Marcel Halma is an experienced communications and public affairs professional, having worked in senior positions in business, industry associations, and government. At the Dutch multinational AkzoNobel Marcel is head of government and public affairs, responsible for coordinating the company’s activities in the Europe-region and to the EU in Brussels. In 2016 he also served as interim director of communications for AkzoNobel’s Specialty Chemicals global business area. Before joining AkzoNobel, he worked as deputy director for a trade association. Marcel started his career as a Dutch diplomat, having served for 14 years in Brussels (EU), Geneva, New York and The Hague. His last posting was director of communications for the Dutch minister for European Affairs Frans Timmermans (the current European Commission First Vice-President). From 2013-2015, Marcel was president of the BVPA, the Dutch Association for Public Affairs professionals. He is a regular speaker and lecturer on public affairs, lobbying, communications, EU-affairs and association management.

Neil Pattie is the global head of media and industry analyst relations for Philips Lighting the world’s leading lighting company. Before that he ran a successful PR consultancy business, working with established brands and start-up technology companies. Neil was director of corporate communications at Avaya, led the company’s sponsorship of the FIFA World Cup, and was global head of media relations for ICL/Fujitsu. He started his communications career in the space industry working on high profile projects and helped to commercialise the UK government’s satellite remote sensing organisation. He has lived and worked in the UK, US and now lives in the Netherlands.

Willem Gabilly is in managing brand system, strategic and executive communications at IBM in France. Previously, he was leading the internal communications, driving managers and employee engagement in a context of permanent transformation. Early adopter of new technologies, he has developed his expertise in digital and social media, and adopted design thinking to co-create new strategies and experiences.

Mika Bildsøe Lassen is head of branding and communication at A.P. Møller Holding, which is a privately held investment company based in Denmark with approximately 20 billion USD under management. Mika Bildsøe Lassen has more than 20 years’ of experience in leading strategic branding and communications in international corporations from IT, media, and shipping industries. Mika Bildsøe Lassen joined the Maersk Group in 2014 as head of branding and communication, Svitzer and APM Shipping Services.

Natalia has extensive experience developing and implementing comprehensive corporate communications strategies aligned with the objectives and demands of companies operating in dynamic market conditions. Natalia has well-established relationships with the media and specialises in branding, positioning, events and digital communications. Her main clients are Visa, MegaFon, Platts, IHG, NCR, Dolby and Viacom, among others. Natalia has more than 15 years’ experience in the communications business both in agencies and leading PR departments in-house. She headed up corporate communications for construction company YIT in the Moscow region and at consulting firm Praedium and has also implemented strategic communications programs for international and local clients in the engineering, insurance, and finance sectors.

Jacques Spelkens was born in Brussels, Belgium in 1957. After graduating in philology, in philosophy and politic science at the ULB (University of Brussels), he started his professional career as a teacher and university professor (philosophy and modern languages) in Belgium and the United States. He’s still teaching master classes in ‘Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility,’ at ICHEC Brussels Management School, and is a regular worldwide lecturer on these topics. He also contributes to several media on a regular basis. He joined then the GDF SUEZ Group in 2003, in charge of communication and linguistics in several Belgian affiliates of this multinational group in the energy and utilities sector. In 2008, he became CSR manager for the group (based both in Paris and in Brussels) and in 2010 also head of the department social innovation at GDF SUEZ in Paris at worldwide corporate level. Within this department he was in charge of strategic topics: solidarity, diversity/alterity, fight against discrimination and exclusion, international partnerships and innovative policies regarding employment and training. In 2013, he became member of the board of CSR Europe and several organisations in the CSR sector like FAPE (Fund for Actions to Promote Employment), the FACE Foundation (Foundation for Acting to Counter Exclusion) where he’s adviser to the president and energy assistance.

Joanne Kennedy is Sanofi’s global head of R&D communications, providing strategic counsel to senior leadership of the 16,000 person global R&D organisation for employee and external communications. Joanne reports to Elias Zerhouni, President of R&D Sanofi and serves on the R&D management team. She is also a member of Sanofi’s communications leadership team. Joanne has more than 25 years of experience in public affairs and communications. She spent the first part of her career working in telecommunications and broadcasting policy in Ottawa. In 1990, Joanne joined the Canadian federal Department of Communications as a senior policy writer with responsibilities for the emerging information technology sector. She moved on to support the drafting of policy associated with the nascent intranet, winning recognition from the minister and associate ministers. In increasingly senior policy roles, Joanne became part of the Department of Canadian Heritage, to help tackle the issue of protecting culture and the broadcasting sector in a new world of information. While working for ministers during the World Trade Agreement in 1996 she was asked to join Teleglobe, an international telecom company, as their director of government affairs.

Bertrand Blaise holds a post-graduate degree in communications. He graduated from Centre d’Etudes Littéraires et Scientifiques Appliquées (CELSA)-Université Paris 4 and holds a degree in political science and international relations from Institut d’Etudes Politiques (IEP) in Strasbourg. He held a variety of positions in communications at Renault and within the Renault-Nissan alliance, including four years in the Asia-Pacific region (1999-2003) and four years as vice president, product and brand communication (2003-2007). He joined Alstom in 2007 and became vice president, international communications. In November 2014 he was appointed senior vice president, corporate communications of PSA Group.

Manuela Staub is head of communications at Swisscom Enterprise Customers, the largest ICT provider in Switzerland, and is responsible for the internal and external communication. The way digitalisation impacts companies and how corporate communications can support this transformation is the core of her daily work. She holds an Executive Master of Science Degree in communication management and is a graduate in business economics.