Fleishman-Hillard Inc. is the world's most complete communications company specializing in Public Relations, Public Affairs, Marketing, Paid Media and Transmedia and Social Content, founded and based in St. Louis, Missouri. It was acquired by Omnicom Group in 1997, becoming part of the Diversified Agency Services (DAS) division. In 1994, the company expanded its operations to the Asia Pacific region with an office in Beijing. In May 2013, the company rebranded its name to Fleishman-Hillard.

A community of practice is a group of people who come together to share and learn from one another face-to-face or virtually. They are held together by a common interest in a body of knowledge and are driven by a desire and need to share problems, experiences, insights, templates, tools and best practices. Members deepen their knowledge by interacting on an ongoing basis. This interaction leads to continuous learning and innovation.

Our Objective

There is often a gap between the ideal and the reality of government relations/public policy advocacy in practice – a matter of concern to many, including students of the discipline. As an occupation, government relations/public policy advocacy is not free of the concerns of its students, academics and professionals.

1. Mr. Yang Yani from the Communist Party of China's (CPC) international relations department has been appointed as the New Chinese Ambassador to the European Union.

2. Mr. Stefaan De Rynck has been named Head of Unit for Free Movement of Capital in the European Commission's Department for the Internal Market and Services.

3. Mr. Nicolas Gilbert-Morin has been appointed Head of Cabinet by Mr. László Andor, the European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion.

Beside all the external threats Government Relations/Public Policy Advocacy practitioners may face, a more serious threat is the threat of apathy. The dictionary defines apathy as a state of indifference or the suppression of passion, emotion or excitement also, the lack of interest in or concern for things that others find moving or exciting. The opposite of apathy is enthusiasm, fervour, concern and passion.

AALEP's view of a community of practice is that of a group of people who share a concern for government relations and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly.

Our view of a community of practice is not merely that of a club of friends or a network of connections between people. Our community of practice's identity is defined by a shared interest in government relations. Our Community Membership therefore implies a commitment to the field of government relations and therefore a shared competence.

We purposefully use the term 'Affiliate' rather than 'Join' because 'Affiliate' incorporates the notion of shared identity. Our purpose first and foremost is to advance our profession based on a common vision and shared values.

Become affiliated with AALEP today and receive a well-rounded selection of educational and networking benefits that can enhance your career and make you a more valuable Government Relations Professional. Check out these popular benefits and claim them for yourself:

The Latest Information on Public Policy Advocacy

On Friday, 7 February 2013, the Croatian Sabor Parliament (Sabor) named Mr. Natko Vlahovic, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Croatia-EU Business Council (CEUBC) and a good friend of AALEP, as one of six external (expert) members to the Sabor European Affairs Committee, chaired by Croatian MP Daniel Mondekar (SDP). The Committee consists of 14 MPs and six external members. Nominated by the CEUBC, Mr.

There are about 3,000 interest groups in Brussels and they employ roughly 16,000 people as follows:

Number of Employees by Main Interest Groups Category

AALEP has decided to make sweeping changes in the way it operates in order to reach a more robust web presence, provide more streamlined communications and a complete transformation of its membership structure- which counter to tradition- eliminates dues for most members.