Stefan Pinter - Delivering value and building a Public Affairs function from scratch
Release Date: 05/13/2024
The “lobby-professor” Arco Timmermans
The Persuaders Podcast
Is the traditional perception of Public Affairs outdated? Modern organizations demand more of Public Affairs Professionals than a good network among current politicians, and we are seeing a transition in expectations from a firefighter function to a business enabler. But the lack of common ground both in our profession, but also in the interaction with other professions, causes a lot of frustrations and problems for Public Affairs Professionals. If we can’t even as a profession agree on a definition, how can we then expect other professions to understand what we do and don’t...
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The Persuaders Podcast
"Public Affairs - from a firefighter to a business enabler?" - this is the topic in this episode of the Persuaders Podcast - the only podcast only about Public Affairs... In this episode we cover one of the biggest challenges in the Public Affairs departments across Europe right now: How Public Affairs can earn legitimacy. To explore this topic, I have invited Jacob Lund Nielsen in to the studio. Jacob Lund Nielsen has a long and impressive career in Brussels especially known for founding Cabinet DN, his time at Teneo as well as...
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The Public Affairs Manager Survey 2025
The Persuaders Podcast
The Public Affairs Manager Survey is a new yearly survey, which includes new data, insights and perspectives on the state of Public Affairs in Europe. 93 Public Affairs professionals from 27 countries in the EU has been interviewed for the survey by Anders Kopp. So in this episode co-host Sosun Sendi, Public Affairs Director at Ulobby, interviews Anders about the findings of the Public Affairs Manager Survey 2025, including: * Where is the Public Affairs function typically based? * How is the relationship...
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Associate Professor Peter Aagaard - AI and Public Affairs, beyond the hype
The Persuaders Podcast
New episode of the Persuaders Podcast is out! The only podcast only about Public Affairs... This time we dive into one of the hottest and most hyped trends in our field: AI and lobbyism. My guest is Peter Aagaard, Associate Professor at the Department of Social Sciences and Business at Roskilde University in Denmark. Peter has recently published an essay called "Digital lobbying 2.0," about AI and lobbyism, as a part of the Danish Democracy and Power Study. In the episode we cover: Is AI "the...
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Stefan Pinter - Delivering value and building a Public Affairs function from scratch
The Persuaders Podcast
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,...
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Thea Utoft - How do you become one of Brussels most influential people?
The Persuaders Podcast
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...
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Trends in Public Affairs in 2024 - with Anders Kopp Jensen
The Persuaders Podcast
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...
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Maria Teresa Scardigli, Managing Director, Kellen Europe - A new reality for trade associations?
The Persuaders Podcast
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...
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Assistant Professor Wiebke Junk - Is There a First Mover Advantage in Lobbying?
The Persuaders Podcast
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...
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Trends in Public Affairs in 2023 - with Anders Kopp Jensen
The Persuaders Podcast
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...
info_outlineThis 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?
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