#WeLeadComms: Andras Baneth

Brussels-based communication leader Andras Baneth, today’s #WeLeadComms honoree, shares his story:

“I’m an entrepreneur, author, speaker and strategic communications expert working at the intersection of European affairs, public policy, technology and human behaviour. What connects my projects is a curiosity about how ideas gain influence and how complex subjects can be made clear, useful and persuasive.

I’m the founder of Influence Builders, where I help organisations and professionals use AI effectively and navigate public affairs and advocacy. I’m also a partner at Brussels-based digital and policy communications agency The Right Street, and I run the Ambiorix Center & Podcast Studio near the EU institutions.

In 2008 I co-founded EU Training, now a market leader in EU careers and EPSO exam preparation. I later created SpeakerHub, a global marketplace connecting speakers with event organisers, which I sold in 2024.

Books have been another important part of my work. I’m the author of The Ultimate EU Test Book, Europe’s bestselling guide to EU selection exams, with more than 100,000 copies sold. In 2025, Sonia Gongu and I published The Ultimate EU Handbook, a visual, 500-page guide to the European Union’s history, institutions and decision-making.

Before becoming an entrepreneur, I spent seven years at the European Court of Justice and the European Commission, including coordinating briefings for Commission President José Manuel Barroso. I also established the European office of the Public Affairs Council and led or advised it for a decade.

As a two-time TEDx speaker and trainer, I’ve worked with more than 3,000 professionals across Europe and the Americas. I speak about strategic communication, AI, persuasion, EU affairs, lobbying, science communication and entrepreneurship.

Beyond work, I’m fascinated by psychology, history, international affairs and the ideas that shape how people think. These interests come together in my podcast, Beyond the Bubble: open, curious conversations from a European perspective.”

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