Robert McLeod Joins APCO in Brussels as Head of European Competition Practice

July 14, 2025

Brussels – 14 July 2025: Robert McLeod, an industry leader in regulatory risk and trusted advisor to business leaders, joins APCO’s Competition and M&A practice as head of Europe, APCO CEO Brad Staples announced today. 

Working closely with Brussels Managing Director Carmen Bell to enhance APCO’s Competition and M&A offer, McLeod will also be a leader in APCO’s global Financial Communications practice, and a senior member of the Brussels leadership team.

McLeod brings 30 years of experience as a leading expert on international policy implementation and antitrust enforcement. A former journalist, McLeod started his career in the energy sector before spending 13 years at Bloomberg News in London, Brussels and Paris covering M&A, banking, finance and antitrust and merger control. He is the founder and former editor-in-chief and CEO of global regulatory risk specialist MLex Market Insight. Based in Brussels and Washington, D.C., he led the international growth of the business across five continents before being acquired by LexisNexis in 2015.

“Companies today face a new reality as merger and competition reviews are being transformed by increased political and stakeholder interference, particularly in Europe where geopolitical shifts are influencing policies and decisions aimed at preserving global competitiveness. Our clients are increasingly asking us to partner with them during business-critical moments to overcome regulatory, political and communications challenges. I am excited to have Robert join our team of world-class competition and M&A advisors to help our clients navigate today’s complex and fast-moving environment,” said Staples. “His global perspective and proven track record make him a tremendous asset to our clients as we partner with them during this period of great uncertainty.”  

Since 1995, APCO has been at the forefront of strategic counsel and stakeholder engagement in Brussels. Having long acted as trusted advisors and partners to businesses, governments, associations, law firms, banks and non-profits from around the world, the Brussels office is deepening its expertise in integrated public affairs and communications campaign offers. McLeod’s media and business profile will complement other consultants working on a variety of integrated, innovative services, from sophisticated polling and research to thought-leadership positioning and digital and creative campaigns.

APCO has had a dedicated competition and M&A competition team in Brussels for 30 years. McLeod joins a dynamic group of industry-leading professionals including:  