Public Affairs Leaders Series: From regulator to multinational and the importance of getting to the right answer
A CIPR Public Affairs Leaders Series interview with Monica Ariño, Director of Public Policy, UK and Turkey, Amazon by James Boyd-Wallis
Witnessing the convergence of several technological trends, Monica Ariño sought to escape the ivory tower of academia after completing a PhD in broadcasting regulation. “I wanted to feel more in touch with the rapid changes taking place in the world, and my move to Ofcom supported this,” explains Monica.
Curiosity meets opportunity
Joining Ofcom as international policy manager in 2006, Monica spent 11 years at the communication services regulator, becoming its International Director in 2011 and leading its policy work across the EU and globally. She was then headhunted by BT Group, joining as its Director of Regulatory Affairs in 2017 and spearheaded UK regulatory strategy, engagement and governance. Three years later, Monica joined Amazon as the UK Director of Public Policy. During that time, she has also helped build public policy teams in Ireland and the Nordics, and now also oversees work in Turkey.
Reflecting on her move into the private sector, Monica admits it was a risk, given the additional pressures of working for larger and more complex organisations whilst raising three children (all under four at the time!). “But curiosity met with opportunity, and I am delighted I made the jump,” says Monica.
Drawing on these experiences, Monica has several lessons. First, policymakers and corporations are not that far apart. “They both care about serving customers and doing the right thing. The more one can align those interests, the better.”
Next, it is first and foremost for companies to articulate the impact of policy clearly, compellingly and with evidence. “Well-intentioned policymakers can misstep because they do not fully understand how businesses work. So, companies should share information they have which regulators and policymakers do not,” urges Monica.
Third, Monica sees in-house policy and public affairs professionals as translators between business and politics. “It’s about explaining the political and regulatory world to business leaders and explaining the business world to politicians. It’s about finding common ground, or a common language, through which differences of opinion can be understood and resolved. In meetings with officials or with the business, I often find myself being the voice of whoever is not in the room,” reflects Monica.
Bridging the gap between policymakers and business
Monica worked and lived in four European countries before coming to the UK. She comes from a different political tradition; she has had to adapt to a British system that is, on the face of it, very confrontational. “You just have to look at the layout of the House of Commons,” she adds. Monica has become adept at figuring out what the business needs and identifying trade-offs, as early as possible. “This is not easy. You often end up navigating ambiguity and conflicting priorities,” says Monica. “You become an internal mediator before even getting out the door. Then you do the same externally.”
Monica talks about the importance of finding common ground with successive Governments, but how does she achieve it? As a guiding star, Monica urges practitioners to start with data and speak the truth. “I like to examine the evidence, that’s your best starting point and likely to get you closest to the right answer. Equally vital is understanding policymakers and their priorities and building trust.” She suggests “this needs to be done over time, not overnight.”
Big doesn’t mean bad
When discussing the increasing regulatory attention on so-called ‘Big Tech’, Monica seems very pragmatic. “Amazon has grown significantly in the last four years. We now have 75,000 people across the UK and over 100 buildings. When companies grow to a point of significance, it’s natural for policymakers to get interested.”
However, while she understands the scrutiny, she emphasises the misconceptions that can come with it. “Sometimes scrutiny is conflated with thinking ‘big must be bad’. Legislators are lumping together companies with little in common aside from being of an arbitrary size. And yet, there are major differences between retailers, social media firms, internet search businesses or those with operating systems.”
Monica and her team have spent much time in recent years leaning in to explain the economic and social contribution Amazon makes in the communities where it operates. She stresses that “success and scale bring a broader social responsibility” and how Amazon has supercharged its community support programmes to empower those from underserved and underrepresented backgrounds to thrive. “For example, we have partnered with ex-Prime Minister Gordon Brown to connect surplus goods directly with families who need them and have supported the launch of donations hubs called ‘Multibanks’ in Scotland, England and Wales. So far, we have distributed over 3 million products to 300k families and aim to reach 500k families by the end of this year.”
Disagree and commit
Describing Amazon’s culture of innovation, Monica explains employees focus on learning, growing and thinking big. “We are encouraged to take calculated risks when decisions are not irreversible or irrevocable. This culture applies to public policy as it does to the teams developing the latest tech.
Amazon captures much of this in its ‘leadership principles’, which crystallise internal practice. “Perhaps my favourite is ‘disagree and commit’,” says Monica. “We can argue long and hard about something – but once we’ve made a decision, we set aside our differences and work together to do what we’ve agreed.”
Given the current political environment, this feels like a lesson many politicians could learn from too.
