European, International Affairs Expert Joins APCO Worldwide

Brussels (October 21, 2014) – Nicholas Whyte, former director of the Brussels office of Independent Diplomat, joined APCO Worldwide today as director and head of the services to government practice in APCO’s Brussels office, announced managing director Claire Boussagol. Whyte will counsel APCO’s clients on ally development and coalition building, advocacy, public affairs and strategic communication.

“We are delighted to welcome Nicholas to APCO’s Brussels office,” Boussagol said. “His expertise in EU policy and international diplomacy will help both our corporate and government clients effectively navigate the changing global public policy landscape. APCO is an industry leader in providing services to governments and has assisted dozens of governments throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, and North and South America in developing and implementing public affairs and strategic communication campaigns at home and abroad.”

With more than 20 years of experience, Whyte specializes in international affairs, advocacy and research. At Independent Diplomat for almost eight years, he served as a key advisor to governments and organizations on foreign policy and strategic alliances. Whyte was responsible for designing and implementing strategies to lobby the European Union institutions, NATO and the Council of Europe and European governments. He is a leading expert on Northern Ireland elections and electoral systems, and his work includes advising Kosovo and South Sudan on their paths to independence; Croatia on its EU membership; and the Georgian opposition on their international outreach strategy.

“I’m very excited to be joining APCO,” Whyte said. “I look forward to contributing to APCO’s industry-leading work for governments around the world and to helping our clients engage most effectively with the European institutions.”

Whyte has worked in Brussels since 1999. He previously served as the Europe program director at the International Crisis Group (ICG), where he led field research, analysis, policy prescription and advocacy activities in Europe. In this role, he published 15 to 20 in-depth reports annually and advocated recommendations to high-level policymakers in Europe and the United States. He led ICG’s first-ever work on Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Cyprus, and continued the organization’s research on the Balkans. Prior to that, he worked as a political expert at the Centre for European Policy Studies. Whyte is originally from Northern Ireland, where he participated in the peace process in the mid-1990s as the central election campaigns manager for the cross-community Alliance Party. He is the founder of the Northern Ireland elections website and has managed its online archive and election coverage for 16 years.