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Brussels Office Since

Firm Description

Harwood Levitt Consulting (HLC) is a boutique consultancy that works with leading organisations to create competitive advantage through political risk analysis, policy advocacy, and strategic communications. We bridge the gap between public affairs and management consulting, influencing policy, the public and commercial strategy.

Our work leans towards big-picture strategy, guiding organisations through the fundamental changes in public policies over the past 12 years. Organisations typically engage on a technical policy level, finding it increasingly hard to manage the links between political change and their business. By engaging in strategy discussions around key issues of our time, HLC helps navigate these challenges. For example, if influencing public opinion is cheaper through Facebook advertising than direct lobbying, is that clever advocacy or unethical? If companies invest in CSR and ‘purpose’, what happens when it clashes with business growth? What happens when defending an industry’s license to operate upsets mainstream opinion?

HLC was founded in 2009 to counsel the world’s leading organisations on how to navigate the intersection between strategy and public policy. Traditional strategy consultancies did not support the Government Affairs function, and PA agencies did not have the models and scope of thinking to help clients plan with their businesses, as well as influence externally.

We have grown from those beginnings to work with leading companies, trade associations, foundations and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs).  Our key areas of support range from advising on advocacy strategy and message development, to developing team capabilities through workshop moderation.

A team of nearly 20, we are based in Brussels but much of our work is outside the EU beltway, working with Global and Regional HQs and increasingly with affiliates in Latin America, Middle-East Africa and Asia-Pacific. Most frequently, we work with the heads of Regional or Global Public Affairs functions who report directly into the business (in pharmaceuticals, environment, consumer goods and technology, among others). We also have extensive experience of the NGO sector, having worked with heads of European and Global CSOs.

We pride ourselves on recruiting the best possible talent from across the world and in training and developing this talent for success in business and beyond.

Come to us if you want:

• Management Consultancy for Public Affairs
• Political Risk Strategy
• Training and Workshop Moderation
• Political Influence, Communications and Public Relations
• Corporate Message Development and Testing
• Policy Advocacy and Awareness Raising

Ownership Structure

Privately owned by two founding partners.

International Structure

Our team is made up of talented young professionals based in Brussels and across Europe. Our model is to build a network of PA professionals and other consultancies as clients need them, either by coordinating the work of existing agencies or supporting RFP selection processes.

Number of Public Affairs Consultants

Thought Leadership

We intermittently publish blog pieces on our website at harwoodlevitt.com/home#sectionIdeas. The usual reaction is “excellent, and slightly too long.” We are rude about Mark Zuckerberg, explain poker strategy in trade associations, and discuss the role of myth in advocacy narratives.

We strongly believe it will become increasingly important for future CEOs and others to build public policy more centrally into their strategies. Over the past 12 years, we have focused on executive education. We teach public policy and strategy at several leading business schools and often run our MBA modules with visiting universities.