By Claude Daha, Dutch executive operator and regulatory liaison with experience as COO, VP Operations and Project Director delivering programmes and market expansion across the EU, the UK, the Middle East and Africa, Asia-Pacific and North America.
I support non‑EU founders and leadership teams with both regulatory coordination and practical EU market entry. I work with you to organise your EU market access effort. Together we build a clear, business friendly picture of how EU regulatory obligations affect your model, working alongside your legal and compliance specialists, and keep licensing and supervisory work structured and on track. In parallel, I act as your local EU counterpart, helping you assess market entry routes, prepare for conversations with banks and partners, and build a credible presence in Europe, including for manufacturers and defence‑adjacent vendors that need senior local representation.
This model is for teams that want a single senior operator in the EU who connects regulatory work and market entry, and acts as a credible local counterpart for banks, partners, buyers, regulators and, where relevant, tendering bodies.
Why base your EU entry in the Netherlands?Different regulations, supervisors and expectations collide once you bring a regulated, high‑trust or security‑sensitive product into Europe. Without a single owner, EU market access quickly becomes a risky side project that drags on for months and distracts from product and commercial work.
Entering Europe requires choosing a home base. The EU offers scale and harmonised rules, but individual member states vary in regulatory culture, ease of doing business and expectations from banks, PSPs, buyers and public-sector stakeholders. This section outlines why most non-EU firms benefit from establishing their EU effort through the Netherlands.
I focus on both regulatory coordination and practical EU market entry. You work with one senior operator who keeps regulatory work and market entry tasks aligned in a workable plan that your specialists can execute and your leadership can trust.
Help you assemble a clear view of which EU regulatory regimes apply to your business, how they interact, and what this means in practice for your model and risk appetite, working alongside your legal and compliance specialists.
You receive a plain language overview plus a prioritised checklist for follow up with your legal and compliance specialists.
Turn agreed obligations into a concrete plan. Clarify licensing options, sequencing and operational dependencies across product, customer operations, risk and compliance, in close collaboration with your legal and compliance specialists.
Includes a simple timeline, key milestones and a clear ownership model that shows who does what internally and externally.
Act as your single contact for EU market access. Coordinate law firms, consultants and internal teams so that everyone works from the same plan and assumptions, bringing a fractional general‑manager‑level presence to your EU effort without hiring a full‑time local executive.
Track progress, resolve gaps and prepare you for licensing and supervisory conversations, as well as due diligence by banks or payment partners.
Bridge from policy to practice. Review how regulatory expectations affect customer onboarding, transaction monitoring, incident handling, reporting and governance.
Align your operational playbook with licence conditions and supervisory expectations, without over engineering your organisation.
For companies that need a trusted person on the ground. I act as a local point of contact and communication representative, coordinate meetings with banks, partners, regulators and vendors, and provide a senior face for EU stakeholders.
Distributors can support sales, but they cannot solve EU readiness, documentation, buyer expectations or trust. I fill the operator-level gap that distributors and resellers cannot cover.
This is operational representation, not a regulated entity, authorised representative or nominee director. Formal responsibilities stay with your company and its licensed professionals. For manufacturers, I can help coordinate work with your authorised representative, notified bodies and technical teams around documentation, CE and PPE‑related expectations at an operator level.
Research and summarise market size, competitor landscape, pricing expectations, distribution channels, barriers to entry and local partner options for your segment.
Includes a simple EU readiness review of your website, product, messaging and documentation, so you know what to adjust before approaching banks, partners or early customers.
Help you identify and approach relevant law firms, compliance consultants, banks, PSPs, cybersecurity partners, distributors, resellers, integrators or potential hires, depending on your industry.
I support you with structured introductions, operator‑level vetting and context‑specific filtering, including for high‑trust and defence‑adjacent environments and relevant EU tendering bodies. Formal due diligence and legal checks remain with your specialists.
Support with banking and payment provider onboarding expectations, documentation preparation and process coordination. Help you understand what EU counterparties expect from non‑EU firms, including practical expectations around technical files, product documentation and basic eligibility requirements for tenders.
For manufacturers and defence‑adjacent vendors, I can also scout and filter relevant public tenders and opportunities. I do not write bids, but help you understand requirements and decide where to focus.
Combines core Regulatory Liaison work with a light EU presence layer. Obligation mapping and planning, plus local representation for key meetings, EU readiness review and coordination with your law firms and advisors.
Designed for non‑EU fintech, payments, crypto and AI firms, as well as high‑trust technology and manufacturing vendors (including defence‑adjacent suppliers), who want a single operator to keep both regulation and execution aligned.
Focused on understanding your EU opportunity and preparing your organisation. Market entry analysis, competitor and buyer expectations, and a simple go‑to‑market preparation plan tailored to your segment.
A good fit if you are still deciding whether to pursue a particular EU route or jurisdiction and want a clear view before committing.
A bundle for companies that need an ongoing presence in Europe without building a full local team. Local representative support, partner and vendor vetting, structured introductions and basic tender and opportunity scouting.
Well suited to manufacturers, defence‑adjacent vendors and high‑trust technology firms who need a credible senior counterpart in the EU.
Being explicit about fit helps you decide quickly whether this EU Market Access and Liaison model is the right way to support your plans. Although I support multiple sectors, they share the same EU entry challenges: high trust expectations, fragmented rules, demanding buyers and the need for credible senior presence.
Whether you are exploring EU entry or already in motion, the process stays simple. We clarify your situation, set scope, do the work together, and then decide how much ongoing support you need. Typical engagements begin with a fixed‑scope mapping and planning phase, with optional monthly or project‑based support for ongoing liaison and EU presence.
A 30–45 minute conversation to understand your business model, current regulatory footprint (if any), EU market ambitions and where you may need local presence or representation. We assess whether the best fit is Regulatory Liaison, EU Market Entry and Presence, or a combined engagement.
Define the questions you need answered across regulation, market entry and EU presence, what work has already been done, and who else is involved. You receive a concise written proposal with scope, outcomes, fees and timelines for the relevant pack or combination, such as Regulatory Liaison Plus, EU Entry Pack or EU Presence Pack.
Workshops and working sessions to map regulatory obligations (where relevant), stakeholders, EU-buyer expectations, banking and PSP requirements and local presence considerations, including for security-sensitive and high-trust contexts. The result is a structured EU market access and presence plan that you can share internally and with advisors.
Optional monthly or project‑based support that combines Regulatory Liaison with practical EU Market Entry and Presence work. This can include coordination of advisors and internal teams, support with regulators, banks and PSPs, and senior local representation for partners, buyers and selected tenders as your EU plans move into execution.
You work with someone who has run complex programmes in regulated environments. The focus stays on execution, alignment and realism, not on theoretical slides.
I am an executive operator with experience as COO, VP Operations and Project Director in cybersecurity and enterprise software. Over the past years I have led global operations and customer-facing organisations, including customer success, professional services, support, pre-sales, the partner network and programme management (PMO), delivering complex multi-stakeholder programmes for government and commercial clients.
My work has included global delivery of cybersecurity and high‑trust technology programmes supporting governments, Ministries of Defence, National Cyber Security Centres, intelligence and law‑enforcement‑adjacent environments, critical‑infrastructure operators and multinational enterprises, including national detection networks and early‑warning systems.
I have led delivery across the EU, UK, Middle East, Africa, Asia‑Pacific and North America, coordinating work across jurisdictions and stakeholder groups.
Before my executive roles I worked from Dubai supporting the Middle East and Africa market entry of an Asian technology company, including preparing the regional setup, coordinating foundational pre-commercial activities and developing local partner relationships. Earlier in my career I worked for a Shanghai-based international trade company servicing European retailers, coordinating commercial and operational activities for cross-border supply work and interfacing directly with Chinese manufacturing partners.
I am Dutch and based in Amsterdam, working natively in both Dutch and English. My work is anchored in the Dutch regulatory environment, which is internationally oriented and known for clear expectations around governance, AML and operational readiness.
This background makes me a credible counterpart for regulators, banking partners and risk teams. I know how to structure their questions, present your model clearly and reduce friction in high‑stakes conversations. This is particularly relevant for non‑EU cybersecurity, defence‑adjacent and high‑trust technology vendors who need a senior presence in Europe without hiring a full local team.
Through Marengo Ventures and EU Market Access I now focus this experience on helping non‑EU companies enter and operate in Europe in a structured, realistic way.
I hold a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Management, Economics and Law from HES Amsterdam, complemented by earlier studies in Computer Networking, IT Information Management and Application Management. I am certified in PRINCE2 Practitioner, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Customer Success (CCSMP), ITIL 4 and as an OKR coach.
This site describes my advisory work under EU Market Access. Separately, I also take on executive leadership roles (such as COO, VP Operations or General Manager) through Marengo Ventures where that is a better fit for a company’s needs.
View my full background and experience on LinkedIn .
A few common questions about the Regulatory Liaison and EU Market Access model. Happy to discuss details on a call.
No. I do not provide legal opinions and I am not a full‑service compliance provider. I act as an independent operator who coordinates the work of your legal, risk and compliance specialists and links their advice to your product and operations.
I help you navigate how EU regulatory and high‑trust expectations affect your business model. This includes regimes such as MiCA, e‑money and payment services regulation, AML, data protection and emerging EU AI requirements, as well as buyer, tendering and supervisory expectations for high‑trust and security‑sensitive vendors. For detailed interpretation and formal opinions we work with your chosen legal and compliance experts.
I work alongside them. My role is to connect their advice to a clear plan, keep assumptions consistent and ensure internal teams understand what is required. I do not replace your advisors and I do not take over their responsibilities.
For obligation mapping and market access planning I typically use fixed price packages, based on an agreed scope. For ongoing liaison and oversight I work on a monthly retainer or day rate. Fees are always agreed in writing before work starts.
I can help you prepare for meetings and draft materials, and I frequently join sessions alongside your executives and advisors as the senior operator who understands both your business and EU expectations. Formal submissions and legal positions remain with your company and with licensed professionals, but many founders rely on me as a credible counterpart in these conversations.
Ideally before you lock in a specific EU entry route or make major hiring and vendor decisions. That way we can look at your options and design a realistic sequence. In practice I also work with firms that are already part way through their journey and need to bring structure and clarity.
No. Many manufacturers, defence-adjacent vendors, cybersecurity firms and high-trust technology vendors work with me primarily for EU presence, banking and PSP onboarding, partner vetting and tender support. The Regulatory Liaison pillar is one part of the work. The EU Market Entry and Presence pillar is equally important and builds on my background leading national-level cybersecurity and high-trust programmes for governments, Ministries of Defence, national cyber security centres and critical-infrastructure organisations.
Yes. A significant part of my work is with high‑trust vendors and manufacturers who do not require an EU financial licence, but who do need credible senior representation in Europe, structured introductions and support in understanding what EU buyers, banks and public‑sector bodies expect.
I operate from the Netherlands and am based in Amsterdam, working primarily from the Dutch regulatory environment. Most coordination, analysis and documentation is done in English. Where local language or jurisdiction‑specific lawyers are needed, I coordinate with your chosen specialists or help you identify suitable partners.
I can act as a senior local counterpart and point of contact in the EU, coordinate meetings with banks, partners and regulators, and represent your EU effort alongside your executives. I do not act as a regulated entity or nominee director. Formal responsibilities and sign‑off remain with your company and its licensed professionals.
Yes. I support you in understanding what EU banks and payment providers expect from non‑EU firms, prepare documentation and onboarding materials with your team, and help coordinate the process. I do not hold client funds or act as an intermediary. Relationships are always directly between you and your counterparties.
For manufacturers and defence‑adjacent vendors I can monitor and filter relevant tenders and opportunities in the EU, and help you understand the requirements at a practical level. I do not provide legal advice on procurement law or write bids, but I can help you decide where to focus and coordinate specialist support where needed.
Yes. The services on this site describe my advisory work under EU Market Access. In parallel, I also take on senior leadership roles (for example COO, VP Operations, General Manager or similar) via Marengo Ventures, on an interim, fractional or permanent basis where appropriate. If you are exploring a leadership hire, you can still contact me through this site.
If you are exploring or planning EU entry for a high‑trust technology, manufacturing business or regulated product, a short introductory call can help clarify your situation and which mix of Regulatory Liaison and EU Market Entry support makes sense for you. There is no obligation and no preparation required.
