Merlin Koene and his advisory network help organizations build trust, navigate transformation, and meet challenges head-on, especially in an age of AI and disinformation.
Strategic communication
Great communication starts with clarity about your identity, your audiences, and the messages that truly matter. We help organizations define exactly that and turn it into a communication strategy that provides orientation, builds trust, and creates relevance. From CEO positioning and thought leadership to content and campaigns, we make brands visible inside and out, across digital and traditional channels. Form follows strategy.
Crisis leadership
Crises don’t always strike without warning but they almost always catch organizations unprepared. We help you detect risks early, build resilient structures and communication processes, and act quickly, clearly, and credibly when it matters most. Our goal is to lead and not only manage meaning to stabilize during a crisis and help you emerge stronger, guided by integrity, reliability, and strategic foresight.
Transformation
Change only succeeds when communication brings people along. We design transformation processes, so they are understood, supported, and actively shaped from C-level to frontline teams. With a clear narrative, the right formats, and genuine engagement, we create resonance, dialogue, and identification. Turning change into a tangible, lasting progress.
What sets us apart is not only what we do but why we do it. merlin & friends is more than a consultancy. It’s a strategic collective built on trust, experience, and genuine collaboration. Founded by Merlin Koene, a communications strategist with journalistic roots, global leadership experience, and a clear moral compass.
Over three decades, Merlin has worked with corporations, scale-ups, and public figures in Europe and beyond. From these encounters, a network emerged that is more than the sum of its parts: merlin & friends, a collective of trusted advisors who operate with precision. Scalable, discreet, collaborative and with tangible excellence.
„Trust is a business metric. For us, trust isn’t a soft factor. It’s a hard driver of success. It determines whether our work creates real impact. That’s why we don’t rely on hierarchy, we rely on principles.“
– Merlin Koene
We’re not an anonymous machine. Every project is handled by a carefully chosen team of experienced minds selected for their expertise, character, and fit for the task. Not all are visible, but all bring conviction and purpose. Our motivation is impact. We believe in sustainable solutions, honest communication, and advice that truly moves the needle, especially in critical phases. We’re not loud for the sake of being loud. We listen, analyse, challenge, and develop strategies that work. Whether in strategic communication, crisis leadership, or transformation, we stand for clarity, speed, reliability, and partnership.
What you can expect from us
For us, this is more than a saying. It’s the foundation of our work. We believe in the power of collaboration, in shared thinking and in genuine partnership. Because complex challenges aren’t solved alone, they’re solved with the right team.
