BCW Europe & Africa Appoints New Germany CEOsAugust 5, 2020

LONDON/FRANKFURT, 04 August 2020 – BCW (Burson Cohn & Wolfe), a leading global communications agency, today announced the appointment of Susan Hoelling and Bjoern-Christian Hasse as Co-Chief Executive Officers (CEO) of BCW Germany.

Hoelling and Hasse take on their roles with immediate effect and report to Scott Wilson, President, BCW, Europe & Africa (E&A). BCW Germany has operations in six cities including Hamburg, Frankfurt, Berlin, Munich, Dusseldorf and Cologne.

“These are richly deserved promotions for Susan and Bjoern and I am delighted to be putting the responsibility for leading BCW in the important German market in their incredibly capable hands,” said Wilson. “Susan and Bjoern have outstanding track records as two of our smartest consultants and practitioners and nothing gives me greater pleasure than being able to promote from within the organisation. I have had the pleasure of working closely with both Susan and Bjoern, so I have first-hand experience of their talent, capabilities and spirit. They are known for their determination and commitment, and I am confident that under their leadership, BCW is well-placed to deliver on our ambitions in Germany.

“Both intend to continue working with their respective clients and in their core areas of expertise,” Wilson continued. “Susan leads our phenomenally successful healthcare business across the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), while Bjoern will also continue to serve as BCW Market Leader in Switzerland and Head of Growth for the BCW E&A region.

Hoelling began her career as a trainee at Cohn & Wolfe in 2006 and has overseen the award-winning Health Solution since 2015. Hasse joined BCW from Edelman in May 2019, where he spent 15 years in a variety of roles, including eight years as global Client Relationship Manager for 39 Novartis offices around the world and, more recently, as executive director of global clients. Since joining BCW, Hasse has managed Growth for the Europe & Africa region, the Corporate Brand Solution in Germany and leads the agency’s Swiss business.

Hoelling said: “I am delighted to have been given this opportunity to co-lead the diverse and talented BCW team in Germany together with Bjoern. It was immediately clear to us that we wanted to lead as a dual leadership team. Combining our strengths, we will double down to take BCW Germany to the next level.”

Hasse commented: “Susan and I quickly realized that we share a common understanding of leadership and a shared vision of how we wish to develop the BCW Germany operation., “These challenging times require new ways of thinking, acting and leading. Covid-19 has shown us how different all our life realities are and helping our colleagues, clients, and business to grow and succeed in this new world will therefore be a critical focus.”

“I also believe this new leadership model sends a strong message for the type of business we are looking to build across BCW,” added Wilson. “Both Susan and Bjoern manage families and careers – they call this their Doppelspitze – so a dual leadership team feels like the perfect fit and an important sign for our industry in these changing times.”

The dual leadership team succeeds Wolfgang Lünenbürger-Reidenbach, who has led BCW’s operations in Germany for the past five years. He was appointed BCW Head of Creativity for Europe & Africa on July 29, 2020.