EAPC - European Association of Political Consultants

George Lakoff is a best selling author ("Don't Think of an Elephant", "The Political Mind") and renowned researcher. His research covers the nature of human conceptual systems, the development of Cognitive Social Science, the implications of Cognitive Science for Philosophy, and neural foundations of conceptual systems and language. His work is a milestone in understanding human communication and therefore an essential tool for everybody trying to reach out to the public.

Drew Westen, Ph.D. is a clinical, personality, and political psychologist, and Professor in the Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Emory University. He has formerly taught at the University of Michigan, Harvard Medical School, and Boston University. Dr. Westen is the author of three books and over 150 scholarly articles. He is a frequent commentator on radio, television, and in print, including appearances on CNN’s The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, American Morning, Hardball, Anderson Cooper 360, the CBS Evening News, Good Morning America, PBS, NPR, and BBC and CBC radio and television. He has advised a range of candidates and organizations, from presidential and congressional campaigns to major progressive organizations, to Fortune 500 companies. Dr. Westen has consulted to organizations and individuals for over 20 years. Drew Westen is author of the bestselling book, The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation.

Dipl. Psychologist, Chief Executive Officer Gruppe Nymphenburg Consult AG, Munich.

Author of the bestsellers „Think Limbic! – Die Macht des Unbewussten verstehen und nutzen für Motivation, Management und Marketing“ (2000/2003) and “Brain Script / Brain View – Warum Kunden kaufen“ (2004/2008) and „Neuromarketing“ (2007).
Promotion at Prof. Dr. med. Dr. phil. Brengelmann, Director at the Max-Planck-Institut for Psychiatry, Munich and Prof. Dr. Bäumler, Technical University Munich.

Within the scope of marketing brain research and its transfer to questions of consumers´ behaviour, marketing and brand management he is seen as one of the leading experts. Among his advisory customers there are a lot of international manufacturers of branded goods, business groups as well as service companies and banks. He is a member of the Competence Board of the german journal “Focus” and of the scientific advisory board of the journal “NeuroPsychoEconomics“.

With his fascinating and innovative approach, Dr. Häusel is a requested Keynote-Speaker on many national and international events. In the year 2008 he has been awarded by Unternehmen Erfolg® one of the 10 best speakers in the german speaking world.

"The Soul of Europe"s Author Erhard Busek is the Chairman of the “Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe” and President of the European Forum Alpbach. Since 2002 until 2008 he served as Special Coordinator of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe. At present he is the Coordinator of the Southeast European Cooperative Initiative (SECI). As a Dr. hc. of the Universities of Krakow, Bratislava, Brasov and Czernowitz, Liberec and Webster-St. Louis University Vienna he delivered many lectures on domestic and foreign topics- as well as Rector of the University of Applied Sciences Salzburg, Visiting Professor at Duke University, NC, USA, and at the University of Agriculture in Vienna.

In 1975 Erhard Busek was appointed Secretary General of the Austrian People’s Party and was elected Member of Parliament. He was City Councilor and was elected Deputy-Mayor of Vienna in 1978 for 8 years. Beyond that he was elected Chairman of the Austrian People’s Party in 1991 and served as Vice-Chancellor of Austria from 1991 to 1995.

Ted Brader is associate professor of political science and adjunct professor of communication studies at the University of Michigan, and at the Center for Political Studies in the Institute for Social Research. He is an expert in political psychology, political communication, public opinion, and elections. Funded in part by the National Science Foundation, he conducts scientific research on the role of emotion in politics, the effects of mass-mediated messages, and the development of partisanship in mass publics. His book, Campaigning for Hearts and Minds, explains how political ads influence voters by appealing to their emotions. Prof. Brader serves as associate principal investigator for the American National Election Studies and for TESS: Time-Sharing Experiments in the Social Sciences.

Helene Jarmer as a member of the National Council of Austria, is the third culturally Deaf person in world history to be elected to a national parliament (after Wilma Newhoudt-Druchen of South Africa who was elected to the South African Parliament in 1999, and Dimitra Arapoglou who was elected to the Greek Parliament in 2007).

Helene Jarmer became deaf at the age of two as the result of an auto accident. She attended a school for hard-of-hearing students after having been categorized by physicians as being hard of hearing. This afforded her a better quality of education, since in those days the schools for the deaf in Austria were not in the best condition, due to the fact that none of them allowed sign language to be used for instructional purposes. She graduated as a mainstream student from the Technical High School (Höhere Technische Lehranstalt) of the Ungargasse Education Center (Schulzentrum Ungargasse) in Vienna, Austria. Jarmer then attended and graduated from a teacher training program to be qualified to teach deaf and hard-of-hearing students at high schools (Hauptschule) and in schools for the deaf. After that she taught for eleven years at the National Institute for the Deaf (Bundesinstitut für Gehörlosenbildung). During this time she taught a bilingual class which included both deaf and hearing students alike, as part of a laboratory school setting.

Ekaterina Egorova, President, Professor (Ph.D. Political Science, Psychology), Vice-President of the Association of Political Centers (APCC, Russia), creator of the Russian concept of psychology of political leadership. Ekaterina Egorova is a member of International Public Relations Association.

Feltman is a past president of IAPC. He is chairman of Radnor Inc., Washington, D.C., which has affiliations with political and legislative firms in several countries. Radnor advises foreign corporations on U.S. political and legislative issues and assists U.S. businesses in coordinating business objectives with legislative and political activity. Radnor works with over 25 of the largest employers in the world. Before founding Radnor in 1985, Feltman directed lobbying and political activities for the National Association of Manufacturers. He ran successful campaigns at the Congressional level and was involved in fundraising and campaign administration for several Senate and House members, including Everett Dirksen, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld.

Thomas Hofer is managing partner at H&P Public Affairs, Vienna. He works as a political consultant and a lobbyist. Hofer received a PhD degree in communication science from the University of Vienna and a Master degree from the Graduate School of Political Management (GWU, Washington, D.C.). For seven years he worked as a political journalist for the leading Austrian news magazine “profil”. He published various books on campaign management in Austria and the US. Hofer is a frequent political commentator on Austrian news stations and teaches courses on campaign management and lobbying at two universities of applied science in Vienna.

The present President of the EAPC, Christoph Hofinger, is managing partner and scientific director of SORA, one of Austria’s leading political research and consulting firms. Christoph Hofinger worked as a strategic advisor in numerous successful campaigns. He regularly calculates and presents election night forecasts in Austrian TV and has published about 50 articles and book contributions on elections and political campaigning. Christoph Hofinger has shared scientific and practical knowledge during various teaching assignments, e.g. at the University of Vienna and and at SoQua, a post-graduate training program for Social Scientists offered by SORA and two partners.

Dr. Thorsten Hofmann studied economics, psychology and management sciences and graduated from the German national academy for security policy. He worked for several national ministries in Germany and advised numerous members of the German government. As executive manager of the consultancy firm PRGS GmbH, Hofmann is one of the leading experts in political consulting and campaigning in Germany.

On the academic level, Hofmann heads the department “Politics and Public Affairs” at the Quadriga University of Applied Sciences in Berlin. Moreover, he is academic director of the “Institute for Political & Crisis Management” at the Steinbeis University Berlin. Besides various publications, Hofmann is co-author of the standard work „Krisenkommunikation“ (crisis communication) published by UVK.

Mr. Krogvig served as director of information and campaigning in the Swedish Social Democratic party for 10 years from 1984 to 1994. Between 1994 and 1996, he was elected county council commissioner and served as a member of the government of the Stockholm province. Mr. Krogvig has served as political consultant in 36 countries on 5 continents. He has directly assisted more than twenty heads of state, prime ministers and leaders of opposition in strategy and communications. Between 1995 and 1997, he was the President of the IAPC.

Prof. Dr. Peter Kruse is managing partner of nextpractice GmbH and Professor for general and organisational psychology at the University of Bremen (Germany). He developed computer-assisted tools for the use of collective intelligence in economy and association, based on his researches of processing complexity in intelligent networks.

As a consultant and advisor he was nationaly and internationaly awarded. In the year 2004 the innovation award of SPD/AGS was given to Dr. Kruse because of his corporate achievement. The "Personalmagazin" has chosen him for the third time in a row as one of the "40 leading heads in the german human resources department".

Gerlinde Manz-Christ is Head of Communications at the Government of the Principality of Liechtenstein since 2001. Manz-Christ developed and implemented a new communications strategy for the Principality of Liechtenstein, the Brand Liechtenstein being a core element of this strategy. She teaches at University of Innsbruck and Diplomatic Academy in Vienna and holds lectures and key notes on strategic communications, nation branding, and public diplomacy.

Manz-Christ joined the Austrian Foreign Service in 1986. During her 15 years as career-diplomat, she served at the Austrian Embassies in Dakar and Tel Aviv, and as Deputy Consul General at the Austrian Consulate in New York. She was Deputy Chief of Protocol, then headed the Press and Information Department in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Vienna. Before joining the Foreign Service, she worked in a Japanese company in Sapporo, Japan, for two years.

Manz-Christ received a Dr.iur. degree in law from University of Innsbruck and a post-graduate diploma in International Relations from Diplomatic Academy Vienna. In 2008 she finished an Executive Master in Business Administration at the Technische Universität München. Her Master’s Thesis was on “Liechtenstein and the German Tax Affair: A Debate on Economy and Finance, Ethics and National Interests Carried Out Via the Media“.

Günther Ogris is managing partner and scientific director of SORA, one of Austria’s leading political research and consulting firms. Based in social and political research, SORA uses qualitative and quantitative methods together with complex data analysis as a base for strategic consulting.

Günther Ogris was teaching social science data analysis on several universities, successfully working a manager in social research and as a political consultant, published on voting behaviour and other social science areas. Günther Ogris is head of the University Council of the Sigmund Freud University in Vienna. Furthermore he is consulting the City of Vienna and other governmental bodies in finding strategies against the spread of racism and xenophobia.

Marko Rakar (1972) is Chief executive manager of the consulting company MRAK services ltd. Marko has a lifelong experience in working/writing for media as well as dealing with media. He combines his media knowledge with new technologies and was one of the earliest internet adopters in Croatia. He is a recognized lecturer and consultant the subjects of organisation, internet, new media as well as politics. He ran a number of races for national parties and independent candidates on both parliament and muncipal elections. Marko studied Philosophy and Information sciences, University of Zagreb, speaks english fluently and is regular collumnist and author to a number of blogs and web sites in Croatia and internationaly. Marko is a member of EAPC (Europan association of political consultants) and IAPC (International association of political consultants).

Mr. Riegger is the founder and president of logos Holding AG, a consulting group specializing in business and communication strategies. He is a consultant to German state and city governments, to the Chancellery and the Federal Government as well as to major firms. Mr. Riegger was Campaign Manager for Chancellors Willy Brandt and Helmut Schmidt and for election campaigns to the European Parliament. He also works as Political Consultant in local and state campaigns in Germany, as well as in other European countries. He is professor at the Berlin University of Arts for Communications Strategies and Intercultural Communication Management, actual President of IAPC and past President of EAPC (European Association of Political Consultants).

Author and Publisher of the book “Yes YOU Can. Building the Perfect Candidate” (2009).
Jordi Segarra has served as a political and media consultant for several parties and leaders throughout Europe and Latin America. He became the youngest campaign manager for a national party in Europe, during the 2005 Presidential Elections in Andorra (25 years old). In 2004 he and his business partner Àlex Terés founded their company Segarrateres International in Andorra and one year later they expanded their company with offices in both Andorra and Spain. Today it is one of the largest political communication groups in Europe. Jordi has managed campaigns and given strategic advise to candidates, presidents, ministers, senators, deputies, governors, mayors and ambassadors. With its emphasis on strategy, solid graphics and grassroots campaigning, Segarrateres has been involved in campaigns from Europe to South America and The United States, working for the Barack Obama campaign.

Mehmet Ural is a Chairman of TÜSES (Turkish Social Economic Political Research Foundation), a social democrat think tank and Board member in various other non-profit organizations with similar objectives. Mr. Ural was a lecturer at the Istanbul University, Faculty of Economics and Istanbul University School of Advertising and Market Research. Mr. Ural was a founder partner and chairman of Yorum Publicis, an integrated communication group founded in 1981.Mehmet Ural was Board Member to the Turkish Advertising Association and presently member of Advising Board and now same to the Turkish Advertising Foundation to which he formerly was Chairman for many years. Mr. Ural had been acting as consultant and campaign manager to the Social Democratic Populist Party (SHP). Mehmet Ural is a board member of IAPC and a past president of EAPC.

Mr. Ureña is Country Manager of MAS Consulting Group Spain, a political consulting and public affairs firm with offices in USA, Mexico and Spain. He has been nominated “Rising Star 2008” by Campaings & Elections Magazine, being the first Spanish consultant who receives this recognition. Mr. Ureña works as advisor of different political and business leaders and candidates. He has experience managing presidential, regional and local elections. He is Professor of Political Communication and Campaing Management in Universidad Pontificia Comillas (ICADE). He is also the Director of the Campaign Management graduate program of this university. Mr. Ureña holds a degree in Journalism by the University of Navarra and a Political Management program by the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Since 2002, he is the director of the Political Campaigns International Seminars that George Washington University organizes in Spain every year. He often collaborates as analyst in the main Spanish media (TV, radio and press) and has participated as guest speaker in different events organized by universities and institutions from Spain, USA, Argentina and Mexico and professional organizations like the International Association of Political Consultants (IAPC).

Heidi Glück lectures on Political Communication in and outside Austria. Coorperation in publications, campaign analyses in Germany and the USA.

She worked 10 years (1984-1994) as a Consultant in Public Relations for the Austrian Federal Broadcasting Network ORF, did marketing and PR for the campaigns "Nachbar in Not" ("Neighbours in Need") and "Licht ins Dunkel" ("A Light in the Darkness") - both charity organisations. In the years of 1995-2000 Heidi was a Political Consutlant and Press Relations Officer of the Minister for Education and Culture. From 2000 to 2007 she was a Strategic Consultant and Press Relations Officer of the Austrian Councellor.

Marco Cacciotto is an expert in political marketing, public affairs and issues management. He has been a political consultant since 1994, one of the first in Italy, and gives strategic advice to parties, candidates, public administrations, interest groups and labor unions. He has adviced more than 40 campaigns at national and local level.

He teaches “Political marketing and public affairs” at the Faculty of Political Sciences of the University of Milano and at Master Maspi of IULM University of Milan. General Secretary of Aicop (the Italian Association of Political and Public Affairs Consultants), he is founder of "Public - strategie per il consenso", network of professionals and firms specialized in public interest strategies, communication and research.

Quintin Oliver has worked a decade each in the public sector, in the voluntary sector and now in the private sector at Stratagem.

In the 1970s he helped set up the European Youth Forum, from his base as Chair of the British Youth Council (Scotland).He has served on the Council of State (1991-1997).

At Stratagem, Northern Ireland's first lobbying company which he set up after leading the 'YES' Campaign for the Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement referendum, he has developed initiatives to serve clients and deliver their public policy objectives, growing the company and enhancing its reputation as cutting edge in its field, with a blend of research, communication, training and campaign skills. A strong values base commits the company not only to its location in the splendid Carnegie Library on the Donegall Road but also to donating 10% of profit to charity, and 5% of time to pro bono work. In Stratagem's tenth year, he was awarded 'Entrepreneur of the Year' by the Chamber of Commerce, was a finalist in the Management and Leadership Network's Excel Awards and Stratagem was recognised as 'Best Place to Work' by the Irish News.

This seam of conflict resolution has involved deployment of his skills in respect of Israel and Palestine, Southern Africa, Cyprus (2004 Referendum), Colombia (civil society support, 2008), former Yugoslavia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Lebanon and latterly Iraq, on which he recently (August 2007 and April 2008) emerged from a forest in Finland and on to Baghdad in July 2008 and November 2009 having served as the Head of the Secretariat of the Helsinki Project; he co-authored the ‘Lessons from N. Ireland for Iraq’. He leads the Secretariat of the Cities in Transition project, convening in Mitrovica in May 2010.

Eva Zeglovits, Mag.a, born in 1976, studied statistics at the University of Vienna (AUT) and at Università degli Studi di Padova (IT). 1998-2000 research assistant at the European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research, Vienna. Since 1999 researcher, project manager and consultant at SORA - Institute for Social Research and Analysis (Vienna), since 2003 head of research department elections and politics, focus on electoral research.