Shomik Panda is the founder of Inline Policy and a recognised leader in public affairs, with two decades of experience shaping political engagement strategies across the UK, Europe and beyond. His entry into the sector came, in his own words, “with a stroke of good luck.” While working as an analyst at Merrill Lynch Investment Managers (now BlackRock), he was asked to brief colleagues on the 2003 US Primary elections and their potential market impact. The presentation caught the attention of a senior executive, who introduced him to the head of government affairs –“a department whose existence I was not even aware of.” A serendipitous meeting, falling immediately after the head had been in a meeting with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, opened his eyes to the world of public affairs. A few years later, he was offered a role at JPMorgan, where his career in government relations formally began. Since then, Panda has developed a reputation for combining political insight with commercial understanding. His expertise spans a wide range of industries, but he is especially drawn to technology and digital platforms, particularly where they intersect with travel, transport, fintech and short-term accommodation. “I particularly enjoy working with cutting-edge and emerging technologies,” he explains, highlighting the opportunity to build public affairs strategies “from a completely blank slate”. He also hopes to work more with clients in the sports sector. As CEO, Shomik advises clients on EU and UK tech regulatory developments. He also leads government influencing campaigns and regulatory research projects for clients. He works across several technology policy areas. He previously worked at JPMorgan, where he represented the company before UK and EU policy makers, and Blackrock. Shomik has a BSc in economic history from the London School of Economics, an MA in political science from Columbia University, and an MBA from INSEAD. In 2013, Panda founded Inline Policy, growing it into a respected consultancy with offices in London and Brussels and strong US links through The Advocacy Group. Building Inline has been, he says, his proudest professional achievement: “I was particularly proud when we hit our first big revenue milestone, and I realised that a business I had conceived had a great chance to ‘make it’ in the competitive world of public affairs.” Equally rewarding has been mentoring and seeing former staff advance in their own careers, an achievement central to the firm’s legacy. Panda has advised clients on some of the most significant policy debates of recent years. He is particularly proud of Inline’s work on competition in the digital economy, which highlighted anti-competitive practices alongside appropriate remedies for policymakers and regulators to consider. He is a regular around Westminster and the party conference circuit. Inline had a notable presence at the party conferences last year, including organising a panel event at the Reform conference with Airbnb and the Short-Term Accommodation (STAA) which featured in a panel to discuss how tourism can help revitalize high streets and coastal areas. Inline's senior team includes James Nason, a senior public affairs strategist with over 25 years of experience in UK public affairs and government relations, advising clients across a broad spectrum of sectors including energy and environment, transport, and technology. In 2024, he joined Inline Policy as a senior adviser with a remit for new business development and fostering the next generation of talent across a business that spans London, Brussels, and Washington. He has a clear focus on supporting growth businesses in sectors such as clean tech, climate tech and travel tech. Nason joined Inline Policy after a distinguished career at Instinctif Partners as head of UK public affairs and at APCO Worldwide as senior director and head of UK public affairs. He previously served as deputy MD of the public affairs practice at Citigate. Reflecting on his approach to public affairs, he says: “At Inline, we’ve got a greater focus on what I call deep regulation. We understand how politics and regulation work together and have a much deeper understanding of the regulatory aspects of policy making. For some companies this is hugely valuable, particularly when we deploy our understanding across different political centres such as the UK, EU and US.”...