FleishmanHillard today announced the promotion of Mette Grolleman to general manager of the agency’s Brussels office, effective May 1. Grolleman will succeed Caroline Wunnerlich, who will join a roster of distinguished senior advisors and serve as chair of FleishmanHillard’s Brussels Advisory Board.

Grolleman joined FleishmanHillard in 2017 as a senior vice president in the Brussels office where she has spearheaded senior counsel to clients on their reputational and regulatory issues at European level. Previously, she served as an advisor in the European Commission, and prior to that, Grolleman worked as the financial counselor at the Danish Permanent Representation to the European Union. For more than a decade, she served in the Danish public administration, latterly as a senior advisor in the Ministry for Business and Growth.

“Mette is an inspired choice to take over from Caroline,” said John Saunders, president and CEO of FleishmanHillard. “I know she will work closely with other outstanding leaders in our Brussels office to ensure both a smooth transition and continuity.

“I am thrilled that Caroline will remain with us in an advisory capacity. Caroline is one of the most respected leaders in our entire industry, not just our firm. I am truly honored to be able to call her a dear colleague and friend. No one has done more than she has to build FleishmanHillard into one of the most respected public affairs and communications firms in Europe.”

Wunnerlich has been with FleishmanHillard for 26-years, 20 of which were as the general manager of the Brussels office. In addition to overseeing two decades of growth to a market leadership position, she served as vice chair on the Management Committee of the European Public Affairs Consultancy Association from 2010 to 2015. In 2016, she was named to Politico’s Top 20 ‘Women who Shape Brussels’ and received the prestigious personal award for ‘Outstanding Contribution’ to the industry at the EuroPAwards.

“With a big year of change ahead at EU institutional level, this is a good moment to hand over the reins as a new chapter starts in Brussels,” Wunnerlich said. “I am absolutely delighted that Mette has agreed to take on this challenge. Since joining us, Mette has demonstrated not only her extraordinary political acumen with clients, but also her talent as a people person, making her an obvious choice to lead FleishmanHillard Brussels into the future. With strong succession now in place, I look forward to accompanying the team’s continued success in an advisory capacity.”

SOURCE FleishmanHillard