Summer 2016 Interelian FINAL

BREXIT? 

After months of campaigning, the 

results are FINALLY in... 

»» 

p.8 

The 

Interelian 

Interel Group’s internal newsletter 

Summer 2016 

INTEREL WELCOMES GLOBAL 

PARTNERSHIP TO 2016 

SUMMIT 

Hear about the recent Global 

Partnership Summit and what was 

discussed over the two days. 

»» 

p.3 

INTERELIANS TAKE TO THE 

RUNNING TRACK... 

It seems Interelians have a new 

hobby... Find out more and just how 

to join in. 

»» 

p.12 

THE FRENCH ARE 

READY FOR THE 

EUROS... 

WELCOME TO OUR 

NEWBIES 

»» 

p.10 

»» 

p.13 

NEW CLIENT WINS! 

THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF VIDEO ADVOCACY 

Find out more about the recent project for BNE and how Lego 

was involved... 

»» 

p.4 »» 

p.14 

www.interelgroup.com

2 

This is the end of 

linear thinking. 

We are never offline, 

your children judge the 

quality of a hotel by the 

quality of the wifi. 

Peter Hinssen delivering his keynote speech on 

disruption 

Prof. Dr Eberhard Sandschneider delivers keynote 

speech on security and geopolitical instability 

Science fiction is becoming 

a reality. We’re just 

getting started... 

Snippets from Peter 

Hinssen’s keynote 

speech on disruption 

Fredrik taking a selfie with Kamal Taibi from 

Strateus Group, Morocco 

Fredrik dining and chatting with Baudouin 

The Interel Global Partnership gather for a group 

photo at the Royal Museums of Art and History 

The Interelian | Summer 2016

3 

INTEREL WELCOMES 

GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP 

AT 2016 SUMMIT 

LAUREN RODEN 

28% of 

respondents 

to the survey said that in 

2016, social media has 

a lot of influence. That’s 

compared to just 4% in 

2015. 

A few weeks ago, we welcomed 

public affairs professionals from 

over 30 countries to Brussels, 

for our Global Public Affairs 

Summit. 

Members of the Interel Global 

Partnership came from all over the 

globe, with representatives from 

Australia, Singapore, Japan and 

Argentina in attendence. 

Hot topics of the summit included 

disruption, with an incredible 

keynote speech from Peter Hinssen. 

Peter is famous around the world 

for his engaging speeches, and 

he got the group fired up for the 

rest of the day; with the theme of 

disruption. 

Peter focussed on the importance 

of thinking about the day after 

tomorrow. It’s sure to be a message 

many took away from the day and 

will be using when working with 

clients. 

Fredrik also launched the results of 

our Global Public Affairs Report 

2016, now in it’s third year. 

The report saw key takeaways 

including optimism in the public 

affairs industry being high, with 

78% of respondents saying that 

they will be hiring over the next 12 

months. 

Another key takeaway from the 

report was that social media is 

growing in importance in the 

industry, with 28% of respondents 

to the survey saying that social 

media has ‘a lot’ of influence, 

compared to only 4% in 2015. This 

big jump perhaps alludes to it’s 

growing future importance. 

Only time will tell, and we’re 

looking forward to seeing what the 

results of the 2017 survey show! 

said that 

48% clients are 

very concerned about 

political risk, which has 

risen from 37% in 2015. 

63% of 

respondents 

expect more regulation 

of the industry in the next 

2 years. 

75% 

of members 

of the Interel 

Global Partnership have 

seen an increase in 

revenue over the last 2 

years. 

82% 

of Interel 

Global 

Partnership members 

expect revenue to grow 

further over the next 5 

years. 


4 

THE FIRST GLOBAL PUBLIC 

AFFAIRS AWARDS 

LAUREN RODEN 

During the Interel Global Partnership Summit, we hosted the 

very first Global Public Affairs Awards. The awards aimed 

to reward outstanding public affairs campaigns, submitted 

by those in Interel and Global Partnership members. 

The awards up for grabs were the Innovation Award and 

the Impact Award. The awards were judged by Fruzsina 

Harsanyi, Senior Advisor for Interel, and Andras Baneth from 

the Public Affairs Council. 

The Innovation Award went to Farner Consulting, from 

Switzerland, for their campaign that mobilised the population 

to vote for a constitutional change to allow childless couples to 

access reproductive medicine. The campaign used innovative 

digital techniques to win public support and secure a 

constitutional amendment. 

The Impact Award was awarded jointly to CEC Government 

Relations (Poland) and Interel EU. The Polish campaign saw 

the team secure a government commitment to invest in more 

nurses and midwives, using a variety of techniques, including 

virtual reality video which allowed viewers to witness the 

reality of a day in the life of a nurse. 

The Interel EU campaign secured €1 million for kidney health 

in the EU’s annual budget, through building a coalition of 

health professionals and researchers working on kidney 

health across the EU. The team was behind the creation of an 

MEP group for kidney health, using innovative and traditional 

techniques to reach influencers and policy makers. 

Find out more about all the campaigns here. 

NEW CLIENTS 

BRUSSELS 

CEFIC 

LONDON 

Serco 

BERLIN 

HomeAway 

EU 

European 

Alumnium 

PARIS 

Bpifrance 


5 

BREXIT FOR LUNCH... 

BENJAMIN MATTHES 

On May 25th, the Interel office 

in Berlin was happy to host the 

Interel policy lunch on Brexit. 

At first everyone was distracted 

by the quality of the catered food 

(we’ve never had a more delicious 

asparagus soup). Then leaders of 

business, politics and academia 

soon shifted their attention to the 

latest insights of CEO, Fredrik, and 

Head of the London office, George, 

on Brexit. 

The two revealed how the 

participation of young voters may 

influence the referendum on June 

23rd. As youngsters tend to be 

more optimistic about the EU, they 

are more likely to vote to remain in 

the EU. 

The biggest wildcard may be the 

referendum’s date in midst of the 

Euros. George argued, somewhat 

tongue in cheek, that the vote right 

after the group stage – traditionally 

the last reason to celebrate for 

the Three Lions – will play a role. 

What role that would be? Nobody 

dared to place a bet... 

Generally, however, the experts 

assumed that ultimately Brits will 

choose to remain. The uncertainties 

of a Brexit would scare too many 

voters. However, George raised 

the point that a close win for the 

“remainers” would not be enough 

to silence the “leaver’s” substantial 

criticism in the future. 

Lastly, in the case of an opt-out, a 

quick break with the EU would not 

be possible anyway. The invocation 

of Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty 

(withdrawal from the EU) would 

initiate a complex political process, 

which would last presumably two 

years before Great Britain could 

officially leave. 

George presents his thoughts on the possible 

implications of ‘Brexit’ 


6 

UK VOTES IN HISTORIC 

“INDEPENDENCE DAY” 

THE WORLD WATCHES 

This morning, the UK woke up 

to the news that they would be 

leaving the European Union. 

In what is being hailed as a seismic 

shift in British politics, and indeed 

European relations, the UK will 

start the process of leaving the 

EU shortly, with David Cameron 

confirming he will be standing 

down as Prime Minister before the 

next party conference in October. 

Overnight, as results flooded in, 

it became clear that there was 

a divde across the country, with 

Scotland voting overwhelmingly to 

remain in the EU, and the rest of 

the UK seemingly split. 

The news caused markets to 

react violently, with the pound 

plummeting throughout the night, 

with further falls likely today and 

throughout the weekend. 

With regards to the economy, the 

UK is likely to experience shortterm 

shock, with the Bank of 

England and the Treasury likely to 

trigger stability contingency plans. 

Of course, all of this means that 

many legislative and political 

policy decisions will continue to be 

on hold. The Government will find 

it challenging to progress with key 

decisions on issues such as Trident 

or airport expansion until a new 

Prime Minister is in place. 

Attention is now to turn to how the 

UK will actually go about leaving 

the EU, with much discussion 

around Article 50 and the Treaty 

on the European Union. David 

Cameron has indicated that this is 

up to the next Prime Minister as to 

when they will activate this process. 

As with the General Election, 

polling organisations are taking a 

close look at why they weren’t able 

to more closely predict the outcome 

of the referendum. ComRes, for 

example, had an 8 point lead for 

remain on the night of the vote. 

It’s likely that regional and 

demographic differences played a 

powerful role in the outcome, and 

that voters were perhaps struggling 

with making their decision until the 

last minute. 

The UK team gather to hear from David Cameron 


The Prime Minister has announced 

that he will stand down by the 

Conservative Party Conference, 

once a new leader is chosen. 

Leadership Process 

To stand for the Conservative 

party leadership, the potential 

runners and riders are going to 

need to need the support of two 

MPs to propose and second them 

in writing. The deadline for this 

part of the process has yet to be 

announced. 

Once this step is completed the 

parliamentary party will hold a 

series of votes to weed out the 

least popular candidates. In all 

likelihood this will result in two 

favourable candidates being 

put forward for a final vote by 

the party membership. There is 

however a possibility that more 

candidates are allowed through to 

the membership vote. 

Despite his unpopularity in the 

Parliamentary Party, at present 

Boris Johnson MP is well ahead 

as the lead contender to become 

Prime Minister. The other likely 

contender to be put to the ballot 

of Conservative Party Members is 

Theresa May although much will 

depend on the final Parliamentary 

Party selection. 

Labour Leadership 

Alongside the announcement that 

David Cameron will stand down 

as Prime Minister and leader 

of the Conservative Party, there 

has been an announcement that 

Labour MPs have tabled a motion 

of no confidence in Labour Leader 

Jeremy Corbyn. The motion 

will now be considered by the 

chairman of the Parliamentary 

Labour Party John Cryer MP at the 

next meeting on Monday. 

Process of withdrawing from the 

EU 

Whilst the UK’s referendum on 

the EU has resulted in a vote to 

leave the EU, this is not a legally 

binding decision. David Cameron 

has already announced that he will 

not enact Article 50 but will allow 

the next Prime Minister to decide 

when to do so. Whilst this will 

create uncertainty in the markets 

it is possible that the formal legal 

process of leaving the EU may not 

start until the Autumn. 

Once article 50 is enacted the 

process should take two years for 

the UK to withdraw and negotiate 

its future relationship with the EU. 

However given the complexity of 

the UK’s relationship with the EU, 

this process may take significantly 

longer. 

Implications for the rest of the EU 

There are likely to be significant 

ramifications for the rest of the EU. 

In the Netherlands, Geert Wilders 

has promised to table a motion in 

the Dutch Parliament for a Dutch 

Referendum in the near future, 

and we could well see a domino 

effect as others seek to secure 

their departure from the EU. This 

will also have implications for the 

upcoming General Elections in 

Spain this weekend and France 

and Germany next year. 

Scotland 

The votes suggest that unlike 

England and Wales, Scotland 

has voted strongly in favour of 

remaining in the EU. Nicola 

Sturgeon has said today that 

she is going to do everything 

she can to keep Scotland in the 

EU, indicating that we may see 

another referendum on Scottish 

independence. 

Northern Ireland 

Arlene Foster, Democratic Unionist 

first minister, has said that there 

will be no poll on the region’s 

place within the UK after the Brexit 

vote. This comes after demands 

by Martin McGuiness, from Sinn 

Fein, for a referendum on a united 

Ireland following Britain’s vote to 

leave the EU. 

To view an infographic from 

the UK team on the timeline for 

Brexit, click here. 

Delicious cakes made by Amanda in the UK office, 

featuring key faces on Team Brexit and Team Remain... 

A word from Fredrik... 

On a personal note, I am sad 

about the outcome. The UK is often 

the voice of reason in EU decision 

making and the clout represented 

by its economy and standing in 

the international community will 

no doubt be greatly missed in the 

future. I am also very sorry for the 

48,1 % of the UK population that 

voted to remain. 

But this does not mean the end of 

the European Union. It may mean 

the end of the United Kingdom as 

we know it, but the EU project is 

beyond the point of no return. 

The importance of preserving the 

integrity of the Euro coupled with 

the obvious benefits of the single 

market means that few, if any, 

members can afford to leave. 

The impact in the shorter term 

to our business is going to be 

nominal. In fact, there is probably 

going to be a greater need 

than ever for our support, as 

companies and organizations 

seek to understand what is going 

to happen next, including figuring 

out how to respond to the many 

new developments that the EU is 

destined to face in the future. 

7 


8 

TO HAVE WON AND LOST... 

AN ODE TO A SABRE... 

A POEM BY ANON 

Earlier this month, a group of 

Interel heavyweights made 

their way to the glorious city of 

Berlin to attend a glitzy award 

ceremony. Interel were up 

for several awards, including 

Benelux Consultancy of the 

year, EU campaign of the year 

and the Issues Management 

Award. 

They seek it here, they seek it there 

They seek that Sabre everywhere 

Not in the bar or under the table 

Go back to the venue when they’re able 

Not there either, what a to-do! 

Grabbed by the monkeys at the Berlin Zoo? 

Plenty of photos - we certainly had it 

Wonder if Hill and Knowlton grabbed it 

Back and forward, up and down 

We search and search in Berlin town 

Who last had it? Who’s to blame? 

(Not telling, this is not ‘name and shame’!) 

Finally, we admit defeat 

We know when we’re really beat 

Will we replace it, no we won’t 

Winnings the thing and we won the vote! 

So enjoy the photos, enjoy the mystery 

This Benelux Sabre’s gone down in history 

As the first award ever to be loved and lost 

At a very very significant cost! 

Congratulations to the best Brussels based agency in the world! 


9 

MARK BECOMES A 

FAVOURITE ON TV! 

LAUREN RODEN 

A few weeks ago, Mark Pinner 

partipated in a live debate on TV 

in Beijing, on the heated topic of 

regulating electric scooters and 

electric bicycles. 

Mark has been starring in a variety 

of different talk shows debating all 

sorts of subjects. 

Most recently, he was interviewed 

today on his thoughts about the UK 

EU referendum. 

Mark explained to German media 

that the impact on Britain and the 

rest of Europe was likely to affect 

the economy and Britain’s ‘soft 

power’ influence in the world. 

The day before the UK EU 

referendum, Mark also joined in a 

live TV news discussion on Chinese 

TV discussing the likelihood of a 

leave or remain vote. 

Mark pointed out the clear 

difference of opinions between 

young and old voters, as well as 

Scotland, London and the rest of 

England. 

These appearances are not the 

first time Mark has appeared on 

national television in China... 

In fact, he’s becoming a bit of a 

celebrity! 

Mark has also appeared on the 

Chinese version of ‘Take Me Out’, 

which I’m sure many of you are 

now familiar with thanks to the 

most recent Christmas party! 

So, we sat down with Mark and 

tried to glean some useful hints 

and tips for anyone else wanting to 

appear on television... 

“I think I have attracted 

interest because I have 

unusual perspectives (speaking 

Mandarin and an interest in 

British politics), and I know 

people in TV media or others 

connected to them. 

I post items on my social media 

account which they or their 

friends have seen, and then 

recommended me. 

Elsewhere you could use 

Linkedin as well which serves a 

similar business purpose. 

I suppose I am quite well spoken 

too which helps!” 

There you go! So if you’re 

looking to begin a career in TV 

commentating, it helps to be well 

spoken and provide perspectives to 

an argument that others may not. 

We look forward to seeing other 

Interelians on our screens in the not 

too distant future...! 

View Mark’s TV appearances 

below... 

Brexit views in Beijing 

Interview with German media (to 

be published this evening!) 

Bicycle regulation debate 


10 

THE FRENCH ARE READY TO 

CELEBRATE THE EUROS 2016... 

LAURE DE LAMBERT 

Third: start to learn the rules of 

football. You don’t want to be 

considered as a “Footix” (someone 

who pretends to be an expert in 

the discipline and makes random 

comments during the games...). 

Fourth: know the name of your 

football team members. No, 

Zinedine Zidane is not a player 

anymore… 

• Stadium renovations all over 

the country: check. 

• Selection of the sponsors 

and partnerships: check. 

• Establishment of the coolest 

“fan zones”: check. 

• Implementation of the 

security dispositive: check. 

• Preparation of the French 

team: double-check! 

Yes, France is finally ready for 

the European most favourite sport 

competition: the 2016 EUROs. 

No matter how high the 21st 

century Seine floods are (see 

images below), no matter how 

long the transportation strikes last, 

the French people is determined to 

support “Les Bleus”! 

But such an event has to be well 

prepared to be perfectly enjoyed. 

Here are the indispensable things 

to do before the D-Day: 

First: engage yourself, a few 

months before, in a serious diet. 

The daily consumption of beer, 

burgers and fries could potentially 

start to be visible, after one month 

of competition… 

Second: make a stock of blue, 

white and red clothing items. It is 

necessary that we don’t mistake 

you with an Italian, German, or 

Spanish supporter. 

Fifth: book in your agenda all the 

games broadcast. Don’t worry if a 

game is at 3:00 in the afternoon in 

the middle of the week: Interel will 

be happy to have it broadcast in its 

offices!! 

Sixth: select your favourite table in 

your favourite bar with a perfect 

view on the giant screen. This 

could imply leaving work early 

(exceptional circumstances). 

And that’s it, you are now ready to 

enjoy the EURO competition! 

Interel has taken very seriously 

each step, but decided to directly 

start with STEP 6 (see photo of the 

team in the bar below!) 

Let the best European team win! 


11 

INTEREL BELGIUM TAKE 

A TRIP TO THE SEASIDE 

ELLEN DE WILDE 

On Friday June 3rd, the Interel 

Belgium Team had its much 

anticipated Offsite Teambuilding 

Day. Destination: Koksijde, at the 

Belgian coast. Theme of the day: 

a ‘Coast’ experience… 

After a much needed coffee 

and croissant, we first listened 

to an interesting presentation 

by digital expert Vincent Pittard 

about e-reputation. Unfortunately, 

the weather gods were not so 

favourable, so our pistolet lunch 

‘sur l’herbe’ was moved indoors. 

But nobody was complaining: the 

lunch was very tasty, 

everyone was having fun and we 

even got matching Interel t-shirts. A 

great souvenir! 

After lunch, we headed to the 

Nieuwpoort Harbour for our big 

adventure: wave-karting (cruising 

with speedboats on the open sea). 

But the weather was still not great 

and the sea too stormy (waves of 4 

metres): no boats for us. 

Our manager Baudouin Velge 

then took the decision to steer 

our teambuilding into another 

direction (pun intended): off to the 

go-karting race circuit we went! 

And what a fun experience that 

was: everybody channelled their 

inner Ayrton Senna and speeded 

away on the karts. Finally, after an 

intense last race, Laurent ‘Schumi’ 

Van Steirteghem was crowned as 

race champ of the day. Congrats! 

To conclude the day, the Interel 

Belgium team was welcomed 

at ‘Ten Bogaerde’, a stunning 

old abbey which now serves 

as a gastronomical restaurant. 

Claudine could not have picked 

a better place for our team of 

bon vivants! Bubbles, a delicious 

three-course meal and a beautiful 

table setting…to say that we were 

spoiled is an understatement. 

Thank you so much for the great 

day, Claudine, and…we can’t wait 

to see what next year’s adventure 

will have in store for us! 


12 

INTERELIANS TAKE TO 

THE RUNNING TRACK... 

LAUREN RODEN & BIRGIT KRAUSSE 

It seems there is somewhat of 

a trend emerging amongst our 

Interelians.... 

Unbeknownst to those of us who 

are not necessarily athletically 

inclined, Interelians have been 

taking the opportunity to dust off 

their trainers and get running. 

So, we thought what better way to 

share the enthusiasm for our new 

favourite sport than to create a 

collaborative Spotify playlist! 

Simply click the images below to 

go to the Interel Running Playlist, 

where you can follow the playlist 

and add your own songs too! 

We hear from Birgit about the most 

recent race that her and Nuno took 

part in... 

“On Sunday, 19 June 2016 two 

Interel Association Management 

employees, Nuno Loureiro and 

I, went to check out a sports 

challenge that was slightly 

different – the Sand Race! 

This was the second edition of 

the event and brought together 

almost 3,000 participants in a 

big sand mine situated in the 

Belgian countryside. Thanks to 

the fantastically wet weather 

of the past few weeks, it had 

turned into a real mud swamp. 

We ran the 5k obstacle course, 

completing at respectable 

places 174 and 175 out of 871 

finishers. 

This fun exercise, under 

somewhat extreme conditions, 

could certainly become a nice 

teambuilding exercise for 

Interel, in the spirit of ‘if we 

manage to get through the 

mud together, we can manage 

anything’. ;-) “ 

Photos of Nuno and Birgit taken by 

Alina Kirilova 

Have you been taking part in 

running races? We’d love to see 

your photos and hear how you got 

on, so please email 

marketing@interelgroup.com 

with your stories! 

Nuno and Gregoire take part in a 20k run around 

Brussels 

Anna and friends take part in a very wet 10k! 

Nuno and Birgit making their way through the 

obstacle course 

Nuno and Birgit reward themselves with a drink 

post-race! 


13 

NEWBIES & BABIES 

SUMMER 2016 

SAYANTANI 

CHATTERJEE 

Associate 

India 

MATHIEU DAVID 

Junior Consultant 

France 

KIM LE 

Intern 

UK 

ARTHUR GACHET 

Consultant 

France 

MICHAEL 

MCLAUGHLIN 

Research and 

Intelligence 

Executive 

UK 

VINCENT FERRARIS 

Intern 

France 

VICTOR WULLINK 

Consultant 

EU 

AMAURY 

LIBBRECHT 

Junior Consultant 

EU 

HÉLOÏSE JACOBS 

Congratulations 

to Sophie and 

family on their new 

addition! 


14 

The main takeaway from 

this project is simply this – 

we have the capacity, the 

professionals, and the tools 

for developing impactful 

and poignant videos for 

our clients. 


15 

THE BUILDING 

BLOCKS OF VIDEO 

ADVOCACY 

EMMANOUIL PATAVOS 

Recently, Interel did some video 

advocacy work for a client that 

involved working with Lego! For a 

few weeks, the office was awash 

with lego bricks and people working 

hard to build various sets for the 

video. We spoke to Emmanouil to 

find out more about what the aim of 

the project was and why Lego was 

so useful... 

Our client Broadcast Networks 

Europe (BNE) – representing the 

interest of Terrestrial Broadcast 

Network Operators - hired Interel 

with a mandate to assist it in its 

advocacy and communication needs. 

As part of this mandate they 

requested that Interel develop a short 

video for them that would explain 

to the audience the importance of 

terrestrial networks for Europe and 

why spectrum allocation should not 

be revoked from their industry in 

favour of 5G networks. 

Graphic Designer, Gauthier who 

works closely with Peter, said “It 

was a great project - I really enjoy 

the part where we made the camera 

travel with the mini-skate. It was nice 

to work with Peter and I learned a 

lot!” 

Needless to say the client loved 

the idea… the hard part came 

afterwards when we actually had to 

implement the project. Many lessons 

were learned (among them being 

the building of Lego houses), but in 

the end the project was delivered. 

The clients were impressed and 

happy with the results (expressing 

interest for more video iterations), 

and so far the feedback we have 

been receiving from third parties 

The challenges we faced were 

translating a rather complex and 

borderline mundane topic into a 

short, attractive and impactful video. 

We went about addressing these 

issues by following our cinelogy 

methodology (methodology for 

developing videos for advocacy 

purposes) and countless hours of 

brainstorming. 

The eureka moment can be 

credited to Peter (whose boundless 

imagination surpasses that of us 

mere consultants) determined that 

a video transcribed through Lego’s 

would be best placed in both 

translating the clients message and 

making the video attractive enough 

for our target audience. 

have been all positive. 

The main takeaway from this project 

is simply this – we have the capacity, 

the professionals, and the tools for 

developing impactful and poignant 

videos for our clients. 

Importantly, we have proved that our 

in-house capacity has the required 

mix of professionals (graphics, 

video, public affairs) to bring forth 

the results that both existing and 

future clients will come to expect 

from us. 


16 

SPOTTED 

WHERE HAVE OUR INTERELIANS BEEN? 

Interel UK preparing 

UKfor Steve Bramall’s 

60th birthday by putting colourful 

bunting up throughout the office. 

When Steve entered the office that 

day, he was greeted with cakes 

and party blowers and beaming 

faces in the office! 

The EU team enjoyed a 

EUgreat evening at Crosly 

Brussels Bowling. Judging by 

the smiles on Peter’s face, we’re 

assuming his team won! 

The team in the UK 

UKenjoyed a very large 

delivery of yoghurts from client 

General Mills. They received SO 

much that it filled two fridges, and 

people still had to take some home! 

Aymeric’s cute baby 

FREmilia came to visit the 

team whilst her mom was away. 

Absolutely adorable! 

Vinciane joins the Interel 

UK UK team for a traditional 

afternoon tea in the office, 

including a selection of scones and 

of course, cups of tea. 

Kenneth in the UK taking 

UKthe Nissan robot on it’s 

daily walk, this time to the terrace 

of Westminster! 

It’s clear Interel EU 

EUhave a weakness for 

Champagne, no surprise given the 

presence of some French people! 

It has led to someone stealing the 

bottle from the winning team from 

the bowling night! the mystery 

remains unsolved... 

EU 

Politico star Ryan Heath 

gets a selfie with Vinciane 

and Richard! 


17 

TIME TO SAY GOODBYE... 

OLIVER ADRIAN 

Last month, it was time to say 

goodbye to our lovely colleague 

Evelin. After 15 years working 

for Claudia and nine years for 

Interel, the Interel Germany team 

celebrated her well-deserved 

retirement. 

Over all these years, we could 

always rely on Evelin as a cheerful 

and committed member of our 

team. She was our backbone and 

kept the office running with her 

positive attitude. 

With a little soirée d’adieu, first in 

the office and then at one of the 

most delicious Chinese restaurants 

in town, we looked back at many 

exciting years with Evelin. As an 

old German ritual, we even had to 

sacrifice an entire duck to celebrate 

her farewell. 

Now, she’s off to her next big 

challenge: spending lots of time 

with her grandchildren, traveling 

the world and reading many good 

books with her husband. 

A NEW TRANSPARENCY 

REGISTER FOR FRENCH 

LOBBYISTS 


PARLIAMENTARY 

LUNCH FOR 

E.LECLERC 


The French National Assembly 

just adopted the Government bill 

on transparency, anti-corruption 

and economic modernization (« 

Sapin II »). 

Containing provisions on various 

topics such as protection status 

for whistleblowers, means of 

payments, status of self-made 

entrepreneur as well as…mass 

retailing and agrobusiness (!), 

this catch-all bill notably intends 

to reinforce lobby regulation in 

France. 

In particular, the law provides for 

the creation of a national electronic 

register of representatives of 

interest, covering the government, 

administration and both 

parliamentary chambers. Lobbyists 

will be required to declare their 

activities, clients and budgets, 

under financial penalty. Inspired 

from the EU register, the French 

one notably differs as there will be 

no reciprocity for public decision 

makers, who will be able to meet 

with anyone – registered or not – 

and might refuse a meeting with a 

registered representative. 

We’re not there yet, okay, but still 

making progress compared to the 

present Excel register (!) in the 

Senate. 

E. Leclerc is a giant French retail 

company, whose President and 

spokesperson Michel Edouard 

Leclerc, is (according to the public 

and to the Interel team) the nicest 

CEO in France. Although he is 

a well-known public figure, he 

had never organized a lunch 

with MPs… So on May, 31st 

Interel organized their first 

parliamentary lunch. The objective 

was to challenge preconceived 

ideas on the retail industry in the 

light of the current agricultural 

crisis, and to fight against several 

provisions of the Sapin II law. 18 

MPs specializing in these issues 

joined the debate for constructive 

discussions with Leclerc, who is 

already looking forward to repeat 

the experience. 


18 

A DAY IN THE LIFE... 

RICARDO PEDROSA, WEB DEVELOPER, INTEREL 

8:00 – The alarm clock goes off and 

my finger is ready to immediately tap 

the “Snooze” button... 

8:10 – The alarm clock goes off again. 

Once again, “snooze”. I love the extra 

20 mins sleep after the first alarm. 

8:20 – The alarm clock goes off again. 

Now, time to get out of the bed. I have 

a quick look at my mobile to check for 

any urgent issue I need to be aware 

during the day. 

8:30 – I take a quick shower and get 

dressed. Luckily I don’t have to wear 

a suit! 

8:50 – I leave home to get to the 

office... The perks of living 10 minutes 

walking to the office. 

9:00 – I arrive at the office and check 

my e-mails for new tasks or for my list 

of things to do that day. 

9:10 – I start working on the most 

urgent tasks. I can have a variety of 

different tasks in a single day, such as: 

• a new website build (mostly 

using the WordPress content 

management system) 

• add some features to an existing 

website 

• fix some bugs 

• code an email template 

• add some content to a website 

• fix things Lauren broke (she is an 

expert at breaking websites) 

• create a guide/tutorial for a 

specific website 

• a call with a consultant/client 

10:30 – Time for the first cup of coffee 

of the day. Our new coffee machine 

is easier to use. Half cup with coffee 

from the machine, ¼ with hot water, 

¼ with cold tap water, one sugar, and 

my The Smashing Pumpkins mug is full 

(when no one decides to “steal” it). 

11:00 – As I don’t have breakfast at 

home, I just grab a Snickers chocolate 

bar from my “full of Snickers” drawer 

(if you’re in the UK office - feel free 

to ask for one!). When I run out of 

Snickers, I just get something from the 

kitchen as someone always brings 

some cake or cookies. 

11:15 – Coding, checking emails, 

coding… 

12:30 – Out for lunch, the exact time 

can vary depending on the tasks or 

meetings I have. Now I live near the 

office, I usually go home for lunch. I 

also take the chance to deal with any 

personal matters like checking bills, 

ordering any stuff, checking post... 

13:15 – Time to get back to the office, 

while I smoke a cigarette on the way 

(yes, a bad habit!) 

13:30 – Back to the office, time to 

check emails again to see if anything 

urgent has come up during lunch time. 

13:45 – I get back to my tasks. In the 

past few days I’ve been creating a 

refreshed version of the Monitoring 

Tool. If you are not familiar with that, 

it is a tool where consultants can add 

a link to a an article/document/news 

they find relevant to a client, also 

stating why it has been flagged and 

adding some recommendations for the 

client. This way, the client can access 

the tool and have a list of important 

information, being able to filter by 

topic or type, for example. This can be 

branded for each client. 

15:00 – Quick chat with Lindsay to 

discuss ongoing work. Then, back to 

coding… Right now I am planning 

the new version of the IGP Extranet so 

I’m trying to figure out the best way to 

import the old website data and adapt 

it to a new version. 

15:30 – Time for the second (and 

final) cup of coffee of the day. 

16:00 – Did I mention “coding”? 

16:30 – From times to time I run 

through the websites we’ve built 

checking if they are online and 

working as expected. I try to make 

websites as “foolproof” as possible, 

but it is hard to predict all scenarios 

and sometimes people do break 

things! 

17:30 – Time to go home. It can vary 

depending what I need to finish before 

leaving the office. Sometimes I go for 

a quick drink with other people from 

the office or some Portuguese friends 

that work in London too. 

17:45 – Home sweet home. Sofa time! 

Or beer time, if I go out for drinks! :) 


19 

DID YOU KNOW? 

WE LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR INTERELIANS... 

INGRID NOLET DE 

BRAUWERE 

Ingrid started to play field 

hockey two years ago 

with a team of 20 who 

had never touched a stick 

before. They’re now at 

a good level in Belgian 

competitions! Ingrid says, 

“I love hockey, it’s science 

and its people. There is 

always a nice spirit on the 

field.” 

NATHALIE WOITRIN 

Nathalie is incredibly 

passionate about 

painting in acrylic. 

The picture on the left 

is one of her latest 

creations. It helps her 

relax after a day at 

work. 

OLI WAGHORN 

Sailing is a hobby I have only been taking seriously for a few years, 

but I have been steadily working towards my commercial Yacht Master 

certification, building sea miles, and even taking part in competitive racing. 

It really is a sport for everyone. It can be an incredibly relaxing way to see 

the world with friends or a hugely exhilarating and physical challenge. 

AMANDA GDULA 

Amanda, part of the Interel UK team, began beekeeping last spring, 

she’s tells us more: “I began beekeeping last spring, and now own two 

hives of up to 80,000 bees each. I killed the Queen on my second day 

beekeeping, so it’s been a steep learning curve! I only harvest the honey 

once a year at the end of summer, but can expect up to 50 litres if we’ve 

had a warm spring. You have to move incredibly slowly when you’re in 

the hive, so I always leave the apiary feeling calmer than when I started. 

If you’ve done something to annoy them, you have to keep your cool 

while hundreds of bees fly at your face. That said, I’ve only been stung 

once in my whole life, even since becoming a beekeeper. I love it because 

I’m constantly learning, I feel hugely satisfied when the hives are doing 

well, and it pushes me to get outside. As for the honey, I might be slightly 

biased, but it’s the best honey I’ve ever had!” 

KENNETH PRITCHARD 

Kenneth from the London office is part of a 

film club in Central London. The Bright Young 

Things Film Club is a start-up venture, aiming 

to show international, unknown films to an 

audience in a central London cinema. Hosted 

in the luxury of the Mayfair Hotel, they offer 

a sublime and relaxing atmosphere for film 

lovers across the capital to enjoy a night out. 

Film makers join them for the film, answering 

audience questions in our post screening Q&A, 

delving into the depth of the art of film making.

Summer 2016 Interelian FINAL

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?