Clerens

What Clerens does

Clerens is a Brussels-based public affairs and communications consultancy operating as CLERENS NV/SA, a Belgian public limited company founded approximately three decades ago and headquartered at Avenue Adolphe Lacomblé 59/8, 1030 Brussels. The firm delivers four core service lines: Public Affairs (policy advocacy, regulatory intelligence, strategic communications at EU level), EU Fundings (funding strategy, proposal writing, project management across Horizon Europe and structural funds), Events Management (end-to-end event production and stakeholder engagement), and Association Management (governance, member engagement, operational support). All four services are oriented exclusively toward the EU's energy, environment, and mobility sectors, leveraging the firm's physical and relational proximity to EU institutions.

Beyond advisory services, Clerens operates as the managing secretariat for three established industry associations — Energy Storage Europe (70+ members, established 2011), Batteries European Partnership Association / BEPA (250+ members, established 2020), and European Automotive Research Partners Association / EARPA (60+ members, established 2002) — and produces four flagship annual industry events: Energy Storage Global Conference, Battery Innovation Days, Future of Road Mobility Forum, and International Flow Battery Forum, with individual attendance ranging from 200 to 500+ delegates. The firm employs 11–50 staff under Managing Director Patrick Clerens, with family involvement in finance functions (Myriam Clerens as Finance Manager, Margaux Clerens as Finance Consultant).

Clerens' business model is straightforward professional services consulting with no proprietary technology, no app or API offering, and no publicly disclosed pricing. Revenue is generated through retainer agreements and project-based consulting engagements acquired via direct business development and event-driven relationship building. The firm maintains GDPR-compliant data handling (effective since 25 May 2018), is privately held with no parent company or institutional investors identified, and is an active operating business with job postings open as of 2026.

Name

Clerens

Legal name

CLERENS NV/SA

Website

https://clerens.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Brussels-based consultancy providing EU public affairs, EU funding advisory, events management, and association management services for organizations in the energy, environment, and mobility sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Schaerbeek

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Professional consulting services for EU public affairs, strategic communications, EU funding navigation, and association management. Revenue is generated through retainer agreements and project-based consulting engagements with organizations in energy, environment, and mobility sectors.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Clerens is a Brussels-based public affairs and communications consultancy delivering four service lines: Public Affairs (EU policy advocacy, intelligence, strategic communications), EU Fundings (funding strategy, proposal writing, project management for Horizon Europe and structural funds), Events Management (end-to-end event organization), and Association Management (governance, member engagement, advocacy support). The firm also manages four industry events and three industry associations in the energy, environment, and mobility sectors.

Product overview

Clerens is a Brussels-based consultancy offering four interconnected service lines: Public Affairs (policy advocacy, intelligence, strategic communications), EU Fundings (funding strategy, proposal writing, project management), Events Management (end-to-end event organization, stakeholder engagement), and Association Management (governance, member engagement, operational support). The company also manages several flagship events (Energy Storage Global Conference, Battery Innovation Days, Future of Road Mobility Forum, International Flow Battery Forum) and industry associations (Energy Storage Europe, BEPA, EARPA). All services focus on the EU's energy, environment, and mobility sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Public Affairs Strategic advisory services helping organisations and industry associations stay ahead of EU regulatory shifts and shape impactful policies through policy advocacy, intelligence gathering, and strategic communications.
• EU Fundings Consultancy services helping organisations in energy, environment, and mobility sectors access EU funding opportunities, including funding strategy, proposal writing, project management, compliance, and visibility support.
• Events Management End-to-end event management services including venue logistics, speaker coordination, content design, stakeholder engagement, and promotional campaigns to create strategic platforms for influence and visibility.
• Association Management Services empowering associations to deliver value to members through governance support, member engagement, advocacy, and operational excellence in EU policy contexts.
• Energy Storage Global Conference (ESGC) Annual managed conference bringing together the world of energy storage, hosted at Hotel Le Plaza, Brussels, with 400+ attendees.
• Battery Innovation Days (BID) Managed event focused on a competitive and sustainable European battery value chain, held in Graz, Austria and online, with 500+ attendees.
• Future of Road Mobility Forum (FORM) Managed forum on future road mobility, held at The EGG, Brussels, with 200+ attendees.
• International Flow Battery Forum (IFBF) Managed forum focused on flow battery technology, held in Budapest, Hungary, with 350+ attendees.
• Energy Storage Europe Managed industry association serving as the unified voice of energy storage, with 70+ members, created in 2011.
• Batteries European Partnership Association (BEPA) Managed association working towards a competitive European industrial battery value chain, with 250+ members, established in 2020.
• European Automotive Research Partners Association (EARPA) Managed association forming a community of leading European independent R&D providers in the automotive sector, with 60+ members, established in 2002.
• CLERENS EU Funding Guide Downloadable guide helping organisations navigate the complex EU funding landscape from Horizon Europe to structural funds.

Quantifiable outcome

• Four major events managed with 200-500+ attendees per event

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Brunswick Group: Global advisory firm focused on critical issues and communications, with strong EU policy and energy transition practices. Competes for senior EU affairs mandates with greater resources.
• APCO Worldwide: Global public affairs and strategic communications firm with a Brussels office serving energy, mobility and sustainability clients. Larger incumbent competing for similar EU policy mandates at greater scale.
• Fleishman-Hillard: Global public relations and public affairs network with deep Brussels presence and dedicated EU regulatory practice. Overlaps with Clerens in EU advocacy and energy/sustainability communications.
• Burson (formerly BCW): Global public relations and public affairs firm with extensive Brussels presence following BCW/Interel merger. Competes directly for EU advocacy and association management mandates.
• Hill+Knowlton Strategies: Global public affairs and communications firm with established Brussels practice serving energy, mobility and technology clients. Larger-scale incumbent competing for similar EU institutional work.

Direct peers

• Kreab: Brussels-headquartered public affairs and communications consultancy specializing in EU policy advocacy and strategic communications. Most comparable peer given similar Brussels base, EU affairs focus, and multi-sector client base across energy and industrial policy.
• Interel (now part of Havas Red & BCW): Brussels-based EU public affairs and association management firm with similar offering in policy advocacy, association secretariat, and event management. Closely mirrors Clerens' service mix and EU institutional positioning.
• Cabinet DN: Brussels-based public affairs consultancy focused on EU policy and communications. Comparable niche boutique positioning with EU affairs specialization.
• Rud Pedersen Public Affairs: European public affairs consultancy with strong Brussels presence offering EU affairs, energy and environment policy advisory. Comparable in sector focus and EU institutional access.

Others

• European Association for Innovation (EAI): Nonprofit association management and event organization entity focused on ICT and sustainability research communities in Europe. Adjacent peer showing the association management/event operating model at a different scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clerens-consulting

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Clerens