CAPITAL Public Affairs, government relations for the financial industry

CAPITAL public affairs is a Dutch independent, strategic consultancy firm focused on the financial industry. We bridge the gap between public affairs, influencing policy, public relations, influencing the public, and management consulting, influencing commercial strategy. We create competitive advantage through public policy, advocacy and communication.

The partners have extensive experience in politics, government agencies such as the Ministry of Finance, and internationally operating financial institutions. Every organization has issues. But CAPITAL public affairs ensures that solving your issues becomes a priority to governmental institutions and their policy makers.

We navigate you through The Hague

CAPITAL public affairs works from The Hague, the political and administrative centre of the Netherlands and has short lines of communication with relevant parties in the financial sector. Experience and knowledge from the financial sector is necessary in the development of legislation and regulations. With whom, where and when it is needed to have influence in order to achieve the intended result, we analyse and realise on the basis of extensive experience and a large network. The business lobby is large and influential in The Hague. Part of our strategy is to put your issue high on the agenda of your lobby organization.

Issues with Dutch regulators

The reporting of an (impending) warning or sanction from a regulator, or a settlement with the Public Prosecution Service (Openbaar Ministerie) does more damage than the sanction itself. This also holds for news coverage of a possible loss of a licence or the rejection of members of the supervisory board by the regulatory authorities. Reputational damage can be enormous. CAPITAL public affairs helps you to minimize the impact on your organization by defining your story specifically for each stakeholder. It is often much better to be the first to tell the story.

Litigation communications

Disputes between organizations can severely damage your reputation. By accompanying this process – from emergence to settlement or trial – with specialized Litigation PR, your company could significantly reduce this damage. CAPITAL public affairs supports organizations and their legal representatives with communications in situations of conflict. In these situations, a comprehensive overview of all stakeholders is of utmost importance, as governmental institutions are also usually involved. Litigation PR requires an innovative cross-boundary approach. Due to new legislation, (international) conflicts will increasingly be disputed under Dutch law in the foreseeable future.

Media Relations & Spokesperson’s Service

CAPITAL public affairs focuses on organisations that occasionally, whether or not they want it, attract the media’s attention. But not enough to keep a permanent spokesperson busy. Often the communications department of these organisations is oriented towards customers, prospects and employees. This service, offered by CAPITAL public affairs, is also ideal for non-Dutch financial institutions that wish to execute their media policies in the Netherlands under the corporate media strategy.

Stakeholder analysis

How politicians and administrators in The Hague, external supervisors and other stakeholders think about an item, company or sector is important for an adequate approach and the representation of interests. A stakeholder analysis forms an indispensable basis. CAPITAL Public Affairs will discuss the approach with you. In highly confidential cases, we work exclusively with public sources and knowledge we have already acquired. If desired, a more specific analysis is carried out by means of a targeted approach to key figures.

Mergers & Acquisitions

In mergers and acquisitions, communication, insight into politics and governance and a good relationship with regulators are essential. Laws and regulations and their interpretation by supervisory authorities can form undesirable obstacles to mergers and acquisitions. At the right time, addressing the right people with good information can make a merger or takeover succeed. CAPITAL public affairs can help you to do this with a thorough analysis of the content and the environment and a large network.

Our services

The people at CAPITAL public affairs focus on content communication when it really counts. We are not involved in the area of marketing communication and design. The partners will be happy to put you in touch with agencies that are good at it. If desired, we can also take charge of the Dutch management of the realization.

Are you looking for a team of lawyers, accountants, business experts to redress an issue? Here too, we would be happy to help you putting together your team for the Dutch market.

01
Lobbying strategy and supervision of implementation

Our philosophy is to enable you in the way that you represent your own interests. This works more convincingly in practice. We prepare you for who you should contact, when the time is appropriate and we ensure in the preparation that you will not be surprised. We also ensure that – if necessary – your lobbying activities are embedded in a (social) media strategy. And if you don’t have the time or prefer to stay in the background. Then we ensure that the contacts are being managed for you.

Fee structure:

Formulating strategy, fixed price in advance
Execution, hourly rate, no further commitments

04
Pressoffice, including social media

We take care of everything relating to media communication. We speak and write easily, but with expertise and substance. This service is also important for companies and institutions with a communication department that is mainly focused on customer and employee communication. We are happy to take care of the communication to other stakeholders, if you wish, in close cooperation with your people.

Fee structure:

Spokesmanship, hourly rate, no further obligations
Press release, fixed prices in advance

07
Second opinion


Do you have a difficult situation and cannot solve it? Are you not completely convinced of the advice you are given? Or do you wish that before you go out, external eyes look again at the matter? In a simple set-up we would be happy to do this for you. For example, at a working lunch or a meeting. In the socratic method we put things in order together with you. And would you rather have a written report? That takes more time, but we will gladly arrange it for you.

Fee structure:

Hourly rate

02
Stakeholderanalyses


Ideally, every activity starts with a stakeholder analysis. Who does matter directly or indirectly? We also look at the stakeholders of the stakeholders. Who can influence civil servants, journalists, politicians and others in the political-administrative domain? If necessary, we first focus on these parties.

Fee structure:

Fixed price in advance
Fieldwork hourly rate, no commitments

05
Monitoring developments in the Dutch market


Monitoring developments in the Dutch market

We provide a clipping service to suit your needs. Not too much and not too little. In addition, we follow the developments that the media have not yet reached. And those developments that never reach the media, but are important for making decisions in your business operations.

Fee structure:

Retainerfee

08
Mediatraining


Most of our clients have already followed one or more media training courses. We don’t do that again. However, we do prepare our clients for public appearances, whether it is in the Lower House, a meeting with civil servants, or with journalists. We discuss everything with you well and thoroughly and make you well prepared. And do you want to rehearse things on camera? Then we will provide you with a trainer who suits you best.

Fee structure:

Fixed price in advance per part of the day


03
Strategic communications advice

What use is it if a lawsuit is won, but clients leave en masse? Or that the media get unfortunate sentences from your annual statements or other documents? How does a speech land in the political The Hague? We like to look over your shoulder with you. To prevent undesired side-effects and to use the opportunities. We take care of tunnel vision and being inward-looking. We are familiar with financial texts and instruments.

Fee structure:

Hourly rate, no further commitments

06
Copywriting


We concentrate on text that really matters. On speeches, press releases, introductory notes and summaries and annual reports. Texts that are at the crossroads of financial, legal and administrative matters. Customized for every audience. We take care of the linguistic and cultural translations of international communication content.

Fee structure:

Hourly rate or price in advance

09
Teams for the Dutch market

We like to keep our focus in our work and only do the things we excel in. We like to work together with other professionals. This can be with people in your own team or with other professionals hired by you. We have a large network and are happy to help you to make suggestions for a strong team for the Dutch market, which can also operate internationally.

Fee structure:

Hourly rate, no fixed obligations. We have made no agreements and do not work with kickback fees.

Our team

Ronald Florisson

Managing Partner
Experienced communication professional with wide-ranging experience in government administration and financial services. Expertise in crisis management, public affairs,investor relations and issue-communication. Expert in identifying undercurrents and trends. Extensive knowledge of administrative and governmental decision-making processes and related media.

Over 30 years of experience in key positions of Ministries and financial institutions. Advisor to boards. Regulator, governance specialist and former director of Eumedion.

Cor Groeneweg

Partner
Long track record in media and communications, government administration and financial services. Home in complex organizations and its issues. Was EU-correspondent in Brussels for Dutch National Radio, director of communications in the Ministry of Health and in charge of communications for the Dutch Association of insurers. Wide network.

Thomas Meijaard

Partner
Versatile consultant with experience on the fault-line of substance and communication. A natural connector between concept and practice. He possesses the rare combination of numerical, analytical, journalistic and communicative skills. This enables him to support organisations by effectively translating their message to the ear of their audience. Experienced in asset management and private equity. Founder of Otherguy, a company that supports entrepreneurs and SME’s with their business plans, business models and financing questions.

Holds a Master of Science in International Relations, where he specialised in the rise of China.
Public affairs in the Netherlands for the financial industry