Geelmuyden Kiese

Denmark, Norway, Sweden

In September of 2021, newly-formed holding company Paritee acquired a majority stake in Nordic PR agency Geelmuyden Kiese from founder Hans Geelmuyden. It was a natural first step for the new investor, firstly because of its own Nordic roots (chairman Lars Erik Grønntun had previously built and sold one of Norway’s top PR firms, while Jonas Palmqvist, formerly of Sweden’s Prime Group and Weber Shandwick is CEO) and secondly because GK has long been regarded as one of the region’s most thoughtful and creative firms.

With a 30-year heritage, GK started life as a serious corporate and public affairs player in the Norwegian market, but today it has about 120 professionals spread across three markets (50 in Copenhagen, 40 in Oslo, 30 in Stockholm) and 10 practice areas: strategy, public affairs, business communications, investor relations, crisis and issues, sustainability, creative, digital, analysis and insights, and partnerships. Its approach is based on the idea that better data leads to better decisions, and that its focus should be on the change that communication can create—rather than on communication as an end in itself.

Since the acquisition three years ago, GK has seen revenues increase by 38% to just short of €17 million. New business last year came from BWH Hotels, Boots, Epic Games, Equinor, Naval Group, Nestle, Northern Lights, Uber and Xpeng, while its largest clients include Tetra Pak, Mastercard, Odense Harbour, Velux, Worldline, Huawei, Riot Games, Heidelberg Materials, Kosan Gas, Unibet, Colgate-Palmolive and Yara International. More and more of those clients are now supported across all three of its markets.

The firm’s creative work has been gaining recognition on the international stage—it recently became the most awarded agency at the International Content Marketing Awards—and examples show why: GK worked with the Arctic regions of Finnmark and Nord-Troms on a campaign that attracted global attention by asking the European Commission to grant the region 26 hours a day rather than the usual 24; it helped Yara launch organic-based fertilizers with a “Soil Poetry” campaign showcasing the intimate relationship between farmers and their soil; and for Deloitte it published “The Unsustainability Report,” an eye-catching twist on thought leadership. The firm has also been investing in AI, with data-driven workflow mapping of 130 common tasks and a practice that helps clients navigate the ethical and reputational issues of the technology.

Internally, GK emphasizes four key values: openness, courage, integrity, and humour. It promises employees a steep career-long learning curve; a diverse and purpose-driven culture; and work-life balance. The tone is set from the top by CEO Karne Lykkebo, creative director Ole Henrik Stubberud, public affairs head Rasmus Winther, and digital director Henrik Ebbesen.—PH