The Persuaders podcast
The Persuaders is a podcast about Public Affairs. In the podcast we will dive in to how Public Affairs professionals solve their daily challenges. Their trials and tribulations. Their tips and tricks. The guests will come from many different types of companies and organizations across the world. The host of the podcast is Anders Kopp Jensen. Anders is the co-founder and CEO of Ulobby. Anders holds an MA in political science and has 10+ years of experience from politics and Public Affairs both on the consultancy side as well as in-house. He is also the author of "The Public Affairs Engine", a guide on how to build and fuel the PA engine in your organization. The guide is based on more than 500 conversations with PA professionals across Europe.
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Thea Utoft - How do you become one of Brussels most influential people?
02/28/2024
Thea Utoft - How do you become one of Brussels most influential people?
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.
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Trends in Public Affairs in 2024 - with Anders Kopp Jensen
01/16/2024
Trends in Public Affairs in 2024 - with Anders Kopp Jensen
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!
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Maria Teresa Scardigli, Managing Director, Kellen Europe - A new reality for trade associations?
08/21/2023
Maria Teresa Scardigli, Managing Director, Kellen Europe - A new reality for trade associations?
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 for more insights from the world of Public Affairs. Enjoy!
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Assistant Professor Wiebke Junk - Is There a First Mover Advantage in Lobbying?
04/18/2023
Assistant Professor Wiebke Junk - Is There a First Mover Advantage in Lobbying?
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 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:
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Trends in Public Affairs in 2023 - with Anders Kopp Jensen
01/30/2023
Trends in Public Affairs in 2023 - with Anders Kopp Jensen
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.
/episode/index/show/persuaders/id/25768713
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Assistant Professor Ellis Aizenberg - Drivers of corporate lobbying
12/19/2022
Assistant Professor Ellis Aizenberg - Drivers of corporate lobbying
This time we talk to Ellis Aizenberg, Assistant Professor at the Faculty Governance and Global Affairs at the University of Leiden (time of recording Ellis was working at Aarhus University in Denmark). Ellis conducts her research in relation to interest representation, lobbying and perceived legitimacy. We talk to Ellis about her recent article in Governance called “Conflict and salience as drivers of corporate lobbying? An elite survey experiment" In the episode we cover: - How conflict can motivate companies to lobby alone instead of together with a business organization - Different strategies companies can take when they are lobbying - The challenges business associations have in interest representation - What affects the "appetite" for seeking visibility (or the opposite) And Ellis also shares her view on transparency registers. All this in just 30 minutes! This episode was produced by Sidsel Nørgaard and sponsored by Ulobby, software for Public Affairs.
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PhD Alan Hardacre - the internal side of Public Affairs
11/23/2022
PhD Alan Hardacre - the internal side of Public Affairs
This time Alan Hardacre swings by the studio and shares his perspectives on the state of Public Affairs as well as the importance of the internal side of Public Affairs. Alan has a PhD in international relations from the Loughborough University. Alan has many years of experience both in public administration as well as on the corporate side. He has been practising, teaching and writing on advocacy and Public Affairs for over 20 years. Among other publications, Alan has authored the book “How the EU Institutions Work and... How to Work with the EU Institutions”. In this episode we cover: - How to build a high-performing Public Affairs function, and how not to! - Why Public Affairs in the EU is behind the US - Why EU companies see Public Affairs as a risk-managing function & why that is problematic - The importance of getting buy-in from senior leadership - How to avoid being isolated as a Public Affairs proffesional, e.g. if you are based in Brussels - And one of my favorite topics: the importance of taking the internal side of Public Affairs just as serious as the external side All this in just 30 minutes! This episode was produced by Sidsel Nørgaard & sponsored by Ulobby.
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PhD Marko Kovic - Digital Astroturfing
09/21/2022
PhD Marko Kovic - Digital Astroturfing
In this episode 4 in season 2 of the Persuaders Podcast we talk to Marko Kovic. Marko has a PhD in communication and media studies from the University of Zurich. He is now a researcher, author and podcaster. Marko co-authored the paper "Digital astroturfing in politics: Definition, typology, and countermeasures", which is the basis of our conversation. In the episode we cover: - What is digital astroturfing - How common is this phenomenon - How is it performed - by governments, IO's and corporations - What it does to our brains We also talk about misinformation, fake news and conspiracy theories and what causes them to go viral. And finally we talk about psy-ops & disinformation e.g. in wars like in Ukraine. All this in just 30 minutes. The episode is sponsored by Ulobby, software for Public Affairs.
/episode/index/show/persuaders/id/24445821
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Mark Dober - Dober Partners & Best in Brussels
08/10/2022
Mark Dober - Dober Partners & Best in Brussels
In this episode I talk to Mark Dober, Managing Director of Dober Partners and also the man behind Best in Brussels. The Public Affairs job market is on fire at the moment. The demand for skilled Public Affairs pros is by far exceeding the supply. The COVID-19 pandemic has played a big role as a catalyst for this, but also as Public Affairs is no longer just considered a defensive discipline - it has become a business enabler. Mark unfolds these new tendencies and also talks about which skills are in demand currently. He also spills the beans on what he is currently looking most for when recruiting for clients. Specially one skill in particular stands out! We also talk about the wage growth in our industry, which Mark finds unprecedented - and he reveals the current wage levels.
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PhD Maiken Røed - When do political parties listen to interest groups?
04/06/2022
PhD Maiken Røed - When do political parties listen to interest groups?
Episode 2, season 2 of the Persuaders Podcast - with PhD Maiken Røed. This time we talk to Maiken Røed, who recently defended her PhD thesis, at the department of political science at Lund University. In her research Maiken primarily focuses on interest groups, political parties as well as the EU. In this episode we discuss when political parties listen to interest groups - in the light of Maikens recent paper “When do political parties listen to interest groups?” - published in January 2022. In our discussion Maiken - among other questions - answers: - Which type of parties copy from proposals from interest groups? - What does media attention mean for how much political parties copy? - Do political parties change how much they copy and adopt up to elections? And what is the difference between incumbents and opposition parties? - What does the political system mean for adopting proposals from interest groups? - If you are an interest group is it then better to stand alone or find alliances in terms of increasing your chances of party adoption? Answers to all these questions in just 30 minutes! This episode is sponsored by Ulobby, the leading SaaS-platform for Public Affairs professionals in the Nordics. The episode was produced by Sidsel Nørgaard.
/episode/index/show/persuaders/id/22699580
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Trends in Public Affairs 2022 - Anders Kopp Jensen
02/09/2022
Trends in Public Affairs 2022 - Anders Kopp Jensen
The Persuaders podcast is back with season 2! We kick of this second season with a special episode about trends in Public Affairs. At the beginning of each year Anders Kopp Jensen shares his thoughts about trends in Public Affairs, but this year he shares them on the podcast. Ulobby Public Affairs Director, Sosun Sendi, takes on the role of guest host for this episode and interview Anders about: Why he believes the way the Public Affairs function is structured can be more important than hiring "hot names" for the PA team Why understanding the environment that the organization is in and what drives it can be more important than a large network Why PA professionals are suited to take charge of and drive sustainability efforts in organizations, as well as which skills will be in demand when recruiting PA professionals the coming years All this in rougly 30 minutes. This episode is sponsored by Ulobby, the leading SaaS-platform for Public Affairs professionals in the Nordics.
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Sara Carrer
12/27/2021
Sara Carrer
The last 2021-episode of the Persuaders podcast is now out!
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Too Good To Go - Christophe Diercxsens
12/08/2021
Too Good To Go - Christophe Diercxsens
In the 10. episode of the Persuaders podcast my guest is Christophe Diercxsens who works for Too Good To Go as a Global Public Affairs Manager. Christophe has 10 years experience from the consultancy side before joining Too Good To Go in 2019.
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Goodyear - Troy Scully
11/02/2021
Goodyear - Troy Scully
My guest on this episode is Troy Scully. Troy is an American living in Brussels and has worked in different senior communication and marketing roles at Lockheed Martin for more than a decade before joining Goodyear in 2016, first as a communications director and now Vice President for Communications & Public Affairs in the EMEA region.
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Ernst & Young - Andrew Hobbs
08/30/2021
Ernst & Young - Andrew Hobbs
This time we are joined by Andrew Hobbs, Partner & Public Policy Leader at Ernst & Young for Europe, Middle East, India and Africa. And this episode we talk about stakeholder capitalism.
/episode/index/show/persuaders/id/20304764
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Mavence - Anna Koj
07/27/2021
Mavence - Anna Koj
In this episode I had the pleasure of talking to Anna Koj, Managing Director for Mavence in Brussels. Mavence is an international recruitment firm at the crossroads of Public Affairs and people management.
/episode/index/show/persuaders/id/19942808
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Eurelectric - Kristian Ruby
06/29/2021
Eurelectric - Kristian Ruby
The sixth episode of the Persuaders podcast is now out!
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Philip Morris - Yiannis Korkovelos
05/26/2021
Philip Morris - Yiannis Korkovelos
In the fifth episode of the Persuaders podcast we fly to Brussels and talk to Yiannis Korkovelos, EU Government Affairs Manager at Philip Morris.
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Professor Anne Rasmussen
04/27/2021
Professor Anne Rasmussen
In this episode I talk to Anne Rasmussen, a professor in Political Science. We discuss transparency register, revolving doors and cooling periods!
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World Nuclear Association - John Lindberg
03/24/2021
World Nuclear Association - John Lindberg
The fourth episode of the Persuaders podcast is now available. This time my guest is John Lindberg, Public Affairs Manager at the World Nuclear Association.
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IKEA - Ann-Nina Finne
02/23/2021
IKEA - Ann-Nina Finne
The guest in this episode is Ann-Nina Finne. Ann-Nina is a Global Public Affairs Leader at IKEA Group.
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VOI Technology - Kristian Agerbo
01/15/2021
VOI Technology - Kristian Agerbo
In the first episode of the Persuaders we are joined by Kristian Agerbo who is VP of Public Policy & Market Development at the scooter company VOI Technology. We talk about Kristians experiences from Uber, how PA can support business objectives, and how VOI works with regulators and politicians. Kristian even mentions how he has implemented SCRUM in the PA team!
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Introduction to The Persuaders Podcast
01/13/2021
Introduction to The Persuaders Podcast
In this episode I outline some of the reasons behind starting a podcast about Public Affairs. The main driver was the challenges I learned from more than 500 conversations I have had the past 5 years with Public Affairs professionals across Europe.
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