Hill+Knowlton Strategies (H+K), international public relations agency, has announced the appointment of Susanne Marell as CEO of H+K Germany.
“I am very pleased to have such a strong and experienced person spearheading this very key operation in such a demanding time for both Germany and the world. Susanne has that unique combination of traits that we have been looking for: a strong track record from both agency and client side, commercially and entrepreneurially minded, a good communicator and a proven people leader. She combines a strong foothold in the home market with an international outlook and we look forward to welcoming her into the H+K family. We are very confident that she will further accelerate the evolution of our strong operation in Germany and further increase the pace of innovation”, said Lars Erik Grønntun, H+K Global President.
Susanne Marell most recently comes from the position of Managing Director at JP KOM. Prior to that she served as CEO of Edelman GmbH for six years, overseeing the acquisition and merger with ergo Kommunikation. Before her agency career she served as Vice President for Corporate Brand Management at BASF SE, and as Vice President Corporate Communications at Cognis Deutschland GmbH. Marell is also one of the co-founders of the German chapter of Global Women in PR and as a member of the extended Board she built up the initiative “Next Gen Leadership”.
“I am hugely excited to take over the helm at H+K. H+K’s history goes back more than 50 years here in Germany and I look forward to drive the further transformation of that legacy in the period to come. I was particularly encouraged by the aspirations H+K has for the German market and our shared belief in where the future of PR is heading. The cultural spirit of our discussions did enlighten me, and I am also looking forward to meeting my new colleagues although it might take a bit of time before I meet them all in person,” said Marell.
Marell will be assuming the position as CEO on June 1 and will report directly to Global President Lars Erik Grønntun. As leader for one of the firm’s 5+5 key markets and clusters she will also join the firm’s Global Leadership Council.