Leader in UK Public Affairs: Anthony Vigor, Group Director, Persimmon Homes, “I was lucky to secure a role at National Express”

Mace | 21st July 2026 | In-House Public Affairs, Westminster Index
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Anthony Vigor is Group Director of Strategic Partnerships and External Affairs at Persimmon Homes.

“After working as a special advisor in the last Labour Government… I was lucky to secure a role at National Express,” says Anthony Vigor. It was, he recalls, “an interesting first role where public affairs was seen as central to the company’s objectives” — a perspective that has shaped his approach ever since.

Today, he operates in a sector where that centrality is even more pronounced. Housing, and particularly planning, sits at the heart of the UK’s economic and political debate. “Planning!” he says, when asked what keeps him up at night — a one-word answer that captures both the scale and persistence of the challenge.

Persimmon Homes is one of the UK’s largest housebuilders, delivering tens of thousands of homes annually across the country. Operating through a network of regional businesses, the company sits at the intersection of national housing targets and local planning realities — where policy, land, infrastructure and community priorities all converge. In that environment, public affairs is not peripheral but operational.

That is exactly how Vigor sees it. “I most enjoy being operationally focused,” he says. “How can we use public affairs to achieve our business’ objectives and make our day-to-day running smoother.” It is a notably practical definition of the role — less about positioning and more about delivery.

His recent work reflects that mindset. Despite …

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