Marije Laffeber

Marije Laffeber

Marije Laffeber is an experienced and strategic leader with more than 25 years of experience at political-administrative and organizational level, both in the Netherlands, Europe and internationally. Since 2023 she has been part of Rud Pedersen in Brussels, and since 2025 she has been Managing Director of Issuemakers in Amstelveen. As a specialist in the EU and the European political landscape, Marije has a proven track record as an advisor to both public and private organizations that want to make an impact at policy and governance level.

With a wealth of experience in both The Hague and Brussels, Marije offers valuable strategic insights to her clients. Her expertise ranges from European integration and international relations to geopolitical issues and corporate social responsibility. During her career, she has led teams and managed projects and campaigns in over 60 countries, with the aim of achieving lasting social impact.

Before joining Issuemakers and Rud Pedersen, Marije was Deputy Secretary General of the Party of European Socialists (PES) in Brussels, where she was responsible for strategic leadership, organization and finance. In this role she maintained daily contacts with the boards of member parties, interest groups, the European Parliament and the EU Commission. Before that, Marije was the Foreign Secretary and Vice-President of European Affairs for the Labour Party (PvdA) – full-time, paid. In these roles, she helped shape the vision for Europe and international politics, served on the boards of partner organisations and was involved in the strategic management of European, national and local elections.

Marije is not only an expert in politics and communication, but also a passionate advocate for democracy, inclusivity and the position of women in leadership roles. She has provided leadership training to youth and women worldwide and has worked for international election observation and democratization organizations. In addition, she was the driving force behind a European campaign training academy for five years and served as Secretary General of a global women's organization. She currently focuses on coaching women into board positions.

With a background in Law, Journalism & Communication, and various post-doctoral studies in Diversity Management (KU Leuven), Diplomacy (Georgetown University) and International Organization Management, Marije is both a decisive and inspiring thought leader who enables people and organizations to strategically and effectively realize social change.