DAI Brussels Holds Official Launch Events

March 14, 2017

DAI officially unveiled its Brussels office last week with a series of events.

Members of our European Commission (EC) team held a team strategy day to discuss our work in governance, private sector development, rural development, and energy and environment. A reception was held for more than 50 invitees, including EC staff and independent consultants. And finally, the DAI team attended presentations at the European Union (EU)’s External Cooperation Infopoint conference.

Members of the DAI staff attend the EU External Cooperation Infopoint.

Conference speakers included Sergio Piazzardi, EC Policy Officer from DEVCO C4, who spoke about leveraging the role of the private sector in development. He outlined key EU private sector policies and the funding mechanisms used to achieve EU external policy objectives.

Joachim Knoth from the EC’s Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development (DG DEVCO) spoke about responsible land governance and the importance of this work for food security, growth, social stability, human rights, and gender equality. He outlined the valuable work of the EU related to land governance in capacity building, administration, land grabbing, human rights, and legislation.

Lastly, the EC’s Camilla Hagstroem spoke about the European Agenda on Migration, outlining the key work of the EC on migration and challenges ahead.

“Our staff appreciated the event as a valuable insight into the EU’s work, which was followed by a useful exchange of ideas between speakers and staff,” said Christopher Lockett, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, DAI Europe. “Many thanks to Infopoint for hosting us!”

DAI has long had a project presence in the European capital and in 2016 we established a formal corporate office, bringing us closer to our clients in the EC. The Brussels team of programme managers and technical staff focuses on business development, project management, and client relations, and is tightly integrated into DAI’s global organization, tapping the full range of technical specialists and support staff from our U.S. and U.K. operations.

DAI hosted a reception to network with clients, partners, and colleagues.