Keynotes

In the conversation, our host Andreea Plesa will touch upon:

• The ABCs of government relations: Mapping stakeholders, understanding their needs and agendas, finding common ground;
• The growing role of social media influencers on government decision-making;
• The increasing importance of policy teams within corporations;
• The basics of planning and implementing a GR strategy: GR team responsibilities and the correct allocation of resources.

In this interview with Nadiya Bilous, Director of GR at BAT Ukraine, we will touch upon:

• The challenges that GR teams at tobacco companies face;
• Increasing restrictions on business that companies in this sector have to deal with;
• Coalition-building, advocacy and other GR tools professionals are using to advance corporate interests;
• Challenges facing regional GR team management under COVID-19.

During this interview with Andy Hunder, the President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine will share some insights into how his organization changed its way of dealing with the government and public institutions in Ukraine:

• How the ACC succeeded in addressing the needs of its members as government priorities shifted;
• How the team managed to communicate needs and demands of various industries;
• How the organization took a leadership role in helping the government address the most critical issues of the pandemic.

In his presentation, Sebastian Tolwinski will share key milestones and outcomes in Upfield’s recent PR/GR campaign to protect plant-based food producers from legislative discrimination:

• How the campaign used media and consumers to influence decision-makers;
• The difference engaging with think-tanks and civil society makes;
• Building a coalition makes it easier to get necessary amendments to balance regulations.

In this interview, Piotr Marczuk is going to talk about:

• How global corporations are transforming their GR practices;
• What new challenges GR teams are facing during the pandemic;
• What new GR tools are emerging right now and which are likely to dominate in the post-pandemic world.

The staffing and recruiting services sector has been one of the most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the first months of the crisis, demand for employees declined steeply, causing many small and mid-size players to close, and market leaders to scale down.

Despite that, Adecco Group managed to deliver a number of wins in terms of stakeholder loyalty, community awareness, new strategic partnerships and loyal customers. Tune in to learn more details from Anna Wicha, Adecco Group’s Regional Public Affairs Director for Eastern Europe, the Middle East & North Africa.

In the interview with Piotr Bonislawski, a seasoned PA professional with more than 15 years of experience, we will discuss new challenges that PA teams face in recruiting, retaining, motivating, and training. The conversation will touch upon:

• What kind of skills are critically required for newly-hired PA professionals;
• What kinds of roles can be assigned to PA team members (Government Relations Manager, Policy Manager, Stakeholder Relations Manager, Market Access Manager, Digital Advocacy Manager, and so on).
• How to build and retain a successful PA team within an organization.

In this interview, we’re going to talk about how Bolt’s policy work influences the company’s sustainability efforts and vice versa. In the conversation, Sandra Särav will share her stories and examples from multiple CEE markets on how policy and sustainability efforts and teams get along.

In his presentation, Ben Petter, Grayling’s Chief Operating Officer in Europe, will reveal the results of a pan-European research project conducted by Grayling into how members of parliament across Europe — including 9 CEE countries — are using social media, and how that analysis can be leveraged to build more impactful GR campaigns.

In this interview with CEO Codrin Scutaru, we will touch upon the key transformations the GR agency business has gone through during the pandemic, the impact of COVID-19 on Romanian government agencies, and his vision of the future of GR and PA business in the post-COVID period.

Our guest will share some of recent GR cases and will also open up about some of the toughest decisions he has had to make as a leader during the crisis. Codrin Scutaru will also share insights on retaining and motivating the best PA professionals on the market and growing project teams in the new remote and digitized working environment.