Gosselin & de Walque

What Gosselin & de Walque does

Gosselin & de Walque is a Brussels-headquartered strategic communications and advisory boutique founded in 2019 by Ermeline Gosselin and Guillaume de Walque. The firm delivers six integrated service pillars - executive strategy and advisory, corporate and institutional communication, crisis management, digital strategy, stakeholder influence, and public relations - to CEOs, governments, ministerial cabinets, public institutions, and NGOs across Belgium. Its principal differentiator is direct, top-of-government operating experience: co-founder Guillaume de Walque served as Director of Communication for the Belgian Prime Minister (2011-2014), while co-founder Ermeline Gosselin acted as spokesperson for the President of PS for seven years and participated in seven government formations. The senior bench is similarly weighted, featuring a former Procureur du Roi de Bruxelles, a retired Lieutenant-General and former DG of Belgium's SGRS intelligence service, a former Oxfam Belgium Deputy General Director, and former spokespersons to multiple Belgian ministers - giving the firm unusual depth in crisis, security, and political-stakeholder advisory for a 14-person team.

The business model is a classic premium professional services boutique: custom, multi-year retainer and project-based engagements priced bespoke to client needs, with no publicly disclosed rates. Distribution is consultative and referral-led via the founders' and senior partners' personal networks, supplemented by thought-leadership content, LinkedIn activity, and recurring forums for communication directors. There is no proprietary software, platform, or technology layer; "digital strategy" refers to social media audits, executive LinkedIn positioning, influencer marketing, and e-reputation work, not an AI/saas product. Headcount grew from 2 founders in 2019 to ~14 by September 2024 across offices in Brussels (headquarters) and Jurbise, with cumulative client count near 100 and the firm profitable since inception.

Name

Gosselin & de Walque

Legal name

Gosselin & de Walque SRL

Website

https://gosselindewalque.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Gosselin & de Walque is a Brussels-headquartered strategic communications and advisory boutique founded in 2019, offering executive advisory, crisis management, digital strategy, influence, and PR services to CEOs, government institutions, and NGOs, leveraging former senior Belgian government and security officials.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Strategic Consulting Services: Professional consulting services for strategy, communication, crisis management, and digital strategy. Revenue generated through project-based engagements and advisory retainer arrangements with corporate and institutional clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Gosselin & de Walque is a strategic advisory and communications consultancy offering integrated services across strategy, corporate and institutional communication, crisis management, digital strategy, influence, and public relations. The firm supports CEOs, companies, public institutions, governments, and NGOs through high-level advisory engagements, retainer arrangements, and project-based consulting. Delivery is based on direct expertise from former senior government officials, prosecutors, NGO leaders, and corporate communications executives, with each engagement customized to client needs.

Product overview

Gosselin & de Walque is a strategic consulting firm offering integrated advisory services rather than a software product platform. The firm's portfolio consists of six core service pillars: (1) Strategy & Executive Advisory, (2) Corporate & Institutional Communication, (3) Crisis Management & Communication, (4) Digital Strategy, (5) Influence, and (6) Public Relations. These services are delivered as professional consulting engagements rather than modular software products, with each service area addressing distinct but interconnected needs from strategic planning to digital presence and crisis response. The firm works with CEOs, companies, governments, public institutions, and NGOs across sectors including technology, industry, finance, energy, environment, pharma, telecom, real estate, and hospitality.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategy - Executive Advisory (Stratégie - Accompagnement des dirigeant·e·s) Executive advisory services including strategic advice, change management support, risk analysis, content conceptualization, public speaking preparation, and LinkedIn strategy for executives and leaders at corporations, institutions, and NGOs.
• Corporate and Institutional Communication (Communication Corporate et Institutionnelle) Strategic and operational communication planning, communications team recruitment and coaching, internal communications, public and media relations, content writing, and digital strategy services for client organizations.
• Crisis Management (Crise - Gestion de Crise) Crisis preparation and management, crisis communication, risk analysis and assessment, reputation protection, preventive scenario development, and post-crisis recommendations for client organizations facing crises or complex issues.
• Digital Strategy (Stratégie Digitale) Digital services including social media audit and strategy, LinkedIn strategy for executives, content development, e-reputation management, and influencer marketing to support executive and organizational digital presence.
• Influence Stakeholder mapping, influence strategy development, message development, and strategic positioning for clients engaging with complex stakeholder environments and seeking to shape public or institutional outcomes.
• Public Relations (Relations Publiques) Media strategy design and execution, press relations advice, and media event organization based on mutual trust and respect between the firm and journalists.
• Change Management Support (Soutien à la Transformation) Change management support including transformation strategy development, organizational change implementation, and multi-year planning with execution oversight.

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Akkanto: Belgian communications and brand consultancy headquartered in Brussels. Direct regional competitor also serving Belgian corporates and institutions on corporate communications, brand strategy, and stakeholder engagement, though with a different brand-and-creative emphasis.

Direct peers

• APCO Worldwide: Global communications and public affairs consultancy with strong government and policy expertise. Directly comparable to G&dW's combination of corporate communications, public affairs, and crisis work, though with significantly broader geographic reach and integrated advisory model.
• Brunswick Group: London-headquartered global strategic communications advisory specializing in M&A, crisis, and public affairs. Closely comparable business model and core service mix to G&dW, targeting C-suite leaders on strategic positioning and crisis work, though at significantly larger scale.
• Hume Brophy: Strategic communications and public affairs consultancy advising corporates and governments on reputation, policy, and crisis management. Comparable boutique-scale competitor to G&dW with similar C-suite and government client focus, particularly strong in Europe.
• Kekst CNC: International strategic communications consultancy advising corporates and financial sponsors on crisis, M&A, and capital markets communications. Highly comparable offering to G&dW's crisis management and corporate communication practices, with deeper financial-services specialization.
• FGS Global (Finsbury): Global strategic communications and public affairs advisory formed from the merger of Finsbury, The Glover Park Group and Hering Schuppener. Directly comparable to G&dW's executive advisory, crisis communications, and public affairs offerings, but at global scale serving multinational clients.
• Instinctif Partners: European strategic communications and advisory firm offering corporate communications, public affairs, and crisis services. Comparable mid-sized peer with similar boutique model and government/policy client base.

Emerging players

• We Are Social: Global social media and digital communications agency with strong European footprint. Partial overlap with G&dW's digital strategy and influencer marketing services, though typically project-based executional work rather than senior advisory.

Others

• Shuttlerock: Digital marketing and content platform often used by communications teams for social media execution. Adjacent technology provider that supports (rather than competes with) advisory firms like G&dW on the digital strategy workstream.

Broad incumbents

• Publicis Consultants Belgium: Belgium arm of the Publicis network providing corporate communications, public affairs, and crisis services. Overlapping capabilities with G&dW on public affairs and corporate comms, but operating as part of a much larger global holding group.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gosselindewalque

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Gosselin & de Walque