In Conversation With Thierry Breton

In his current portfolio, Thierry Breton oversees the smooth functioning of the Single Market whilst leading the EU’s work on a new digital and industrial strategy. Before joining the European Commission, Breton was at the forefront of the telecoms and digital industry, as CEO of various companies, including Atos, France Telecom and Thomson Multimedia. In addition to his extensive experience in the private sector, Breton also served as the French Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industry, as well as Vice-President of the Poitou-Charentes Region and advisor to the French Minister for Education René Monory.

Prior to joining Friends of Europe, Dharmendra Kanani was director of policy at the European Foundation Centre (EFC). He was the England director at the Big Lottery Fund, the largest independent funder in the UK and fourth largest in the world. Dharmendra has held senior positions in the public and voluntary sectors and advisor to numerous ministerial policy initiatives across the UK.

*Consultant at Friends of Europe.

As Chief External and Corporate Affairs Officer, Joakim Reiter is responsible for Vodafone’s public relations and corporate affairs, including policy and regulation, communications, security, sustainability and charitable activities. He is an Advisory Board Member of the World Trade Institute and sits on the Board of the Swedish Space Corporation and the EU’s Horizon Mission Board for climate-neutral and smart cities. Previously, Reiter served as the assistant secretary-general of the United Nations and the deputy secretary-general of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Prior to this, he spent over 15 years in Sweden’s foreign service, including as deputy director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ambassador to the World Trade Organization and at the Permanent Representation to the European Union. Reiter has also served as an EU negotiator at the European Commission Directorate General for Trade (DG TRADE).