Portland

Last week around this time, my colleague Cortney Zamor and I were in Riyadh to support the UN Convention to Combat Desertification’s Comms & Partnership team at COP16Riyadh. It was a great honour to have been able to modestly contribute to this moonshot moment for land and work alongside esteemed professionals (wink Xenya Cherny Scanlon Fragkiska Yazan Neme Pape Mamadou CAMARA Florent Kossivi TIASSOU China Gabriel Yassine Thiam Malwina Buldys Marcos Montoiro Katheryn Jimenez Helga Karsten Jensen Aromin Yannis Umlauf It was an exceptional experience across the board, not only because it was an edition of historic firsts, but also because of the calibre of experts we were able to work with and learn from. A few of my many personal highlights (which I am sure I share with some of you who followed or attended): - The key reports launched - from the financial needs assessment reminding us all the world needs $1bn daily to achieve land restoration; the PIK - Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research report telling us that seven of nine planetary boundaries are negatively impacted by unsustainable land use; to the aridity report revealing 77.6% of Earth’s land is drier than 30 years ago - The #sport4land events that brought together world leading athletes such as Asma Niang Naomi Akakpo (OLY) and Jitske Visser - recognized as Sport4land champions during COP - who weighed on the impact of land degradation and drought on the sporting community and beyond. One of the events was moderated by outstanding MC Raïssa OKOÏ - The #Fashion4land event (moderated by the outstanding Inna Modja) and marked by key industry experts’ remarks and the launch of a report aimed at raising awareness of the impact of the fashion and textile industry on land and how fibre choices have a major impact on the environment (and edited by esteemed Comms expert Xenya Cherny Scanlon. - The first-ever high-level Indigenous dialogue at a UNCCD COP16, on People’s Day (7 December) where we got to hear from esteemed leaders, including force of nature, Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim. And, of course the creation of the the creation of a Caucus for Indigenous Peoples and a Caucus for Local Communities. - Last but not least, the introduction of the #Business4Land initiative to further re-energize private sector’s engagement in this issues and the fact that more than +400 companies joined discussions on sustainable finance, ESG, and land restoration. Finally, I had the privilege to moderate and co-moderate COP16 press briefings and the closing press conferencealongside my esteemed colleague, Yazan Neme. Each time, we were joined by outstanding leaders, from organizations such as FAO, World Economic Forum, and leaders such as Former President of Finland, Tarja Halonen, Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim & Her Highness Princess Mashael AlShalan. Immense pleasure to finally meet the iconic Anne-Cécile Bras (from Radio France Internationale) in the flesh! ☺️ Way to sign off an inspiring year!

2024 was a year marked by unprecedented milestones for the EU. From the post-election transition to the resumption of work drafting new legislation on technology, sustainability and health, the EU is again gearing up to the challenges that lie ahead.    The Portland Brussels team looks forward to helping companies and organisations navigate 2025 and beyond by co-creating winning strategies, anticipating policy trends and supporting impactful engagement.    Subscribe to receive our weekly What’s nEU wire in your inbox every Friday 👉 https://lnkd.in/gH65KjiM  

At Portland over the past couple of weeks, the teams have been getting into the festive spirit and celebrating another year of hard work 🥳 Our offices in the UK and Doha hosted their annual Winter parties and smaller team socials, the Paris team took part in an exciting escape room, and our colleagues over in Brussels have their party to look forward to next week. In the UK, we have also hosted a bake off, a desk decorating contest and indulged the national "Christmas Jumper Day" by wearing festive outfits to work yesterday. We wish all of our colleagues and clients a restful and restorative break when it comes, and we are looking forward to 2025.   #LifeatPortland

As Ursula von der Leyen begins her second term at the helm of the EU executive, one of the top priorities for the incoming Commission will be how it promotes European competitiveness in the AI sector while ensuring the technology is used safely and ethically. From rules to resources, Portland’s Patrick Birken examines the challenges and opportunities facing the new European Commission over the next five years and how it can forge a regional AI environment that fosters innovation and competes with global tech hubs in the United States and China. Read the full article here 👉 https://bit.ly/3OSRHou

The French government led by Prime Minister Michel Barnier just fell following a no-confidence vote in the National Assembly. Read Portland's analysis below 👇 examining the scenarios for the 2025 French budget adoption and the wider political consequences of this institutional deadlock.

You can now find us on Bluesky!   We've noticed our audiences, from clients to journalists, are diversifying across platforms - so we're expanding our social media footprint to meet them where they are.   Follow us on Bluesky to get our global insights across policy, corporate communications, healthcare, international development and more, if it's now one of your platforms of choice: https://lnkd.in/e2_Qs4rK   #Bluesky

The dust is starting to settle on #COP29…but what actually happened in Baku? In this week’s Temperature Check we’re diving into the summit’s key outcomes, including what the disagreements and tension points of this COP mean for the highly anticipated #COP30 in Brazil next year and the future of climate finance.  Read the latest edition now to find out more 👇 https://bit.ly/4icld6b

Earlier this year, Portland worked with Agence Française de Développement to launch the 'Sport, Beyond the Game' ('Le Sport, Plus qu'un Jeu') campaign which was up for top-tier French comms Awards - in the Communications, CSR, Sport & Major Causes (Communication RSE & Sport, Grandes Causes) category - which celebrates the best of sports communication campaigns, Grand Prix Stratégies du sport de l'esport 2024 .    On Wednesday night my colleague Anne Nadia Edimo and I had the honour to attend the ceremony held at Parc des Princes alongside Mathilde Schneider, Emmanuelle Rausch and Pauline Swierkowski.   To see the campaign, visit https://lnkd.in/ezrzwYqZ

This morning, Portland had the pleasure of hosting a breakfast discussion centred around this year’s report: Reputation & Accountability – Class Actions, ESG, and Values-Driven Litigation by the litigation and disputes team. Experts from across the industry shared thought-provoking perspectives on how these evolving trends are shaping the nature of claims and their implications for claimants, defendants, and litigators alike. A huge thank you to everyone who joined us and contributed to such an engaging and insightful conversation! You can download the full report here 👉 https://bit.ly/3VbyDFs

A huge congratulations to Portland director Joel Chacha, MPRSK, MMSK who has been included in the Top 30 Men in PR by Public Relations Society of Kenya (PRSK). Joel develops and leads a number of high-impact communications strategies for multinational corporations, foundations and global development agencies. Well done on this incredible achievement 👏 #Top30MenInPR #PRSK