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How are you? The Euro is bad, the Greeks are in trouble, polar bears are ordering fridges like there is no tomorrow, the rain forest is dying, the planet is weeping, the economy is in a terminal phase. Species are being wiped out at record breaking rates, unemployment is the new black, and Europe ranks on the global economy scale somewhere between Zimbabwe and Timbuktu.

This is 2012, and, you know it: the world will end in December. Maybe Europe will not even live that long. Let’s face it, there is no future, and if there was any… it would not exactly be pink and bright.

As you can see, after browsing through the news headlines, I was in the sunniest of moods when I showed up at the launch event of the European Association of Communications Agencies’ newest initiative. Rather than joining the rest of the world in doom and gloom, the trade association, represented by smart people with great corporate hair,  decided to bet on the future’s only hope: the young generation, and help and stimulate them to take their future in their own hands, in the best of entrepreneurial ways.

Moray MacLennan, president of the EACA stated:  “We want to introduce a positive voice into the European debate. We want to help young people not to be a victim of the world’s pessimism, but encourage them to control their own future.”

The campaign, www.thisismyfuture.eu  will be kicked off in five countries to start with (Spain, Germany, Italy, Poland and the UK). A small team of EACA people, business angels and skilled coaches will help young entrepreneurs take off, launch their start-up, and create jobs. Small and medium enterprises being the lion heart of the European economy, this should give new energy to a slumbering continent.

The intention of the campaign is brought to live by a video spot where a young girl refuses to collect dust in a museum display, and decides to take control over her own faith. “This is MY future”, she hisses: It reminds me of something Bertrand Piccard told me when I last saw him at LeWeb: “If the Young Generation is worthy and willing they will save the planet. Or not. It’s their future”.

Danny Devriendt is the Managing Director of IPG/Dynamic in Brussels, and the CEO of The Eye of Horus, a global think-tank focusing on innovative technology topics. With a proven track record in leadership mentoring, C-level whispering, strategic communications and a knack for spotting meaningful trends, Danny challenges the status quo and embodies change. Attuned to the subtlest signals from the digital landscape, Danny identifies significant trends in science, economics, culture, society, and technology and assesses their potential impact on brands, organizations, and individuals. His ability for bringing creative ideas, valuable insights, and unconventional solutions to life, makes him an invaluable partner and energizing advisor for top executives. Specializing in innovation -and the corporate communications, influence, strategic positioning, exponential change, and (e)reputation that come with it-, Danny is the secret weapon that you hope your competitors never tap into. As a guest lecturer at a plethora of universities and institutions, he loves to share his expertise with future (and current) generations. Having studied Educational Sciences and Agogics, Danny's passion for people, Schrödinger's cat, quantum mechanics, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy fuels his unique, outside-of-the-box thinking. He never panics. Previously a journalist in Belgium and the UK, Danny joined IPG Mediabrands in 2012 after serving as a global EVP Digital and Social for the Porter Novelli network (Omnicom). His expertise in managing global, regional, or local teams; delivering measurable business growth; navigating fierce competition; and meeting challenging deadlines makes him an seasoned leader. (He has a microwave at home.) An energetic presenter, he brought his enthusiasm, clicker and inspiring slides to over 300 global events, including SXSW, SMD, DMEXCO, Bluetooth World Congress, GSMA MWC, and Cebit. He worked with an impressive portfolio of clients like Bayer AG, 3M, Coca Cola, KPMG, Tele Atlas, Parrot, The Belgian National Lottery, McDonald's, Colruyt, Randstad, Barco, Veolia, Alten, Dow, PWC, the European Commission, Belfius, and HP. He played a pivotal role in Bluetooth's global success. Ranked 3rd most influential ad executive on Twitter by Business Insider and listed among the top 10 ad execs to follow by CEO Magazine, Danny also enjoys writing poetry and short stories, earning several literary awards in Belgium and the Netherlands. Fluent in Dutch, French, and English, Danny is an eager and versatile communicator. His BBQ skills are legendary.

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