Burson-Marsteller Brussels

Lawrie McLaren joined Robinson Linton Associates (now incorporated into Burson-Marsteller) after serving as assistant to the Policy Adviser to the Director-General for Environment, European Commission, Brussels.

Since joining the company in early 1990, his work has focused primarily on EC environmental policy for clients in the following sectors: chemicals, packaging, paper and board and agriculture. McLaren provides clients with on-going intelligence, policy strategy development, and support for direct involvement in the European Community system. Due to the global impact of European environmental measures, McLaren also manages global client communications programmes.

McLaren has also acted as an industry observer to working groups and ministerial meetings of the UN Environment Programme's Montreal Protocol on ozone-depleting substances. In 1996, McLaren carried out a summary of the European Community’s 5th Environmental Action Programme on behalf of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for the Environment.

Olivier de Matos leads Burson-Marsteller Brussels' Government Relations team. He joined Burson-Marsteller Brussels in 2001 after having worked as an intern in DG Health/Environment at the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union.

Previously, he shadowed the Secretary to the Commission for Parliamentary and Public Relations of the WEU Assembly. Since joining the company, his work has focused on advising clients on EC environmental and chemicals policies.

Olivier has led implementation of Burson-Marsteller’s work on agrochemical issues, in particular national and regional farmer group mobilisation. He also serves as an industry observer to the UN-Economic Commission for Europe’s Protocol on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution and UNEP Stockholm Convention.

Olivier was born in 1973 and is both Portuguese and French national. He has a Masters Degree in International and EU Law from La Sorbonne (Paris). He speaks fluent English, Portuguese, French and Spanish.

Diederik joined Burson-Marsteller Brussels in November 2008. As a Director, he is responsible for advising clients in the fields of EU environment and energy policies.

Before joining B-M, Diederik was working as EU Affairs Manager for the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers. In this position he was responsible for advising international oil and gas companies on EU policy development. He has initiated, designed, and implemented successful advocacy campaigns towards the EU institutions on inter alia marine environmental legislation, emissions trading, and carbon capture and storage. As a result of his work for the oil and gas industry, Diederik has a broad network of contacts in the energy and environmental policy sectors.

Having worked as a political advisor to Dutch Member of the European Parliament Dorette Corbey Diederik has also extensive experience with the EU policy-making process. He has worked on a wide range of EU policies, from energy to food safety, and from chemicals to waste management.

Earlier in his career Diederik has worked for the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs; first as a diplomat at the Netherlands Permanent Representation to the Organisation of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna, and later as policy officer in the European Integration Department of the Ministry in The Hague.

Diederik has a degree in International Relations from Groningen University and a post-graduate degree in European Political Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges. A native Dutchman, Diederik is fluent in English, Portuguese, French, and German.