Progress in Europe: Advancing DEI, Leveraging AI, and Protecting Consumers

06/10/24 • 25 min

The European Union formed in 1992 with the signing of the Maastricht Treaty in the city located at southern tip of the Netherlands. 12 counties initially joined the EU, and this has since grown to 27 member states. The European Union was once described as the “grand experiment.” Experiments are not without challenges... and setbacks. The exit of the United Kingdom—or Brexit—in 2020 was a major disappointment for the EU, but it has otherwise proven successful, albeit fragile and, in many respects, continues to strengthen as a unified citizen-led democracy.

The last few years have been tough on the EU. Economic uncertainty, rising inflation, and high energy prices, largely linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, have left Europeans with a deepening sense of pessimism. In a survey of Europeans in the 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer, only 20 percent agreed that they or their family will be better off in next five years. Trust in government is low and there is a deepening divide on critical issues.

At the same time, the EU is the largest single market globally today. With a population approaching 450 million people and a GDP of €16 trillion, if it was a country, it would be the world’s third largest (by both these metrics). The EU is ultimately a political and economic partnership, but it faces similar challenges to other economies. And these challenges are frequently compounded by the need to find consensus—and often compromise—among the 27 member states on very complex issues. No doubt, that is essentially how democracy works—it’s difficult by design—but the EU government and member states do just that: They find consensus and compromises, and they legislate. A recent example is the Artificial Intelligence Act, the first-ever legal framework on AI, which was unanimously endorsed by all 27 member states.

Our guest today is Karen Melchior. In 2019, Ms. Melchior became a Member of the European Parliament (MEP). Frustrated with the state of politics in both Denmark and the EU, she first ran for office in 2014 and was elected the following year to the Copenhagen City Council, where she served on the Social Committee and the Health and Care Committee.

Ms. Melchior has worked as a diplomat for the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in data protection law and IT security at the Danish Agency for Labor Market and Recruitment. She holds an MA in Law and a Masters of Public Administration.

As a MEP, Ms. Melchior serves on three committees: Legal Affairs, Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, and Internal Market and Consumer Protection. She is also a member of Renew Europe, the third-largest political group in the European Parliament.

In an online biography, Ms. Melchior said the following: “Political systems are created by people. They can also be changed by people. We cannot afford to let our frustrations grow to the point where they overshadow our capacity for action. Hate can be triggered as easily as hope. The society we have built, based on cooperation and freedom, is fragile. We need to fight every day to sustain it. We can achieve a lot if we dare to try! Let’s roll up our sleeves, lift our gaze, and work together to create the kind of world we want.”

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Previous Episode

IP and the SDGs: Building Our Common Future with Innovation and Creativity

Today is World Intellectual Property (IP) Day. Established by the World Intellectual Property Organization— or WIPO—in 2000, World IP Day serves to raise awareness of the positive role of IP—including copyright, designs, patents, and trademarks—in society and in the daily lives of consumers, and to celebrate IP as a driver of innovation, creativity, and economic development. WIPO selected April 26 for World IP Day as it was on this day in 1970 that the Convention Establishing WIPO entered into force.
Each year, World IP Day focuses on a specific theme. This year, it looks at the ways in which IP is advancing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals—or SDGs. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all UN Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 SDGs, which are an urgent call for action by all countries—developed and developing—in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.
Titled, “IP and the SDGs: Building our common future with innovation and creativity,” World IP Day 2024 looks at how we need to re-think how we live, work, and play, if we are to build a common future and achieve the SDGs. It is an opportunity to explore how IP encourages and amplifies the innovative and creative solutions that are so crucial to building our common future, and how inventors, creators, and entrepreneurs can benefit from IP to achieve their own goals while also heling improve people’s lives and safeguard our planet in line with the SDGs.
Our guest today is Edward Kwakwa, Assistant Director General, Global Challenges and Partnerships Sector, at WIPO. The Global Challenges and Partnerships Sector covers issues relating to traditional knowledge, traditional cultural expressions, and genetic resources. It also leads WIPO’s efforts to work with other UN agencies and international organizations on cross-cutting global issues; builds on and expands partnerships with stakeholders, including those from international, business, and civil society sectors; and builds bridges with new stakeholders.
ADG Kwakwa served as General Counsel at WIPO from 2004 until September 2016. He holds an LL.B. degree from the University of Ghana, an LL.M. from Queen’s University in Canada, and an LL.M. and a J.S.D. from Yale Law School in the United States. Before joining WIPO, he practiced with the law firm of O’Melveny and Myers in Washington, D.C., worked as International Legal Adviser at the Commission on Global Governance in Geneva, Switzerland, as Senior Legal Adviser at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and as Legal Affairs Officer at the World Trade Organization.

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Next Episode

Brands: Past, Present, and Future

This is the third episode in the “Women Leaders Series,” a collaboration between Brand & New and The Women’s LeadershIP Initiative. It brings together women leaders in diverse roles and representing various organization types in the brands and IP ecosystem. These women are at the forefront of industry trends and the conversation around how the landscape for women leaders is being shaped today.

Our guest today is Dr. Joanna Seddon, Founder and Managing Partner at brand consultancy Presciant, where she specializes in helping clients maximize the financial potential of their brand and marketing strategies.

Before founding Presciant, Dr. Seddon was Principal and Global Managing Partner, Brand Consulting, at Ogilvy for 10 years. At Ogilvy, she developed a new focus on branding in M&A and brand architecture and portfolio strategy.

Dr. Seddon was previously the founder and CEO of Millward Brown/Kantar’s global brand consulting practice. In this role, she was responsible for the development of fresh approaches to brand and marketing strategy. This included the creation and implementation of the BrandZ Top 100 ranking of the world’s most valuable brands, published annually in the Financial Times.

Prior to joining Kantar, Dr. Seddon was a founding partner and Executive Vice President for Worldwide Strategy at FutureBrand, pioneering the integration of brand strategy and brand identity.

Notably, Dr. Seddon is also CEO of the Marketing Accountability Standards Board (MASB) since 2022, leading the trustees of the Marketing Accountability Foundation and MASB staff.

Dr. Seddon has more than 20 years of experience in providing strategic recommendations with measurable financial impact to leading clients worldwide and is recognized as a global expert on brand positioning, brand architecture, brand valuation, branding in M&A, brand and marketing investment, brand measurement and ROI and growth strategies.

Dr. Seddon holds a Doctorate from Oxford University and is well known as a speaker and writer on brand strategy, brand valuation, and marketing ROI issues. She is the author of The Brand in the Boardroom , which won the WPP top Atticus prize, and has also collaborated with Jim Stengel, former CMO of P&G on several books, including Grow and Unleashing the Innovators, an analysis of how to infuse innovation and modernity into established brands by taking them into new areas and partnerships.

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