Joanna Sullivan

Joanna Sullivan

Founder Conscience Consulting | Professor Strategic Coalitions, Climate Diplomacy and International Trade | Author 🌍

Brussels, Brussels Region, Belgium
3K followers 500+ connections

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    Environmental Consulting, Political Consulting, Public Speaking, Writing, and Strategic Planning

About

Strategic communications and systems change advisor to leaders of sectors, foundations, organisations and institutions that want to
inspire, collaborate and innovate

30 years in EU policy from SingleMarket to GreenDeal, with a deep understanding of angles, collaborating with creatives, connected with Brussels media, widely networked in institutions, NGOs and progressive sectors, EU and worldwide

🌱Pioneering architect of campaigns for people and planet since 1998
🌱Founded change agency to design sustainability policy 2008
🌱Published author on sustainability engagement 2014

🌍Professor Strategic Coalitions in the Climate Diplomacy & International Trade Master programme, teaching in Nice and Berlin since 2021
🌍 Speaker, convener, facilitator and moderator of high level events ( roundtables, workshops, retreats, reflection days, conferences and panels ) notably for associations that want to step forward into new sustainability narratives and build new 3 year plans to empower member companies
🌍Bridge builder across silos connecting progressive companies and industries with impactful allies

🌊2008 + Advisor to NGOs, UN bodies, think tanks and foundations to elevate their impact and bring new issues onto the EU policy agenda, reframe stuck narratives or design new multi-NGO campaigns
🌊2009 + Advisor to the European Commission on strategic communication and sustainability engagement, supporting DGs such as trade, mobility, envi, health, fisheries
🌊2011 + Advisor to global business leaders and EU association leaders to integrate climate, nature and social justice into strategies, helping progressive companies and sectors advocate for enabling policies so trailblazers gain policy and market advantage

🌀2012 co-founded European network of sustainability advocates and advisors
🌀2014 co-founded Transition500 Alliance global network for sustainability consulting
🌀2016 co-founded #newsandviews/booze for change makers in Brussels to network and learn skills, hosted at the Brussels Press Club
🌀2020 co-founded #ThinkActChange, a platform for sustainability pioneers to engage in radical collaboration for system change ( 3 events during lockdown with 1000+ global audiences)

Concrete achievements (for NGOs, 1998-2007)

✅ Food: EFSA, Food Safety Agency
✅Climate: EU targets emissions, renewables & efficiency
✅ Chemicals: REACH, precautionary principle, ban on phthalates in baby toys
✅ Agri: Ban cultivation of GMO crops
✅ Agri:CAP Pillar 2 on envi conditionality

8 years corporate / association

3 years European Parliament

Articles by Joanna

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Contributions

Activity

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Experience

  • Conscience Consulting Graphic

    Founder. Owner. CEO.

    Conscience Consulting

    - Present 16 years 6 months

    Brussels EU

    Conscience is a change agency – In a world in transition, we believe in the positive impact of ethical advocacy and climate diplomacy. We build bridges for inclusive sustainable societies. We convene coalitions and design campaigns that drive positive change. We’re working to help shape a world that is environmentally sound and socially just.

  • Centre international de formation européenne Graphic

    Associate Professor Climate Diplomacy

    Centre international de formation européenne

    - Present 4 years

    Nice, France and Berlin, Germany

    Teaching Strategic Coalitions in the Joint Master of the European Institute in International Trade and Climate Diplomacy

  • European Commission Graphic

    Senior Advisor Strategic Communication

    European Commission

    - Present 15 years 8 months

    Ad hoc advisor on strategic communication for Directorates General that have sustainability policy ambition, including AGRI, CLIMA, COMM, DIGIT, EAC, EMPL, ENV, ÉCHO, GROW, JUST, MARE, MOVE, NEAR, RÉGIO, RTD, SANTÉ, TRADE, as well as the European Parliament, Committee of the Regions, EEAS and Agencies CINEA and EISMEA

  • IHECS Institut des Hautes Études des Communications Sociales Graphic

    Course Leader and Lecturer Strategic Communication

    IHECS Institut des Hautes Études des Communications Sociales

    - 2 years

    Brussels

  • Friends of the Earth Europe Graphic

    Head of Campaigns and Communications

    Friends of the Earth Europe

    - 5 years

  • BEUC - The European Consumer Organisation Graphic

    Head Of Communications

    BEUC - The European Consumer Organisation

    - 3 years

  • Philip Morris International Graphic

    Corporate Affairs, Government Relations, Strategic Communication Manager

    Philip Morris International

    - 4 years

  • Food and Drink Federation Graphic

    Secretary General of three Sector Associations

    Food and Drink Federation

    - 1 year 8 months

    London, United Kingdom

  • European Parliament Graphic

    Chief Assistant to British Member of the European Parliament

    European Parliament

    - 3 years

Education

Volunteer Experience

  • IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law Graphic

    Mentor in Early Career Specialist Group

    IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law

    - Present 7 months

    Disaster and Humanitarian Relief

    Mentorship Pairing: Lawyer, Researcher & Sr. Program Officer at the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, part of the world's largest humanitarian non-governmental organisation.

    Area of Mentorship Guidance: Climate Change Policy Programmes in IGOs/InGOs in Europe

  • Co-founder and Host

    News and Views Brussels

    - Present 7 years 10 months

    Politics

    Debates for Brussels change makers working in NGOs, EU institutions and progressive business.

    Early evening events at the Brussels Press Club hosted by Joanna Sullivan in conversation with guest speakers from the media (FT, Politico, AFP, Reuters, DW, NYT etc), and Cabinet policy leads from the European Commission, on hot policy topics under Chatham house protocol.

    Mission
    Our mission is to speed up the transition to a more green and equitable EU by empowering changemakers…

    Debates for Brussels change makers working in NGOs, EU institutions and progressive business.

    Early evening events at the Brussels Press Club hosted by Joanna Sullivan in conversation with guest speakers from the media (FT, Politico, AFP, Reuters, DW, NYT etc), and Cabinet policy leads from the European Commission, on hot policy topics under Chatham house protocol.

    Mission
    Our mission is to speed up the transition to a more green and equitable EU by empowering changemakers to be more bold by being better informed and better connected

    Members
    1000+ of Brussels Brightest in the network
    Message us to be on the event invitation list

    Team
    Joanna Sullivan, Founder of Conscience Consulting, the systems change agency, and Jade Tenwick, Head of Communication at Oxfam EU. We do this voluntarily because we are passionate about bringing people together to drive change.

    Backstory
    The idea came about in November 2016 in conversation between Joanna Sullivan, founder, and CEO of Conscience Consulting and Julia Ravenscroft, Director of Communications for the European Network on Debt and Development. We wanted to support the Brussels NGO community as a direct response to the election of Trump and the anticipated surge in Europe of populism. We created a safe space for NGOs and allies for networking, collaboration and learning in the form of a monthly early evening event. We hosted our early events at Clear Europe and then went on to host 20+ events at the European Environmental Bureau before moving online in 2020 under lockdown under the new name NewsandViews.

    Since 2023 we host our in-person events at the Brussels Press Club, as News and Views Tuesdays Together as part of the Brussels Press Club’s commitment to climate talks.

  • Co founder and event host / organiser

    ThinkActChange

    - 1 year

    Politics

    Came up with the idea with fellow change maker David Labi to bring people together online during the early months of lockdown, by inviting unusual line ups of speakers from dark web radicals, to corporate VPs, Argentinian social change leaders, business innovation leaders, the Burning Man festival founder, Green Deal Spokespeople and more.. people that normally would never meet.

    We inspired audiences of up to 1000 in each of our three digital debates, through radical collaboration for…

    Came up with the idea with fellow change maker David Labi to bring people together online during the early months of lockdown, by inviting unusual line ups of speakers from dark web radicals, to corporate VPs, Argentinian social change leaders, business innovation leaders, the Burning Man festival founder, Green Deal Spokespeople and more.. people that normally would never meet.

    We inspired audiences of up to 1000 in each of our three digital debates, through radical collaboration for Systemic Change. All in the darkest hours of Covid-19 when possibilities were endless for new ideas for a better world.

    Watch again some of the events here:
    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg9cHCAtVSFr1liSLz4Yvtg

  • Professional Women's Network Graphic

    Mentor

    Professional Women's Network

    - Present 6 years 8 months

    Education

Publications

  • Creating Employee Champions: How to drive business success through sustainability engagement training

    http://www.dosustainability.com

    Disengaged employees cost companies billions in lost productivity and high turnover rates. Integrating sustainability into the soul of your business can unleash an 'upward spiral' of engagement, and turn your employees into sustainability champions.

    Making business sustainability part of the job description drives employees towards collaboration, community and commitment. It transforms employees into authentic brand ambassadors and companies into movements. In addition, companies that…

    Disengaged employees cost companies billions in lost productivity and high turnover rates. Integrating sustainability into the soul of your business can unleash an 'upward spiral' of engagement, and turn your employees into sustainability champions.

    Making business sustainability part of the job description drives employees towards collaboration, community and commitment. It transforms employees into authentic brand ambassadors and companies into movements. In addition, companies that embed sustainability are better positioned to anticipate and adapt to changing market conditions.

    Creating Employee Champions offers a three-step method for sustainability engagement training, and a paradigm shift in employee engagement and business sustainability. Use it transplant NGO DNA into business DNA, so you can inspire hearts and minds, engage employees, foster dynamic commitment to meet sustainability goals and equip employees to engage with external stakeholders.

    See publication

Languages

  • Spanish

    Professional working proficiency

  • French

    Full professional proficiency

  • English

    Native or bilingual proficiency

Organizations

  • #NewsandBooze

    Cofounder

    - Present

    A 400+ group of EU-NGOs and change makers, that come together regularly in a unique space for debate, networking and news share with expert speakers, to boost skills and build bridges for elevated NGO impact for positive change.

  • ALTER-EU

    Member

    - Present

    The Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation (ALTER-EU) is a coalition of over 200 public interest groups and trade unions concerned with the increasing influence exerted by corporate lobbyists on the political agenda in Europe, the resulting loss of democracy in EU decision-making and the postponement, weakening, or blockage even, of urgently needed progress on social, environmental and consumer-protection reforms.

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