The Persuaders podcast Anders Kopp Jensen

This time we talk about some of the biggest and hardest challenges in Public Affairs today: Delivering value and building a Public Affairs function from scratch!
 
To help me cover these enourmous challenges in Public Affairs, I am joined by Stefan Pinter, Head of Public Policy EMEA at Suzano - the largest pulp manufacturer in the world as well as one of the largest paper producers in Latin America.
 
Stefan has first hand experience on this topic as well as impressive merits from working with Public Affairs in difficult industries filled with challenges, like pharma, tobacco and energy. So I talk to Stefan about:
 
Delivering value:
- how do you provide value in Public Affairs?
- why is it often a challenge for Public Affairs pros to prove themselves?
- how do you contribute to create value when you are basically a cost-center?
- are there differences between industries - do some industries "get" Public Affairs more than others?
 
 
Building a Public Affairs function:
 
- how do you approach this and balance building a function while also delivering value short/mid/long-term?
 
- what should Public Affairs pros be aware of before they just jump in to it and start executing?
 
- how do you interact with other units/departments in your organization during the way?
 
- how do you work on Public Affairs issues cross borders and handle any cultural/geographical differences?
 
Tune in and get the answers in just 40 minutes. 
 
This episode is sponsored by Ulobby, software for Public Affairs. 
Host: Anders Kopp
Producer: Sidsel K. Nørgaard
 

New episode of the Persuaders Podcast! Episode 2 of season 4. 
 
In this episode we talk to Thea Utoft, who is a Senior Managing Director at FTI Consulting in Brussels. She leads Financial Services Public Affairs across EMEA for FTI Consulting.
 
In 2023 Thea was recognized as one of the 40 top influencers in Brussels by Politico. 


 
So how do you become a "super lobbyist"? What skills or mindset do you need?  
In the first half of this episode we get Theas views on these questions, and we learn more about her way to becoming one of the most influential people in Brussels. 
 
In the second half, we talk about the political year ahead of us in 2024 with many political transitions with EU elections, new presidency, US elections etc. E.g. Thea estimates that up to 60% of the MEPs will be new after the elections. 
 
So what will happen in Brussels in the coming quarters? And how can or should you prepare as a Public Affairs professional? 
 

Find out by tuning in to this episode of the Persuaders Podcast with Anders Kopp.
 
This episode was produced by Sidsel K. Nørgaard. 

The Persuaders Podcast is back with season 4 - with more insights from the world of Public Affairs! 
 
We have entered a new year and traditionally we kick off the year with an episode about trends in Public Affairs. This year is no exception!
 
So in this first episode of 2024, Sosun Sendi, Public Affairs Director at Ulobby, takes on the role as a guest host of the podcast, as she quizzes the normal host, Anders Kopp, about the trends in Public Affairs for 2024. 
 
In the conversation, Anders points to three trends in Public Affairs in 2024: 

 
#1 - Recession - or the fear of recession - may hit the Public Affairs functions harder than they think 
 

#2 - Public Affairs will need to move out of the firefighter or garbageman position to compete - a new management approach is needed
 

#3 - A year with more insecurity from geo-politics & EU elections - both an opportunity and threat to the Public Affairs functions 
 
Tune in and get more context and reasoning behind these three trends - as well as Anders' best advice for PA pros this year. 
 
All this in just 30 minutes!

And remember to check out www.thepublicaffairsengine.com for more insights from the world of Public Affairs.

Enjoy!

Episode 3, season 3 of the Persuaders Podcast - with Maria Teresa Scardigli, Managing Director, Kellen Europe. Maria has more than 20 years of experience in European Public Affairs, advocacy, and management of trade associations. From Brussels she heads Kellen on a European level and manages a team of about 40 professionals serving +30 trade associations.    In the episode I talk to Maria about a new trend influencing the world of Public Affairs: More companies join forces and establish their own interest or trade association.  This development can be seen as a reaction to the increasing complexity in the policy arena and the need for more professionalization to continually catch and retain the attention of policy makers. A trend we have also covered from a more academic POV in previous episodes e.g. recently with Wiebke Junk in episode 2 of season 3.  In this episode with Maria Teresa Scardigli we cover:  
- Which factors have changed for the roughly 600 trade associations in Brussels
 
- Why policy makers have much higher expectations than previously 

 

- Marias views on why many new trade or interest associations are born
 
- If some trade organizations have become too big to represent all their members 
 
- How Public Affairs teams have changed - and how this is then reflected on the expectations on the trade/interest associations
 

All this in just 30 minutes!
 
And remember to check out www.thepublicaffairsengine.com for more insights from the world of Public Affairs. 
 
Enjoy!
 

Episode 2, season 3 of the Persuaders Podcast - with Assistant Professor Wiebke Junk.

This time we talk to Wiebke Junk, who is an Assistant Professor at the University of Copenhagen. The starting point for our conversation in this episode is Wiebke's paper from 2022 "Is There a First Mover Advantage in Lobbying? A Comparative Analysis of How the Timing of Mobilization Affects the Influence of Interest Groups in 10 Polities", co-authored with Michele Crepaz and Marcel Harnegraaff.

Among other things we cover: 

- The effect of timing in lobbying
- Who can benefit from early lobbying
- What are the mechanisms behind timing
- The supply & demand side for moving early
- Why jumping to the front of the line and shouting is not always the right thing to do
- If small lobby organisations can just copy the big ones 
-  And finally we discuss if it's only ressources that matter in the end 
 
30 minutes filled with insights about Public Affairs.
 
And remember to check out www.thepublicaffairsengine.com for more insights from the world of Public Affairs. 
 
The episode was produced by Rikke Bergquist.  Notes:
The paper "Is There a First Mover Advantage in Lobbying?" can be found here:
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00104140221109441 

The Persuaders podcast is back with season 3! We kick off this third season with a special episode about trends in Public Affairs in 2023. 
At the beginning of each year Anders Kopp Jensen shares his thoughts about trends in Public Affairs, exclusively on the podcast. Again this year, Ulobby Public Affairs Director, Sosun Sendi, takes on the role as guest host for this special episode and interviews Anders about what will happen in Public Affairs in 2023. 
In the episode Anders answers:
Why he thinks PA pros are often underperforming, and what they can do to get out of the "fire-distinguisher" role

What PA pros should focus more on in a rough macro / recession environment 

Why the organizational setup matters - and the position of the PA function internally is more important than ever

Why PA pros fear KPI's - and why this is a mistake

Why it is more important than ever to have a Public Affairs strategy and why many often fail to create it

Why many organizations (without a Public Affairs strategy) should implement a Public Affairs Code of Conduct  All this in just 30 minutes. Remember to subscribe to the Persuaders Podcast so you don't miss the coming episodes of season three!
This episode is sponsored by Ulobby, the leading SaaS-platform for Public Affairs professionals in the Nordics. 
The episode was produced by Rikke Bergquist.