CHICAGO—GolinHarris has lured Caroline Dettman away from Edelman for a newly-created role as chief creative and community officer, overseeing the agency's G4 model.

The hire sees Dettman depart Edelman after 17 years, during which she became one of the agency's key creative leaders, founding and heading its 'strategic and creative guild'.

GolinHarris global CEO Fred Cook told the Holmes Report that Dettman's appointment is part of a bid to bring more "structure and accountability" to the firm's G4 model, which has been in place for more than two years now.

The model divides Golin's staffers into four groups — strategists, creatives, connectors and catalysts — dispensing with the traditional account handling structure that is common at PR agencies.

"We’ve made really phenomenal progress but we needed to add a level of structure and accountability to G4 in order to get it to the next level and [Caroline] has exactly the right skill set for that," said Cook, to whom Dettman will report.

Dettman will oversee Golin's creative development and the capabilities of the four G4 communities. 

"Hiring somebody like Caroline is a big bet for us," added Cook. "It’s a commitment on our behalf that this is working and we’re going to make it work even better. But it’s not easy."

“As a competitor, I watched the launch of g4 and it made me equally envious and inspired," said Dettman in a statement. "The opportunity to lead this revolutionary model is something I cannot wait to be a part of."