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Karl Isaksson

Karl Isaksson, Executive Vice President, Managing Partner Brussels

Kreab

Karl.isaksson@kreab.com

My Job

To lead and manage the Kreab Brussels team of 50 consultants and Senior Advisors. And to advise clients in policy areas which require the communication of complex technical issues to a variety of audiences, such as climate change, external relations, energy, transport and digital economy issues. I am also a member of Kreab’s Global Executive Board.

On top of this, I am the EU Representative of a leading European Commercial Vehicle manufacturer.

My Experience

I have two decades of experience in EU politics and public affairs, representing clients’ interests toward EU decision-makers and opinion leaders, in Brussels and the EU Member States.

I came to Brussels after university and worked for five years in the European Parliament. First as an assistant to an MEP, and later as the Chief of Staff for the Swedish Conservative Party delegation, providing political and media advice to the party’s Members of the Parliament.

I was the Chairman of EPACA, the European Public Affairs Consultancies’’ Association, for six years.

My Proudest Achievements

Our job as lobbyists is to help decision-makers make better decisions. Hence, we provide facts, arguments and perspectives to ensure that when the decision is taken, it is taken by well-informed people. Politics is about trade-offs, so the information will be weighed differently by different people, but I am proud to be part of the process to increase knowledge and understanding in order to ensure better legislation.

My Education

Master’s degree in Political Science and Economics from Lund University in Sweden. Including a year spent at the National University of Singapore.

My Languages

Swedish and English. And French with a generous definition of fluent.

My Interests outside work

I spend my free time assisting my kids with their social calendars, mainly by driving to different events. I run to get some time for myself. And I dream of skiing much more than I do.

My Favourite Brussels anecdote

It’s from my time in the European Parliament. I still remember my fascination at the group meeting after the incident when Mr Berlusconi had called Mr Schultz inappropriate names in the plenary. Mr Berlusconi walked into the meeting room, where everybody expected an apology, and spent a couple of hours charming the other MEPs from the podium so that everybody loved him and fully agreed with whatever he said. No apology given, not even close. That’s when I learnt the power of personality and how politics is defined by individuals rather than structures.

Best in Brussels 2023/24 Report

Best in Brussels is the first and only independent resource for organisations wanting to identify, compare and choose the best partners in Brussels for their advocacy needs.

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