LONDON — Michael Frohlich, who has led The Weber Shandwick Collective in EMEA for the past three years, will be honoured with the PRovoke Media Individual Achievement SABRE Award at the EMEA SABRE Awards in London on April 2.

Over his 26-year career, Frohlich has led some of the biggest names in the PR agency world. After joining Ogilvy PR in 2012, he was promoted to Ogilvy Group CEO in 2018 – the first PR professional to lead an advertising agency group – leading its transformation into an integrated business, covering the full span of marketing services including advertising, CRM, digital, social, PR and design. He was recognised for this achievement by Campaign as Integrated Agency Head of the Year 2020.

Frohlich joined The Weber Shandwick Collective (TWSC) as EMEA CEO and global chief client transformation officer in 2021. Under his leadership, its EMEA network has been transformed from dots on a map to a truly unified agency and team focused on impactful integrated marketing that has been named as one of the 50 Best Agencies in the UK, and in Europe, including the introduction of industry-leading initiatives from AI developments to women’s health.

His impact has contributed to TWSC being awarded – in 2024 alone – Campaign’s Global Agency of the Year; Ad Age Agency A-List; Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies; and the PRovoke Media EMEA Health Agency of the Year.

Previously, Frohlich was WPP client lead for IAG and British Airways, across a WPP integrated marketing and creative services team, as well as working for Bell Pottinger and Shine Communications. In 2003 he founded Resonate, which grew into a UK top 10, award winning consumer consultancy and became the consumer division of Bell Pottinger in 2007.

As a leader, Frohlich exudes an infectious, inspiring energy and charisma. As well as his bold ideas, he stands out for his ability to lead with empathy, and an understanding of different cultures and markets. He has often likened agency management to architectural design, drawing on his early interest in architecture to structure his teams for success.

Frohlich’s former colleague Stuart Smith, who was global CEO of Ogilvy PR and is now a senior advisor at Woodrow, said: “The award says it all. Michael simply is an outstanding individual. He understands the role that PR plays in an earned first world and his ability to build businesses and brands is without question. He was an incredible partner as we transformed Ogilvy PR into an agency that could beat the biggest in the business.”

And Frohlich’s former boss, Gail Heimann – who was global CEO of The Weber Shandwick Collective until her retirement last year – told PRovoke Media: “So much gets said and written about ‘leadership’. Rightfully. But if you boil it down to its essence – the art of leading people – you get the magic of Michael Frohlich. He leads people to be more curious, more insightful, more impactful and, importantly, more joyful in the pursuit of addressing and solving the toughest issues. 

“Michael’s magnetism is part of his story.  But strategic muscle, commitment to ideas and a courageous approach to making change are the foundation of the Frohlich brand of leadership.  It’s the kind of leadership that makes a difference. For people. And for the industry.”