Brussels, September 12, 2018 - Following nearly a decade based in Dubai, UAE, including around a year with ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller, Nicholas Lunt has joined BCW (Burson Cohn & Wolfe) Brussels on 10 September as Managing Director for Communications, reporting to CEO Karen Massin. This marks a return to familiar territory for Lunt, who spent 10 years in the city with Ogilvy in the 1990s and early 2000s. On leaving Brussels in 2003, he spent two years in Baghdad as PR & communications adviser to the first elected Prime Ministers in post-Saddam Hussein Iraq, followed by a year in Kabul where he was NATO’s Civilian Spokesman. From 2009 he was based in Dubai, leading Middle East PR operations for M:Communications and then Instinctif Partners.
BCW Brussels CEO Karen Massin said: “I am delighted that Nick has joined us. His extensive experience in foreign affairs, defence and international corporate communications will be a huge asset for our private and public sector clients. Nick’s arrival is a coup for our Brussels team; it demonstrates our commitment to seeking the best talent in the business to ensure that we continue to deliver world-class integrated public affairs and communications solutions across all European countries and channels.”
Commenting on his move, Lunt said: “I am delighted to be joining Karen’s team at an exciting time for our business and to be working closely with Dennis Abbott who built and led the communications team so successfully over the past four years. The global merger between Burson-Marsteller and Cohn & Wolfe to create BCW will help ensure our Brussels offer becomes ever more compelling and competitive. The Brussels team already has a strong local reputation for deep EU institutional knowledge, industry expertise, excellent digital capabilities and for acting as a hub for pan-European projects. My priority is to build on these solid foundations and to significantly expand our reach. Our mission remains creative thinking that effectively links government relations and corporate communications to produce strategic and dynamic results for our clients. It is very good to be back in HQ Europe.”
Dennis Abbott, current head of the Brussels communications team, becomes Managing Director for Communications and Media Relations. A former national newspaper journalist, editor and European Commission spokesperson, Dennis has been a mainstay on the Brussels media scene for over 18 years.