Speakers
Paul Adamson
Chairman, Forum Europe, Founder and Editor of E!Sharp
Paul Adamson is chairman of Forum Europe and founder and editor of E!Sharp, an online magazine dedicated to covering the European Union and Europe's place in the world.
Paul is a member of the Centre for European Reform’s advisory board and Rand Europe's Council of Advisors. He is also a Visiting Professor at the Policy Institute, King’s College London, a patron of the University Association of Contemporary European Studies (UACES) and a Fellow of the UK Academy of Social Sciences.
In 2012, Paul was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) "for services to promoting understanding of the European Union” and in 2016 he was made a Chevalier in the Ordre national du Mérite by the French government.
Andy Davey
Editorial Cartoonist
Andy Davey's political cartoons, gag cartoons and caricatures have appeared in several UK publications including The Guardian, The Times, The Independent, The Sun, The Scotsman, Private Eye, Punch, The Spectator, New Statesman and Prospect. He has produced cover illustrations for European titles such as E! Sharp. On TV, he has drawn for the satirical animation 2DTV and covered political events (BBC, Sky News, C5).
To find out more, click here.
Marietje Schaake
Member of European Parliament
Marietje Schaake has been serving as a member of the European Parliament for the Dutch Democratic Party (D66) with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) political group since 2009. She serves on the International Trade committee, where she is the ALDE spokesperson on transatlantic trade and digital trade.
Schaake also serves on the committee on Foreign Affairs and the subcommittee on Human Rights. Furthermore, Marietje Schaake is the Vice-President of the US Delegation and serves on the Iran Delegation and the Delegation for the Arab peninsula. In 2017 she was the Chief of the European Union Election Observation Mission in Kenya She is also the founder of the European Parliament Intergroup on the Digital Agenda for Europe.
She is a member of the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace and is a Young Global Leader and a Member of the Global Future Council on Future Digital Economy and Society with the WEF.
Viorica Dancila
Prime Minister, Romania
Born in Roșiorii de Vede, Teleorman County, Romania, on 16 December 1963, Viorica Dăncilă holds a degree in engineering from the Oil and Gas Institute of Ploiești and a Master’s degree in European Public Space. She started her early career as an engineer and as a high school teacher.
In 1996, Mrs. Dăncilă became a member of the Social Democratic Party, in the SPD organization of Teleorman County. She becomes the local representative of the women’s organization of Videle in 2000, the President of SPD Videle in 2003, SPD Local Councillor in 2004, SPD County Councillor in 2008. In 2015 became the president of the Social Democratic Women's Organization, as well as a member of the National Standing Bureau of the Social Democratic Party, positions held until today.
In 2009, she was first elected as a member of the European Parliament and again in 2014, being the Head of the Romanian S&D delegation between 2014 and January 2018. As a member of the European Parliament, Viorica Dăncilă was Vice-Chair of the European Parliament's Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, member of the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality and a substitute member of the Committee on Regional Development.
On 29 January 2018 she was appointed Prime Minister of Romania, being the first Romanian woman to hold this position.
Mrs. Dăncilă is married and has a child. She speaks English and French.
Brenda King
Chief Executive, African & Caribbean Diversity
Brenda King Chief Executive of ‘African & Caribbean Diversity’ and has been a member of the European Economic and Social Committee since September 2002. During that time she has been contributed directly to a number of opinions on migration and integration including “EU Action Plan against migrant smuggling (2015-2020)”, “The contribution of migrant entrepreneurs to economy”, ‘The Global Approach to Migration and Mobility”.
She is currently co- Chair CARIFORUM EU Consultative Committee since 2014 and previously served as President of the ACP-EU Follow-up Committee from 2010 to 2013. She was President of the Sustainable Development Observatory from October 2015 to April 2018.
Brenda has received national recognition for her pioneering work with the Afro-Caribbean communities with a MBE awarded by the Queen in 2004 and an honorary degree from Warwick University. She has a BSc degree from University College London and an MSc from Warwick University.
Alex Barker
Brussels Bureau Chief, Financial Times
Alex Barker has spent the last five years in Brussels working as the FT’s European diplomatic editor and EU correspondent. Prior to that, he spent four years as a UK political correspondent in Westminster.
Barker started his career in current affairs television. After taking a Masters degree at Columbia University, he joined the FT as a graduate trainee in 2005. His reporting stints have included covering a US presidential campaign and a constitutional crisis in Ankara.
Prof Bobby Duffy
Professor of Public Policy and Director of the Policy Institute at King's College London
Bobby is Professor of Public Policy and Director of the Policy Institute at King's.
Prior to joining King's, Bobby was Managing Director of the Ipsos MORI Social Research Institute, which is a team of around 230 researchers in London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Brussels, and Global Director of the Ipsos Social Research Institute, across around 30 countries.
He has worked across most public policy areas in his career of 25 years in policy research and evaluation, and has been seconded to the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit and the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion (CASE) at the LSE.
Bobby also sits on several advisory boards for think tanks and universities, as well as the Campaign for Social Science.
His book, 'The Perils of Perception – why we’re wrong about nearly everything', was published by Atlantic books in September, drawing on a unique set of global studies on how people misperceive things like immigration levels, crime rates, obesity levels and many more key social realities.
Sir Julian King
Commissioner for the Security Union, European Commission
Sir Julian King was appointed Commissioner for Security Union on the 19th September 2016.
He joined the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in 1985. He has held various positions, including: UK Ambassador to France (2016); Director General Economic & Consular (2014); DG of the Northern Ireland Office London and Belfast (2011); UK Ambassador to Ireland (2009); EU Commission Chef de Cabinet to Commissioner for Trade (2008); UK Representative on EU Political and Security Committee, (2004).
Sir Julian is a graduate of Oxford University. He was awarded the KCVO in 2014; CVO in 2011 and CMG in 2006.
Tony Connelly
Europe Editor, RTE
Tony Connelly (born 1964, in County Antrim) is a journalist and author. He is Europe Editor for RTÉ News and Current Affairs.
Connelly has written for other agencies and publications, including Time, United Press International and the Irish Independent. His views have also been sought by Euronews, which considers him a respected journalist and "experienced Euro watcher".
Connelly's first book Don't Mention the Wars: A Journey Through European Stereotypes was published in 2009.
Giacomo Persi Paoli
Research Group Director, RAND
Giacomo Persi Paoli is associate director of RAND Europe’s Defence, Security and Infrastructure group, where he leads the National Security and Resilience research portfolio. He is also the head of RAND Europe's Centre for Futures and Foresight Studies.
Since joining RAND Europe, Persi Paoli has contributed to several research projects for high profile clients such as the United Nations, NATO, the European Commission, the European Defence Agency, the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders, the UK Army, the UK MOD and the Australian Navy. His areas of expertise span the defence and security domain, with recent work covering counter-terrorism, maritime security, border security, risk analysis, arms control and defence market analysis.
Prior to joining RAND Europe, Persi Paoli served 14 years as warfare officer of the Italian Navy with operational experience in maritime interdiction operations, including counter-piracy in the Horn of Africa and immigration surveillance and rescue in the South Mediterranean. Finally, He also conducted research and analysis work on illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons and related counter-measures for the United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs (New York, USA), the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (Geneva, Switzerland), and Small Arms Survey (Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva, Switzerland). He received his Ph.D. in economic theory and institutions from the University of Roma Tor Vergata (Italy).
Dan Michaels
Brussels Bureau Chief, The Wall Street Journal
Daniel Michaels is the European Aerospace and Aviation Editor of The Wall Street Journal, based in Brussels. He writes about and oversees coverage of airlines, aviation and aerospace industries in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. He has been covering these industries since 1999. He also frequently writes aheds, about almost any subject.
From 1993 to 1999, Daniel covered Central & Eastern Europe for the WSJ, based in Warsaw, focusing on business, politics and society. He previously worked as a management consultant on privatization in Poland and Russia. Before that, he was a management consultant with Booz, Allen & Hamilton in New York City, working across a range of industries in the U.S. and Canada.
Daniel is a graduate of Princeton University, where he studied China and East Asia. He speaks French, Polish and rusty Mandarin Chinese.
Phil Hogan
European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development
Mr Phil Hogan, EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development since November 1 2014.
Commissioner Hogan grew up on a farm in rural Kilkenny, in south-east Ireland. From 1989 until he became Commissioner, he represented the Carlow/Kilkenny constituency in Dáil Éireann, the Irish Parliament, where he served in the Fine Gael Party shadow cabinet and as spokesman on Europe, on the food industry, on consumer affairs and on regional policy.
Between 2011 and 2014, he served as Minister for the Environment and Local Government in the Irish Government of Prime Minister Enda Kenny TD. During this time, he successfully implemented a broad-ranging agenda, including the biggest reform of local government since the foundation of the Irish State.
He has also occupied various senior posts at local, national and European level, including President of the Council of EU Environment Ministers (2013), Chairman of the European People's Party of Environment Ministers (2012-14), National Director of Elections for the Fine Gael party (2010-11), Fine Gael Director of Organisation (2002-07), Chairman of Kilkenny County Council (1985 and 1998), Chairman of the Fine Gael Parliamentary Group (1995-2001) and Minister of State at the Irish Department of Finance (1994-95).
Prior to his entry to politics, he established and subsequently directed an insurance and real estate business. He also managed the family farm between 1981-83 and is a graduate of University College Cork, with a BA in Economics and Geography (1981).
Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska
Senior research fellow, Centre for European Reform
Agata works on the EU institutional architecture, EU decision making process, differentiated integration, on Polish European policy and the UK's relationship with the EU.
She has participated in numerous collaborative projects funded by i.a. International Visegrad Fund, the European Commission, as well as by Norway grants. Agata is also a core member of the Reshaping European Democracy project – an initiative of Carnegie’s Democracy and Rule of Law Program and Carnegie Europe.
Before joining the CER, Agata worked as a senior research fellow at the Polish Institute of International Affairs in Warsaw where she dealt with EU institutional affairs. Prior that Agata worked for international law firm in Warsaw. She holds masters degrees in law and international relations, both obtained at Warsaw University.
John E. Frank
Vice President EU Government Affairs, Microsoft Corporation
John Frank is Microsoft's Vice President, EU Government Affairs. In this role, John leads Microsoft’s government affairs teams in Brussels and European national capitals on EU issues.
John was previously Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Chief of Staff for Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith based at Microsoft’s corporate headquarters in Redmond Washington. In this role, he managed several teams including the Law Enforcement and National Security team, the Industry Affairs group, Corporate, Competition Law and Privacy Compliance teams and the department’s technology and business operations team.
For his first eight years at Microsoft, John was based at Microsoft’s European headquarters in Paris. Initially he was responsible for the legal and regulatory issues involved in the launch of the Microsoft Network (now MSN). From 1996 to 2002, Mr. Frank led Microsoft’s Legal and Corporate Affairs group for Europe, Middle East and Africa focusing on issues including privacy, security, consumer protection and antitrust. Mr. Frank began the company’s European Government Affairs program, which focused on advocacy on software and online policy issues.
Prior to joining Microsoft, John Frank practiced law in San Francisco with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. Mr. Frank received his A.B. degree from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and his J.D. from Columbia Law School.
Eve Geddie
Deputy Director, PICUM (Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants)
Eve is a human rights specialist with over fifteen years of experience on migration and advocating for migrants rights at national, EU and global level.
Since 2007, she has worked with the Brussels-based NGO PICUM, a network of over 160 organisations working with undocumented migrants across Europe, and will soon join Amnesty International as Head of the European Institutions Office.
Eve holds a European Masters Degree in Human Rights and Democratisation and an undergraduate degree in English, Media and Cultural Studies, having previously studied at universities in Ireland, Italy, and Belgium.
Camino Mortera-Martinez
Senior research fellow, Centre for European Reform
Camino Mortera-Martinez is a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform. Camino works on EU justice and home affairs, with a particular focus on migration, data protection, internal security, criminal law and police and judicial co-operation. She also covers Spain’s foreign and European policies.
Prior to joining the CER, Camino worked in several projects for the European Commission, as part of the justice and home affairs team of a Brussels-based consultancy. She was particularly involved in projects dealing with free movement of persons, criminal and civil law, counter-terrorism (including aviation security), police and judicial co-operation and international private law. Camino has also worked at a law firm in Spain, at the European Commission in Brussels and at an international German company in Berlin, Barcelona and Brussels.
Camino is a qualified lawyer and holds a Master's Degree in Law by the University of Oviedo (Spain), an Exchange Diploma in Legal Studies by Cardiff University (UK) and a Master of Arts on EU Political and Administrative Studies by the College of Europe (Belgium).
She is a regular contributor to media in Europe and the US and has given evidence to the UK Parliament.
Hendrik Bourgeois
Vice President Corporate Affairs for the EMEA region, Cargill
Hendrik Bourgeois is Vice President Corporate Affairs for the EMEA region at Cargill.
In this role, Hendrik designs and implements government affairs strategies for Cargill across the region that are underpinned by strong communications, brand and corporate responsibility, and sustainable development activities. He also provides strategic leadership for Cargill’s businesses in EMEA in engagements with government, stakeholders, media, civil society and employees.
Before joining Cargill, Hendrik served in several executive positions at General Electric (GE) including most recently as GE’s General Counsel Europe and head of European Affairs. Prior positions at GE included General Counsel EMEA, and Senior European Competition Counsel, serving all GE businesses on a wide variety of competition law matters involving mergers and acquisitions, distribution, R&D activities and compliance issues.
Prior to joining GE, Hendrik was an attorney with Jones Day, based in Washington, D.C. and Brussels, where he practiced mainly U.S. antitrust and European competition law. Hendrik obtained his law degree at the Rijksuniversiteit Gent, Belgium, and has an LL.M. degree from Harvard Law School.
Gordon Sondland
U.S. Ambassador to the EU
Gordon Sondland was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on June 29, 2018, as U.S. Representative to the European Union with the rank of Ambassador. He arrived in Brussels on July 8, 2018, and presented his credentials at the European Commission and to President of the European Council Donald Tusk on July 9, 2018.
Ambassador Sondland is the Founder and CEO of Provenance Hotels, a national owner and operator of full-service boutique “lifestyle” hotels. Provenance and its affiliates (founded in 1985), currently own and/or operate 19 hotels in seven states and have another six hotels currently under development. Provenance creates unique, independent full-service, urban hotels, each with their own design, story and closely associated art collection. The Company employs over 1,000 associates between its hotels and its Portland headquarters. The Company has received critical acclaim for its hotels from such varied publications as The New York Times, Conde Nast, Travel and Leisure, and many other national and international publications. In 2015, Provenance consolidated more than half of its assets into a $500mm fund with a strong balance sheet and liquidity. The Fund anticipates reaching a gross asset value of approximately $1 billion in 2018.
Ambassador Sondland’s community service includes positions on Governor Kulongoski’s transition team, as well as service on the Commission for White House Fellowships to which he was appointed by President George W. Bush. Governor Kulongoski asked Ambassador Sondland to serve as a principal Republican liaison between Oregon and the White House, and during the following seven years, Ambassador Sondland assisted successfully in securing federal funds for various urgent Oregon state needs. Ambassador Sondland also served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Portland Art Museum, and was elected its Chairman in 2009 where he served until 2011.
Ambassador Sondland was appointed by Governor Kulongoski as Chairman to the Governor’s Office of Film and Television in 2002. As one of the longest serving members and Chairs, Ambassador Sondland helped to preside over the growth of Oregon’s film and television industry, by securing for Oregon the production of such television series as The Librarians, Grimm, Portlandia and Leverage. During his tenure, the Film Office lured films such as Wild, starring Reese Witherspoon, and The Ring Two starring Naomi Watts, among many others. Ambassador Sondland is also a current member of the US Bancorp Advisory Board, and he also serves on the Board of Visitors of the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University.
In 1993, Ambassador Sondland co-founded the Gordon D. Sondland and Katherine J. Durant Foundation, which was established to “help families and boost communities.” The Foundation has given millions of dollars to such diverse needs as childhood education, African hunger programs, the arts, and medical research. Beneficiaries include the Portland Art Museum, where among several capital gifts, the Foundation has endowed in perpetuity free access for children under 18. In addition, the Foundation established a nutrition program for the Simonga Village School in Zambia, where the Foundation feeds breakfast to 500 young students each school day. The Foundation recently announced the establishment of the Sondland/Durant Early Cancer Detection Conference under the Knight Cancer Institute at OHSU. The Foundation also contributes significantly to the Military Service Initiative program operated by the Bush Center in Dallas. The Foundation collaborates annually with comedian Jay Leno and President Bush to raise a significant portion of the budget of the program. Additionally, the Sondland/Durant Foundation recently created the Sondland and Durant Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Duke University.
Luuk van Middelaar
Historian and Political Philosopher
Luuk van Middelaar (1973) is a political theorist and historian. He is a professor of EU law at Leiden University and a political commentator for NRC Handelsblad and De Standaard.
The author of the prizewinning The Passage to Europe, he was the chief speechwriter and a close advisor to European Council President Herman Van Rompuy (2010-2014). Van Middelaar published his first book, Politicide, in 1999. His most recent book is Alarums & Excursions: Improvising Politics on the European Stage, also out in French and Dutch. Since 2018, he is member of the Dutch Advisory Council on International Affairs and the Chair of its Commission on European Integration.