Professional identity varies greatly within our profession. When one drills down to what each professional does, we quickly discover that each and every professional is unique and each has his/her own particular identity.  We need to recognize and respect the professional diversity amongst those who have chosen to be public policy advocates and strive to represent the diverse interests that make up this unique and dynamic profession.

Here below is the first alphabetical listing of the leadership of the Public Affairs Consultancies that are members of the European Public Affairs Consultancies Association (EPACA). The list compiled by AALEP only considers the top managers (partners and directors) and includes 131 names along with their title and affiliation. The development of this list did require an examination of each consultancy’s website to identify their leadership.

A U.S. missile strike on Syria could trigger an explosive chain reaction from Syria or its allies like Hezbollah and Iran, and the blowback could hit U.S./French targets or Israel or Syria might simply stop using chemical weapons and there is no retaliation at all. Gauging the ripple effects of a U.S. strike on Syria is part of the calculations of the Obama administration but it is imprecise science. Any military strike often has ramifications that are not anticipated. We face major uncertainties regarless of what is done.

Whether it is monitoring government activities, advocating, lobbying or strategic partnering, those leaders who demonstrate they understand and can influence the public policy arena are better able to support those they serve. The process of influencing policy can be broken into four broad and interelated steps.

If you are a board member, chief executive officer or programme manager, following the four steps outlined here below will help you influence governments on the issue that are important to you and your organization.