DeVries Global officially opened its doors in the vibrant city of Berlin, strengthening a global presence headquartered in New York, with additional offices in London, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taipei. Berlin is the eighth location for the award-winning brand communications firm worldwide.
The new office springs to life immediately, with an AOR relationship with Zippo Manufacturing Company, an extension of the global service remit that DeVries has handled for more than 10 years.
The Berlin office will be led by Kerstin Diehl, who joins as Managing Director. Diehl will collaborate closely with European Managing Director Helena Bloomer, with both reporting to Heidi Hovland, Global CEO.
A true global citizen, Diehl has lived in the US, Switzerland and Germany, and has more than 15 years’ experience in the beauty, fashion and lifestyle industries. She served as Head of International PR & Marketing at PHILIPP PLEIN and more recently played a leadership role as Director of Lifestyle Marketing at Nicole Weber Communications, where she spent the majority of her career, leading high-profile, high-impact projects for multinational powerhouses such as Henkel, GM and Douglas.
“Becoming part of the DeVries family makes me very proud, and because the agency’s values very much reflect my own, it also feels like coming home,” said Diehl, “DeVries delivers a fresh and distinctive proposition to the market, built on a culture-first approach, with a high-touch, premium sensibility and deep expertise in marketing to women.”
Established in 2012 as DeVries SLAM, the UK office is the European headquarters for the agency and became famous for helping to turn Beats by Dr Dre into the world’s biggest headphones brand. The office employs 50 people and has a world-class roster of clients that include Zippo, P&G, PepsiCo, Johnson & Johnson, Krispy Kreme, HUDA Beauty and more.
Bloomer, who has led the UK operations since 2012 and has played a key role in its evolution and growth, was elevated to Regional MD, Europe in 2016. She said, “We continually evolve our business offering to answer and predict our clients’ needs. Given Germany’s position as one of the strongest performing markets in Europe, it’s no surprise that we’re seeing increasing interest in dedicated support there, both with existing clients and in new business.”
“The competitive landscape in Germany is dominated by large, global agencies on one side and independent specialty shops on the other. Our unique opportunity is as a global network with the boutique feel of the highest-performing independents,” said Hovland. “DeVries specializes in consumer marketing, and we’re excited to deliver our industry-leading expertise, marked by award-winning results for some of the best brands in the world, to the largest consumer market in Europe.”
