In the age of thought leadership, some of the most powerful firms in the world publish nothing at all.
No white papers. No roundtables. And yet, when a sovereign fund needs to reposition
$40 billion in assets — or when an energy major faces a regulatory reversal in West Africa — these are the firms they call.
The influence industry has matured. From London to Berlin, Washington to Geneva, a new cohort of strategic intelligence firms has emerged — neither lobbying shops nor think tanks, but precision advisors operating between capital, law and politics.
What unites them is not style, but silence. Their work doesn’t trend — it redirects.
The Discreet Powerhouses
Some names are still familiar — but only barely. Hakluyt, founded by former British intelligence officers, has become the quintessential advisor to global boardrooms, providing what one FTSE 100 chair called “pure situational clarity.” The firm rarely appears in the press, yet consistently ranks among the most trusted for geopolitical risk and stakeholder mapping.
McLarty Associates, based in Washington, retains deep influence through its former diplomatic network — advising multinational clients on government relations and market access, especially in the Americas and Asia. Their value proposition lies not in headlines, but in frictionless movement through complexity.
Teneo, better known for its crisis communications arm, has grown into a multifaceted advisory firm where risk, regulation and politics are viewed as interdependent — particularly for multinationals managing multi-jurisdictional exposure in tech, finance and energy.
In Central and Eastern Europe, Perun Strategy (Warsaw) has quietly built a reputation for hard geopolitical insight — not about conflict zones, but about investment resilience. With mandates in infrastructure, defense and critical minerals, Perun serves private equity and sovereign clients with a strong focus on strategic continuity in unstable markets.
Emerging Precision Players
Beyond these “stealth tier-ones,” a set of boutique European firms is gaining traction for their ability to embed deeply within local terrain while advising global capital.
Agora Strategy, headquartered in Munich, continues to advise corporations and governments on hybrid political-commercial risks. It is particularly active in Eastern
Europe and the Balkans, offering insight into how national-level political volatility affects investment and regulation.
JPA (Jose Parejo & Associates), based in Madrid, is emerging as a go-to partner for projects in the Middle East, Latin America and parts of Africa. With clients in energy, logistics and industrial investment, JPA brings field-level visibility to board-level strategy — a rare balance of local presence and institutional understanding.
Intellexia, in Italy, offers a different capability: forensic intelligence and white-collar investigation. While not overtly political, their work has proven essential for companies facing exposure to corruption, opaque tendering, or reputational risk in complex markets.
And in the Nordic region, Rasmussen Global remains a high-trust firm for clients navigating the strategic intersection of business, defense, and diplomacy — particularly those exposed to EU, NATO or Baltic dynamics.
Why These Firms Matter Now
What’s changed is not only the risk environment — but the speed at which ambiguity becomes consequence. Companies are no longer looking to be briefed on yesterday’s conflict. They want help understanding how today’s minor regulatory draft in Brussels becomes next quarter’s constraint in Jakarta.
These firms don’t offer predictions. They design optionality. They are not public. But they are indispensable.
Because in a world increasingly defined by grey zones of legality, legitimacy and leverage, the quietest advisors are often the ones shaping the loudest outcomes.
