Hong Kong has turned to the former director of strategy of the UK remain campaign in the Brexit referendum to revive its reputation, amid further scrutiny of the role played by London-based political operatives that advise overseas governments. The Hong Kong government awarded a £5m public relations contract to the Mayfair-headquartered Consulum as part of its Relaunch Hong Kong campaign, shortly before Beijing introduced a new security law designed to crush pro-democracy protests in the territory. The Guardian understands the Hong Kong account is being led by Ryan Coetzee, who was employed on the unsuccessful 2016 remain campaign. Coetzee is originally from South Africa, where he helped revive the fortunes of the opposition Democratic Alliance party before moving to London during the coalition years to work for Nick Clegg’s Liberal Democrats. He left the party after serving as their director of strategy during the 2015 general election, in which they slumped from 57 seats to eight. Following his unsuccessful role trying to convince Britons to remain in the European Union, Coetzee joined Consulum where he continues to be heavily involved in projects to rehabilitate the overseas reputation of Saudi Arabia. These efforts were derailed in the international media by the 2018 murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi. One of the main aims for the Hong Kong account will be improving the city’s reputation in the international media, although this may be made more difficult amid reports that foreign reporters could be expelled from Hong Kong if they “cross the line” while reporting on pro-independence campaigns. The UK government has also angered Beijing by offering a route to British citizenship for millions of Hong Kong residents. Asked about Coetzee’s work on the Hong Kong contract, and his or his company’s work in Saudi Arabia, a spokesman for Consulum emphasised the company was focused on economic issues rather than politics. “Consulum is proud of the work that we do for our clients, developing programmes that help countries and governments improve delivery, build capacity, promote economic outcomes and manage change. We operate at the pinnacle of our industry and with the highest standards and integrity, which is the very basis upon which Consulum was founded,” he said. The Hong Kong government initially struggled to find an international PR company to take on the contract to rehabilitate its image following a tumultuous year of anti-Beijing protests in the territory, forcing it to rewrite the original tender document before awarding it to Consulum on the second attempt. Announcing the deal, the Beijing-backed administration said Consulum has been tasked with coming up with a communications strategy “to highlight Hong Kong’s recovery and help rebuild confidence in Hong Kong as a place to invest, do business, work and live”. Consulum has past experience assisting governments facing pro-democracy protests. It was founded by two ex-Bell Pottinger employees in 2012 who initially made their name working with the Bahraini government in the aftermath of the Arab spring.