Varco Advisory — Governments change. Reputations shift. We find the opening.
Strengthen your position. Navigate what's next.
Varco is your trusted counsel for the outside world.
noun. A passage, a gateway, or a strategic opening through a complex barrier.
In an era of fragmentation and rapid institutional shifts, we serve as a gateway to higher ground. Our name reflects our purpose, to identify the precise moment and place where strategy meets opportunity, helping you scan and navigate the most complex landscapes.
Five Integrated Capabilities
We don't sell separate services. Each capability reinforces the others. One integrated approach to your position in the world.
Geopolitical &
Regulatory Risk
In a world of shifting alliances and accelerating change, uncertainty is the operating environment. We monitor, analyse, and translate complexity into an actionable roadmap, shielding your position and empowering your decisions before the ground shifts beneath you.
- Scenario planning and board risk briefings
- Sanctions navigation and trade policy
- Market entry due diligence
- Geopolitical stress testing
- Live digital intelligence dashboard
- Sovereign risk assessment
Public Affairs &
Government Relations
We build institutional trust and navigate legislative shifts. Specialising in EU government relations and international partnership development, we create the transnational alliances and cross-border connections that turn your strategic objectives into institutional reality.
- EU institutional advocacy and engagement
- Multi-country regulatory positioning
- Stakeholder mapping and coalition building
- Outsourced Brussels office representation
- International partnerships and alliances
- Transnational alliance management
Corporate Affairs &
Strategic Communications
You are only what you are perceived to be. Our expertise protects and elevates your position, ensuring the quality of your work translates into recognised value across markets, institutions, and the audiences that determine your success.
- Crisis preparedness and reputation recovery
- International media strategy
- Cross-border corporate narrative development
- Stakeholder sentiment analysis
- International partnerships communications
- ESG and purpose-led positioning
Executive &
Reputational Positioning
For leaders and institutions where reputation is strategic capital, we protect and elevate your standing for the long term. Whether you are a sovereign government, a CEO in the public eye, or an organisation redefining its role, we build the positioning that endures.
- CEO and executive positioning
- Sovereign reputation mandates
- Davos and UNGA engagement strategy
- High-level institutional partnership strategy
- Personal brand protection for principals
- Strategic network development
Integrated
Strategy
When regulatory, reputational, political, and relational forces converge, we align your organisation's goals with the reality on the ground. We are the connective tissue between your strategy and the outside world, from all the moving parts, to one clear direction.
- External affairs strategy design
- Alignment of internal and external objectives
- Strategy stress testing
- Change management advisory
- Long-term organisational resilience
- Crisis and growth integration
Grounded.
Practical.
Proven.
Built for clients who value genuine partners, real results, and honesty over oversell.
The world is in constant motion. A trusted set of hands to support your external relations is no longer a luxury, it is a necessity. At Varco Advisory, we don't just monitor the environment. We ground your strategy in reality.
We work across geopolitical advisory, government relations, and reputation management as one integrated approach, the connective tissue between your organisation and the outside world.
Most firms sell you a map. We walk the terrain with you. We never shy away from courageous advice or the hands-on action required to turn strategy into reality. Advisory is a contact sport, and we don't hide behind methodology or lengthy slide decks. We provide the clarity to act when the ground is moving.
We are honest, we move fast, and we are practical. If we aren't the best solution for your specific challenge, we will be the first to point you toward who is.
Across our senior advisor pool
that matter
Across our senior advisor pool
that matter
We work with
The Varco Network
A curated network of dozens of senior advisors, former corporate executives, diplomats, and analysts, activated selectively and with discretion for each mandate.
Governance
Former Ambassadors, senior diplomats, and political advisors with active networks across G20 governments and EU institutions.
Corporate
Former Corporate Affairs Directors from leading global companies and heads of international organisations with deep sector expertise.
Specialist
Intelligence professionals and sector specialists across energy, defence, technology, finance, and healthcare.
We combine the personal attention of a senior partner with the reach of a global firm, bringing geographic coverage and sector-specific access precisely where and when it matters.
Join the Network
We are always looking to connect with senior advisors, sector specialists, and in-market consultants who share our commitment to deep-level advisory.
Inquire as Associate
Luca Barberis
Founder and Managing Director
Luca grew up across six countries. Born in Rome, raised in Istanbul, and educated in London, he has spent a decade at the intersection of international policy, business strategy, and strategic communications.
Before launching Varco Advisory, Luca spent seven years as an international affairs and corporate affairs adviser with APCO, a global consulting company. He started in the Rome office and then moved to Brussels, while working closely with teams in Washington DC, London, European Capitals, and the Middle East. At APCO Luca worked for large corporate clients (including Apple and IKEA) and investors, international institutions (including the OECD and the World Economic Forum), Ministers (Finance Ministers in Africa), Prime Ministers and Presidents in Eastern Europe and the Americas. His projects spanned geopolitical advisory, strategic communications, government relations, reputation, and international partnerships. Luca's career has been defined by navigating multidisciplinary and multimarket high-stakes environments.
Before APCO, Luca collaborated with the Italian G20 Presidency and was a delegate for Italy during the Saudi G20 and Youth 20 Presidency. Previously, he worked at the European Commission Representation in London, supporting the EU delegation during the Brexit negotiations. Prior to that, he spent time in Kyiv working for the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine and the Ukrainian Centre for European Policy on private-public partnerships, attracting investment in Ukraine and helping draft EU accession-oriented policy reform for the Ukrainian government. Luca was also part of the launching team of Polis Analysis, a political analysis platform.
Luca founded Varco alongside a team of stellar partners from different geographies and areas of expertise who believe that the best advisory happens when we are deeply embedded, treating our clients' work with the respect and heart it deserves.