X Mike HendrixenMarketing & PR · Benelux
Netherlands · Belgium · Luxembourg

Your Benelux PR & marketing expert.

Hi, I’m Mike. 25 years of PR and marketing in the Benelux, 7+ years with a British employer and founder of one of the best-rated PR agencies in the Netherlands. I know how international brands enter, grow and get talked about in this market.

Expertise
Benelux market entry PR & marketing strategy Agency landscape Local teams Speaker & host
Get in touch My expertise
Mike laughing on stage during a presentation
I speakEnglish · Deutsch · Nederlands
#3
PR100 · most influential
PR professionals NL 2025
Awarded by European Excellence Awards Digital Impact Awards FONK 150 Emerce 100 Digital Communication Awards Cross Media Awards SAN Accenten
Background

I know this market from the inside and how it looks from the outside.

25
years in Benelux PR & marketing
Dutch and Flemish media, retail, creators and communities: I know who matters and how they work.
7+
years with a British employer
As Marketing & PR Director North & Central Europe at Codemasters I sat on the other side of the table: a UK headquarters, local markets to win.
#1
PR agency in the Netherlands
The agency I founded, Vertigo 6, was rated best PR agency in the FONK150 in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
3
languages, one market
Fluent in English, German and Dutch. Briefings with HQ in your language, execution in the local one.

Benelux work for, among others: Electronic Arts · Logitech · Engie · OnePlus · Vodafone/Ziggo · Peeze · ASUS · SIXT · Plaion / Koch Media

Benelux expertise

What I know about the Benelux

01Market entryWhich channels, media, creators and partners matter and how Dutch and Belgian audiences differ from yours.Learn more → 02PR & marketing strategyA local strategy that fits your global brand: earned media, social, influencers, community and launches.Learn more → 03Agency landscapeI know the Benelux agency landscape from the inside: who does what, and how a good brief and pitch work.Learn more → 04Local teamsSetting up a local presence: from the first hire to a full team. I built one from scratch to 35+ people.Learn more →
Mike on stage at Develop:Blue in front of a large screen
On stage

Good ideas deserve a stage.

Since 2005 I’ve spoken at events across Europe, from Develop:Blue to Nyenrode. Keynotes, event hosting and guest lectures on PR, gaming, GenZ and AI, in English, German or Dutch.

On stage →
Gaming-Session mit EA Sports
Für deutsche Unternehmen

Benelux-Know-how, auf Deutsch.

Ich spreche fließend Deutsch und kenne die DACH-Region aus meiner Zeit als Marketing & PR Director bei Codemasters und aus der Zusammenarbeit mit Plaion / Koch Media. Gern tausche ich mich mit deutschen Unternehmen über den Markt in den Niederlanden und Belgien aus.

  • Markteintritt
  • PR- & Marketingberatung
  • Agenturauswahl
  • Lokale Teams
Kontakt aufnehmen

What I focus on

CoachingFor companies, start-ups & agencies Speaker & hostKeynotes since 2005, EN · NL · DE Guest lecturesHAN, Nyenrode, Radboud, Fontys Think tankCreative, out-of-the-box ideas Personal brandingFor founders and experts GEOGet found in ChatGPT & co

What I love doing

EntrepreneurshipVertigo 6From one-man business to 35+ people GamingVideo game marketing & PRCodemasters and 100+ games FoundationOORMERKBetter live sound Ideas & conceptsCreatielabBerry the Pet, Lekker, Barley Legal
A book · Coming 2027

Positive
Reality.

The world is not as f#cked as you think.

A book about looking differently at the world, at each other and at ourselves. Because behind every headline there’s more good news than you think.

Let's go → (Not yet) over 500,000 copies sold 😉
The book Positive Reality by Mike Hendrixen
The Vertigo 6 team celebrating the FONK150 award
Vertigo 6 · 2013 – now

From one-man business to best PR agency.

35+ people, almost 50 awards and best PR agency in the Netherlands three years running. The best work we did together.

Read the story →

Side projects

All side projects & status →
Working on itOORMERKFoundation for better live sound Working on itWhiskyCircleWhisky app PlayableAgency SimulatorAgency life, the game Ideas that became realCreatielabBerry, Lekker, Barley Legal

What others say about me

Mike has entertainment blood in his marketing veins. I cannot think of a better partner for your marketing challenges in the entertainment industry.

Jurrie Hobers
Founder QINQO, MD Codemasters

He always kept the general view on the marketing strategy, but also always had the excellent team-minded hands-on mentality.

Stephan Schmidt
Director Marketing & Communications PLAION/Koch Media

The agency is market leader in the entertainment sector and has branched out to other markets in which brands have a hard time connecting with kids, teens and millennials.

Jury, European Excellence Awards
Best European Agency 2019

Frequently asked questions

Mike Hendrixen is a Dutch PR and marketing strategist, speaker and coach with 25 years of experience in the Benelux. He spent 7+ years with British publisher Codemasters as Marketing & PR Director North & Central Europe and founded Vertigo 6, rated best PR agency in the Netherlands in 2023, 2024 and 2025. He is fluent in English, German and Dutch.

What do you know about the Benelux market?

A lot. After 25 years I know which media, creators, partners and channels matter in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, how local audiences differ and how PR and marketing can fit a global brand.

Do you know the Benelux agency landscape?

Yes. Having built and run one of the best-rated agencies in the Netherlands, I know the landscape from the inside: who does what, and what makes a brief and a pitch work.

Have you built a team from scratch?

Yes. I started Vertigo 6 on my own in 2013 and grew it into an award-winning team of 35+ people.

Do you speak German?

Yes, fluently. I worked closely with German HQs at Codemasters and Plaion / Koch Media and am happy to talk Benelux in German.

Which brands have you worked with?

Among others Electronic Arts, Logitech, Engie, OnePlus, Vodafone/Ziggo, Peeze, ASUS, SIXT, ING and Plaion / Koch Media. At Codemasters I worked on Formula 1, DiRT and The Lord of the Rings Online.

Get in touch

Happy to come and see you. Or let’s connect on LinkedIn.

Get in touch