Applying a multi-faceted approach, enables us to support our clients in the most efficient way: Dominik Meier

Dominik Meier is the owner and Managing Director of Miller & Meier Consulting, one of the largest owner-operated strategic political consultancies in Germany, that he co-founded in 1997.

Based on his long-term experience in the political field in Germany as well as in international organizations, he offers his clients strategic political consulting in various fields such as health and digital technology, infrastructure and mobility, finance, and consumer goods.

As chair of the German Association of Political Consultants (de’ge’pol), Dominik advocates for ethics, transparency and quality assurance in political consulting and has been playing an active role in the establishment of a lobby register in Germany.

In this capacity, he also serves as a board member of the Public Affairs Community of Europe (PACE) that gathers European lobbying associations to work for more transparent processes and ethical standards in the public affairs industry.

Being an active proponent for transparency and ethics in political consulting, Dominik regularly publishes articles and opinion pieces examining these topics in German newspapers and professional journals.

At the FIPRA Network, he brings in his valuable expertise regarding quality assurance and management as chair of the Quality and Ethics Committee (QEC).

Dominik: My career in public and governmental affairs started more than 30 years ago working for the German Bundestag, the European Parliament and in international organizations. At that time the political landscape looked very different: Germany was a divided country, and the Bundestag was still located in Bonn, which used to be the former capital and political center of Germany.

Back then, the public affairs sector in Germany was not very well established yet, and the representation of interests was primarily driven by business and industry associations.

It was also in Bonn, where I founded Miller & Meier Consulting together with my partner Constanze Miller in 1997. In the beginning we were only a small, but very dedicated team specializing in consulting international organizations and implementing EU-projects. As we gradually expanded our business network, also our agency grew bigger.  

Dominik: With the Federal Government moving from Bonn to Berlin in the end of the nineties, also the field of political communication and interest representation started to change. The public affairs sector became more professionalized with a rising number of public affairs agencies, political consultants and governmental affairs offices offering strategic support and orientation to businesses in the new political capital.

For Miller & Meier Consulting this development also presented a turning point, as we moved with our office to Berlin and started to gain a foothold in the newly emerging public affairs industry. Berlin was booming and the growing number of international businesses entering the German market brought an increased need for professional government affairs support.

During this time, we succeeded to build a strong network and a solid client base – some of our clients have been with us for more than ten years already.

With the strong growth and rising influence of the public affairs sector we also saw the need for clear rules and professional standards. I was among the co-founders of the German Association of Political Consultants de’ge’pol in 2002 that advocates for ethical standards, transparency and trust in political interest representation.

Dominik: Since Germany is the biggest and most populous country in the EU, it has significant influence in the EU decision-making processes. Therefore, there is a close interlinkage of German and European politics and a strong European perspective to German public affairs. Being the biggest economy in the EU, the German market is also the first entry point and central hub for many international businesses.

On the other hand, Germany is considered a global trendsetter on regulatory topics, especially in fields like tech and digital policy or antitrust law. German regulations and standards are often used as role models and are serving as guidelines or templates for other countries’ national legislations. Shaping the regulatory environment in Germany is therefore observed with interest and scrutiny by our European and international partners.

Being part of the FIPRA network has always been very valuable for us because it means working with the best owner-operated public affairs agencies from their markets which share the same ethical and professional standards.

dominik meier, owner and Managing DirectoR, Miller & Meier ConsultinG/FIPRA GERMANY

Dominik: Being part of the FIPRA network has always been very valuable for us because it means working with the best owner-operated public affairs agencies from their markets which share the same ethical and professional standards.

At Miller & Meier we offer our clients a global governmental relations approach including our German perspective that takes into account cultural and political differences. For this very reason, it is important for us to rely on a strong network of owner-operated consulting agencies in countries of the EU as well as in the Americas and Asia.

By applying a multi-faceted approach, we are able to support our clients in the most efficient way in their globalized and fast-moving environments.

Drawing on our partners’ regional, political and sociocultural expertise and integrating our know-how in joint public affairs strategies adds not only high value to the work we deliver to our clients. It also contributes to an international collegial spirit and an inspiring working culture of mutual exchange and understanding.

As chair of the QEC, I am happy to have the chance to further develop this network and uphold its high standards of professionalism, integrity and quality says Dominik.