Leidar and legitima launch joint offering to strengthen corporate and institutional legitimacy (press release)

Two Switzerland-based strategy consultancies with international reach are combining their expertise to support businesses and institutions operating in complex and unstable environments.

Geneva, Switzerland, 2 October 2025 – Strategic consultancies Leidar and legitima have today launched a joint offering for organisations facing mounting instability because of societal, political and regulatory pressures. The collaboration is designed to sustain, restore and consolidate legitimacy when performance alone is no longer sufficient.

• Leidar is an international corporate and public affairs consultancy headquartered in Geneva, which works with leaders and leadership teams to define their strategic direction and deploy global engagement campaigns
• legitima specialises in legitimacy issues, providing in-depth diagnostics, strategic assessments of institutional vulnerabilities, and legitimacy-building tools

Lukasz Bochenek, CEO of Leidar, said: “We’re combining Leidar’s experience in strategy consulting with legitima’s expertise in legitimacy issues, particularly in the public and semi-public sectors. The instability organisations face today forces them to rethink how they engage with stakeholders and, in some cases, regain their trust. This is no longer a luxury: it’s a matter of survival.”

The new offering is aimed particularly at companies and institutions whose very existence, mission or credibility is being tested by strategic decisions, shifting societal and regulatory expectations, or widening gaps between intent and external perception. 

It seeks to clarify strategic direction, restore capacity to act and reimagine how organisations engage with all their stakeholders.

Leidar and legitima are bringing clients an integrated approach rooted in decades of experience advising and leading public and private institutions. The partnership offers:

• legitimacy audits
• analysis of political and societal fault lines
• benchmarking of values, mission, and vision
• definition of a clear strategic direction (North Star) and development of legitimacy narratives
• support for leaders in sensitive, polarised or exposed contexts
• design and execution of stakeholder engagement strategies with policymakers, media, regulators and civil society
• monitoring systems that combine human expertise with AI-driven tools

Gilles Marchand, founder of legitima, added: “Too many organisations still believe performance alone is sufficient. But in regulated, exposed or politically sensitive sectors, it does not guarantee resilience or continuity. Legitimacy has become a strategic imperative. We want to address the root causes of legitimacy loss while, through this partnership, offering concrete levers to restore dialogue and acceptance.”

Together, Leidar and legitima deliver support built on a deep understanding of political, regulatory and institutional dynamics in Switzerland, Europe, the US and at the global level.

About Leidar
Leidar is an international leadership and corporate affairs consultancy, headquartered in Geneva with offices in Brussels, London, Oslo, Washington, New York, Singapore and Dubai. Leidar supports organisations in defining their strategic direction, managing complex issues, and mastering their communications and engagement needs. The firm works across sectors including energy, public health, aviation, shipping, and sustainability.
www.leidar.com

About legitima
legitima is a Swiss strategy consultancy specialising in legitimacy issues. It advises companies and institutions exposed to complex political, social, or regulatory environments marked by conflicting demands. Founded by Gilles Marchand, Director of the Media Philanthropy Initiative at the University of Geneva and former CEO of SRG SSR, the Swiss public service media, legitima draws on a network of experts in Switzerland, France and Canada to help organisations think through, structure and strengthen their institutional position.
www.legitima.ch