Focco Vijselaar
Partner
He/Him
Life at FGS Global
Focco helps companies navigate the space between business and government — as policy architect, business advocate, and crisis negotiator. He knows how decisions are made in The Hague and Brussels. And how to change them.
Life Pre-FGS Global
Focco served as CEO of the Dutch Employers’ Association and held senior roles at the Ministries of Economic Affairs and Finance, where he advised the Minister of Finance and the President of the Eurogroup during the eurocrisis. He began his career as an economist at De Nederlandsche Bank and the European Central Bank.
Life Beyond FGS Global
Enjoys hiking, skiing, reading, dancing, fine arts, and spending time with his family.
Focco Vijselaar is a Partner in FGS Global's Government & Public Affairs practice, based in The Hague. He advises companies on the relationship between business and government — drawing on over 25 years of experience designing and implementing policy from senior positions in the Dutch government and leading the country's main employers' organization.
Before joining FGS, Focco served as CEO of VNO-NCW, the largest Dutch employers' federation, where he led a team of 155 professionals and represented Dutch business at the highest levels of government and in Brussels. Prior to that, he was Director-General for Business & Innovation at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, responsible for industrial policy, innovation programmes, and economic security — including the Dutch investment screening framework (VIFO Act).
Earlier in his career, Focco served as Director for European and International Relations at the Ministry of Finance, where he advised the Minister of Finance and the President of the Eurogroup during the eurocrisis, was IDA deputy for The Netherlands, and led the Netherlands' negotiations for the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. He began his career as an economist at De Nederlandsche Bank and the European Central Bank.
That combination — policy architect, business advocate, and crisis negotiator — gives Focco an unusually complete view of how government and business interact. He knows how decisions are made in The Hague and in Brussels, what makes an argument land with a minister, and how to build the relationships that translate strategy into outcomes.
His focus areas include European industrial policy, geopolitical risk and competitiveness, strategic stakeholder engagement, and the interface between corporate strategy and public policy.