About the Author
SEC Newgate Global Team
Amsterdam/Milan, 2 September 2026: SEC Newgate, the global insight, communications and advocacy group, has appointed Barbara Mulder as the new CEO of Wepublic SEC Newgate, following the acquisition of Wepublic in 2023.
Barbara succeeds Peter Coolen who led Wepublic through a period of organisational transition and development when the previous partners exited the agency in April 2025. Barbara Mulder brings more than 20 years’ experience in corporate affairs and corporate communications. Over the last two years, Barbara ran her own advisory firm, BM Communications, focusing on crisis management, following a decade as CEO of BCW Netherlands (now Burson).
In her role at BCW, she advised on large financial transactions, transformation projects, crisis cases and corporate affairs and advocacy plans.
In addition, her role as Global Advocacy Campaign Strategist at the Bernard Van Leer Foundation, an organisation dedicated to supporting young children, caregivers and communities worldwide, demonstrated her in-depth understanding of corporate affairs and institutional frameworks, working at the intersection of governments, civil society, academia, NGOs and business to advocate globally for children’s wellbeing.
Barbara also worked in senior roles at international agency Fleishmann Hillard, prior to which she worked as a strategic advisor in the private sector as Director of Global Communications at Crucell, a Dutch healthcare multinational handling corporate communications, marketing and public affairs in the vaccine sector for almost four years.
She also served as Communications manager and later as Director of Communications during her 14 years’ tenure in the Heerema Group operating in the maritime service and operations sector.
Barbara joins a team of nearly 30 advisors spread across two offices in Amsterdam and the Hague. Wepublic SEC Newgate focuses on corporate affairs, stakeholder engagement, insights and political intelligence and also helps clients with its suite of digital tools that monitor, investigate and analyse issues and stakeholder sentiments. Those include:
- Stakeholder intelligence monitor (SIM), that brings together all the information relevant to a specific business or cause and keeps businesses informed in real-time of developments in the political and social arena.
- Stakeholder engagement tool (SET), that offers a series of automated functions to effectively handle stakeholder engagement campaigns.
- Stakeholder intelligence Europe (SIE), the most recent evolution of SIM that operates at the EU-level and is an essential tool in Brussels-focused topics and campaigns.
Fiorenzo Tagliabue, SEC Newgate CEO, said: “In the highly competitive market in which we operate, and with our consistent strategic focus on corporate affairs, we believe Barbara brings a wealth of expertise and experience to our Dutch operations in terms of strategic advice capacity, understanding of the mindset and needs of global clients and, most notably, the energy that is required to boost growth and expand business along the main streams of corporate affairs, engagements and handling of critical issues that are the core of our global offering. I wish to thank Peter Coolen for his leadership and contribution during an important period of transition for Wepublic within SEC Newgate.
“The level of our ambition in the Netherlands, EMEA and globally is very high and supported by the quality of our teams, consistency of the national, regional and global leadership and proof of the high quality of our strategic service. We all wish Barbara the best of luck in this new, exciting chapter in her remarkable career.”
Barbara Mulder said: “I am thrilled to be joining the Wepublic SEC Newgate team. Together with the team, I will focus on three things: strengthening and expanding our services in strategic communications, public affairs and reputation management; developing and attracting top talent; and deepening partnerships with our clients. I am also very much looking forward to work closely with colleagues and experts from the SEC Newgate Group across the globe.”
Emma Kane, SEC Newgate’s Deputy Group CEO and Head of Western EMEA, added: “The Netherlands punches well above its weight on the global stage. With one of the most extensive European footprints of any global corporate affairs consultancy, SEC Newgate sees enormous opportunity in this market.
“Barbara is a leader who combines deep local insight with the ability to harness the full strength of our international platform. Her experience, reputation and ambition make her exceptionally well placed to drive our growth in the Netherlands, and I am delighted to welcome her to the SEC Newgate team as we continue to expand our presence across the region and beyond.”