the Press Gazette and the British Press Awards in a deal worth £1million.[8][9] Several major newspapers boycotted the event citing an apparent conflict of interest as one of the reasons.[10][11]

According to the Sunday Times Rich List in 2020, Freud is worth an estimated £170 million, a decrease of £10m from the previous year.[12]

Personal life

[edit]

Freud's first wife was Caroline Hutton with whom he had two sons: George Rupert Freud and Jonah Henry Freud. Caroline then married the 9th Earl Spencer, brother of Diana, Princess of Wales, from whom she was divorced in 2007.

His second wife was Elisabeth Murdoch, second daughter of media magnate Rupert Murdoch, head of News Corporation. When the couple met in 1997,[13] she was pregnant with a second child by her first husband and business partner, Elkin Pianim (the son of Ghanaian financial and political mogul Kwame Pianim). The couple married 18 August 2001 at Blenheim Palace;[14] they have two children, a daughter born in 2000 and a son born in 2007.[15] They divorced in 2014.[16] During the divorce, it emerged that Freud had fathered a child with a mutual friend two years previously, born in 2012.[citation needed]

In November 2012, Freud was banned from driving for six months and fined £830 after police caught him driving at 117 miles per hour (188 km/h) in a borrowed Ferrari on the M5 motorway. His son was asleep in the front of the car at the time of the offence. Exeter Magistrates' Court was told that he had already incurred nine penalty points on his driving licence in the previous three years–two fixed penalties for speeding and one for using a mobile phone while driving.[17]

He is a friend of several members of the Conservative party, including George Osborne and David Cameron. Freud has also invited Cameron to many events and is part of the so-called 'Notting Hill Set' of influential Conservative-linked figures. During their marriage, Murdoch and Freud owned Burford Priory in Oxfordshire, and hence were also considered members of the Chipping Norton set.[18]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Thomas, Daniel (2 October 2024). "Matthew Freud records £40mn dividend as PR boss moves into hotels and start-ups". Financial Times. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  2. ^ "Matthew Freud Will See You Now". Bloomberg. 1 September 2011. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  3. ^ "Freud family tree index | Media | MediaGuardian.co.uk". www.theguardian.com. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  4. ^ "Freud Communications". Freud.com. Retrieved 25 December 2011.
  5. ^ "BBC Four – Storyville". BBC. 10 December 2011. Retrieved 25 December 2011.
  6. ^ Rogers, Danny. "Power Book top ten PR gurus revealed". www.prweek.com. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  7. ^ Comic Relief – Trustees. Archived 23 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "Piers Morgan clinches Press Gazette deal", Journalism.co.uk, 13 June 2005.
  9. ^ Julia Day, "Piers Morgan turns proprietor with purchase of Press Gazette", The Guardian, 28 May 2005.
  10. ^ 2006 British Press Awards.
  11. ^ The Daily Telegraph, 24 January 2006 – Money.
  12. ^ Times, The Sunday. "Rich List 2020: profiles 703–799=, featuring Eric Clapton and Rory McIlroy". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  13. ^ Gosden, Emily (5 October 2014). "Elisabeth Murdoch and Matthew Freud to divorce". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  14. ^ Teather, David (18 August 2001). "A private affair as golden couple keep wedding out of limelight". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 15 April 2009.
  15. ^ Sweney, Mark (6 October 2014). "Matthew Freud and Elisabeth Murdoch to divorce". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  16. ^ Gosden, Emily (5 October 2014). "Elisabeth Murdoch and Matthew Freud to divorce". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  17. ^ "Matthew Freud banned for driving at 117mph with son". BBC. 15 November 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  18. ^ Caroline Dewar (5 March 2012). "Who's who in the Chipping Norton set". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
[edit]
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