With Citadel turning 20 this year, it felt only right to dedicate blog J to our founder, Jonathan Hopkins. Although many of you may know him through work or from what you can read on our website, this blog will explore the paths he has taken, both professionally and personally, to end up where Citadel stands 20 years later.
Born in the Potteries, Stoke on Trent, Jonathan grew up in the neighbouring market town of Newcastle Under Lyme. It’s an area that on the surface seems to have changed little over the years, but lift the lid and there has been a devastating loss of local industry. Since the 1970s and 80s, Stoke and the surrounding area has faced massive economic restructure with the closures of coal mining, steel works and the pottery industry itself.
This shaped much of Jonathan’s early politics and, after university, he returned to Stoke working in his first job for a local, newly elected Member of Parliament. When asked how he first got into politics and policy, Jonathan commented:
“I’ve always had a strong interest in politics, both in the history of where we’ve come from, current affairs and a belief in where we we want to be going forward.
“My studies in economics and history at school, politics and economics at university and subsequently a masters in politics and public administration, gave me a firm grounding that has informed my career since.”
It was not only his education that made Jonathan pursue a life in politics and positive change, but his life experiences at home.
Raised in a single mother household and whose parents were social workers, with three sisters later involved in teaching, nursing and starting up their own business, Jonathan has always highly valued public service and social enterprise. From resigning as a school prefect in protest over a headteacher’s decision, to being student college president at university and negotiating fair rents, he also demonstrated a strong sense of justice from a young age.
Jonathan left home for University and, in 1987, on the way to his final exam at Oxford, he voted for the first time in that year’s general election. A big day in his life on both counts! He then spent the summer applying for jobs and volunteering for a newly elected local MP, back home in Stoke. He was subsequently appointed as her parliamentary assistant, which led him to London and his first experience of the House of Commons.
Jonathan was one of the early cohorts of researchers and parliamentary assistants, working for just 1 of just 41 of women MPs elected to Parliament in 1987, which was a record number at that time, exposing a lack of basic facilities including women’s toilets, a family room that was for “MPs’ wives, not children” and a shooting gallery but no crèche. He spent time working on many constituency issues, including the decline of local industries, and soon supported the front bench on national policies surrounding the environment and transport. This was the time of Mrs Thatcher’s “green speech” when the great advance was the introduction of cheaper pricing of unleaded petrol at the pumps! The Climate Change debate has rocketed up the political agenda since, but with more recent regressive political interventions and denial by some political parties and world leaders, the climate challenges are accentuated.
From his early life as a school prefect and student college president, Jonathan had a passion for “what’s right” and working with others with a collective spirit to improve lives. This led him to become branch secretary of the trade union that represented all MPs’ staff, covering anything from the creation of job descriptions and fair pay scales to health and safety regulations working in parliament which is still designated a palace, exempt from many of the health and safety laws.
Through this experience, Jonathan found his next job as political aide to the General Secretary of a teaching trade union. In his first few weeks at the National Union for Teachers Jonathan attended all the party conferences in 1991, which set him on the trail to being a part of every party season since. Jonathan has taken part in every Government and Opposition party conference from 1991 onwards (34 consecutive years!).
The first conference had the most impact on Jonathan’s professional life, as it’s where the ideas for a national campaign on special educational needs took root. These ideas ultimately led to legislative change and multi million pound funding to improve access to mainstream schools for students and teachers with disabilities, which still continue to this day. Jonathan reflects on this time as having an important affect on his personal life also:
“My co-conspirator in designing that campaign, became my wife 6 years later. It’s with Jane that we later founded Citadel in 2005.”
“In my career, the success of that education campaign and day to day parliamentary liaison to build bridges between the union and MPs, led to the next stage of my career as a commercial lobbyist and director of public relations agencies. There I learnt new skills from the disciplines of advertising, marketing and media relations.”
From consumer goods in fashion and food, to regulated industries and public services, Jonathan developed a distinctive style and approach to public affairs, creating and shaping environments in which decisions are made, demystifying politics and aware at each step of the impact on the individual and the wider community. Yet as a board director at the PR agencies, Jonathan felt increasingly one step removed from direct client work – turning ideas into practice. Therefore Jonathan took the plunge in 2005 to set up Citadel, to stay closer to the clients and the causes that he supports. He has been a mainstay in consultancy since for education, skills and youth policies, and as a champion for young people and families, and equalities.
As a father of two daughters, brother of three sisters and son of a single mother household, later sharing an office in Parliament with women MPs at the vanguard of equalities, and latterly in support of colleagues in the youth sector, equity and opportunity are cherished campaign principles. From street harassment to discrimination, misogyny and racism as hate crimes, disability rights, and tackling child poverty.
Twenty years on, relocated back close to Oxford, helping raise a family and carrying the burden of being an ardent Spurs fan, what’s next for Jonathan and Citadel?
“Our work at Citadel embraces social causes, service reforms and early help in particular to improve young lives. Those insights and experiences have been the bedrock of volunteering and pro bono support of around 20 per cent of my time. From co-founding and chairing a multi academy trust and local schools’ governance, to being the first independent chair of a national youth charity for advice and counselling, and trustee of Clore Social Leadership supporting civil society and social enterprise. Great causes I am proud to be involved with.”
Most recently Jonathan was appointed to the expert advisory group on the government’s new youth strategy, and he leads on youth policies as an Associate of the Centre for Young Lives founded by Baroness Anne Longfield. This keeps young people front and centre of Jonathan’s thoughts and commitment for change, transforming young lives. And of course there’s the party conferences, with Citadel involving young people in a programme of events and activities for charities and party leaders. 2025 promises to be a bumper year with some 100 events scheduled across the three main conferences, creating a platform for the youth and skills sectors.
There’s talk of writing a book and the eternal hope of Spurs winning the Premier League, each equally daunting and ambitious and, in part at least, unlikely! Meanwhile there’s plenty for Citadel and Jonathan to get on and do including new ventures working for Roundhouse and the arts, modelling practice and provision with young people in education, health and employment, and as a passionate campaigner for youth work. Influencing government, informing practice and supporting stakeholders locally – in the design and delivery of place based approaches and devolution – provide the means and direction for Citadel, and its founder Jonathan.
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