PA Europe is very pleased to announce the appointments of Ambassador Antoine van Dongen and Ing. Chantal Gill’ard, MA as Directors of PA Europe Brussels and PA Europe The Hague respectively, as of 1 September 2010. 

Antoine van Dongen served as Chief of Staff to Mohamed ElBaradei, Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna. Before that, Mr. Van Dongen was the Dutch Ambassador to Belgium and Sweden respectively. He has made many friends among Government and industries in Belgium during his tenure in Brussels and combines bilateral diplomatic skills with vast experience in international and multilateral diplomacy. His networks and those of the PA Group and PA International Foundation are complementary. Ambassador Van Dongen will particularly assist clients vis-à-vis regulatory authorities and in matters of bilateral and/or multilateral relations.

Mrs. Chantal Gill’ard, a former Member of the Dutch Parliament (Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal) for the labour party (PvdA), is a biotechnologist specialised in international law and ethics with experience in life sciences. Both in the Dutch Parliament and in the framework of the United Nations and the Interparliamentary Union she was deeply involved in mother and childcare issues. Within PA Europe and PA CSR she will integrate her knowledge and experience particularly in dossiers regarding Corporate Social Responsibility, life sciences, development cooperation, foreign investment and international trade.

Ambassador Van Dongen and Mrs. Gill’ard join PA Europe at a moment of renewed growth and intensified cooperation with the PA offices in Beijing, Jakarta, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Washington DC and Moscow. Both will provide the Brussels and The Hague offices with their management skills, insights and experience in international and national politics.

Besides Mrs. Gill’ard and Ambassador Van Dongen, the international management team of the PA Group now includes Mark Eyskens (former Belgian Prime Minister), Werner Christie (former Norwegian Minister of Health), Sarwono Kusumaatmadja (former Indonesian Minister of Environment), Wakako Hironaka (former Japanese Minister of Environment), Qin Zhenkui (former Chairman of the Chinese inspection organisation AQSIQ), Alexander Bessmertnykh (former Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs), David Webber (UK, Senior Partner and Director of Studies) and Rio Praaning Prawira Adiningrat (Managing Partner).

On the occasion of the appointments Rio Praaning comments: “The new Directors will substantially strengthen the ability of the PA companies to develop and implement win-win solutions for multinational clients particularly throughout Asia and within the European Union.” Mrs. Gill’ard says she is “inspired by PA’s practice of combining political advice with Corporate Social Responsibility and direct humanitarian aid”. “I am excited by the prospect to put decades of international political experience to work for both industries and major NGOs”, adds Ambassador Van Dongen.