Headland acquires Shearwater to deepen EU advisory offer and expand into Brussels

21 September 2026 – Reputation and communications consultancy Headland has acquired Shearwater, the Brussels and London-based strategic political and regulatory advisory firm, establishing a presence in Brussels and adding senior EU public affairs and regulatory expertise to its client offer.

The acquisition will provide clients with a more extensive EU offer that spans reputation, communications, strategy, political and regulatory advisory, while creating a platform for further international growth.

Founded in 2020 by Peter Guilford, Hans Kribbe, Toby Orr and Tim Price, Shearwater’s integrated Brussels and London team advises blue-chip clients across the UK, EU, US and international markets, with particular strengths in global trade, competition and M&A, technology and AI, and environmental policy.

Shearwater’s 27-strong team combines senior experience from within the European Commission and UK Government with extensive in-house and consultancy expertise, including at GPlus, Hanover and Portland. Shearwater will retain its brand and management team, led by its founding partners.

The acquisition builds on Headland’s established UK public affairs and policy capabilities and responds to growing demand from clients for advice that connects political, regulatory, corporate and reputational considerations across markets. Shearwater strengthens Headland’s ability to help clients navigate geopolitical volatility and complex international challenges, following the recent appointment of Janine Lloyd-Jones, formerly Director of Communication at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

The move is part of Headland’s strategy to build a broader international reputation and communications advisory offer, following its acquisition of London and New York-based digital strategy, brand and content consultancy Bladonmore in 2025. Headland is backed by leading private equity investor LDC, who first partnered with the team in 2021 and reinvested in the business in 2024.

Together, Headland, Bladonmore and Shearwater total more than 270 people with operations in London, Brussels, New York and Madrid. The firm’s expertise spans corporate and financial communications, public affairs, policy and regulatory affairs, reputation risk, sustainability, employee engagement, brand and digital.

Dan Mines, CEO of Headland, said: “Brussels is an essential market for many of our clients. Shearwater is a brilliant business with outstanding people, deep political and regulatory expertise and an impressive international client base. We already know from working together that our teams share an approach to high-quality, strategic advice and a focus on helping clients navigate complexity.

“Bringing Shearwater into the group is another important step in building a broader international reputation and communications business. It means we can bring together political, regulatory and reputational advice across the UK, EU and US, while giving all three businesses new opportunities to grow internationally.”

Peter Guilford, co-founder of Shearwater, said: “Joining Headland gives Shearwater the opportunity to accelerate the next stage of our growth while retaining the specialist expertise, entrepreneurial culture and client focus that have driven the business since we founded it.

“Our clients are increasingly dealing with challenges that cut across politics, regulation, reputation, and across national borders. Combining Shearwater’s European regulatory and geopolitical expertise with Headland’s broader reputation and communications capabilities will allow us to offer clients an even more integrated and international perspective.

“We have already worked successfully with Headland and know there is a strong cultural and strategic fit between the businesses. We’re hugely excited about what we can build together.”

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Notes to editors

About Headland

We believe in the power of collaboration. Good reputations give businesses the legitimacy to create the conditions and opportunities to thrive financially, socially, and environmentally, even in challenging times. We believe that reputations are built on purposeful relationships with all stakeholders, and they happen by design. Through a method and culture of collaboration amongst our experts, we shine a light on all perspectives and help businesses act on those insights. Those actions provide the impetus for powerful communications and give rise to reputations that put our clients in control of their futures.

About Shearwater

Shearwater is different. The big challenges of our time, be they the changes in the environment, disruption in the workplace, the perceived spread of inequality or the integration of different cultures, can only be solved through collaboration. Our team has exceptional insight into the unpredictability of global politics and how to craft winning communications strategies that help our clients achieve their objectives. Our approach is rooted in the belief that politicians, regulators and the private sector need to work together to achieve results for the economy and society as a whole. With years of collaborative experience in business and government, we have come together to help business rediscover its voice in British, European and global policy-making.