Lars Erik Grønntun

COO & CMO
Kahoot
Norway

Lars Erik Grønntun stepped down from his role as Hill & Knowlton global president in 2020, going in-house to join Norwegian game-based educational platform Kahoot as chief operating and chief marketing officer. Grønntun manages the company's operational agenda as well as developing Kahoot’s global communications strategy, and at the end of last year it announced investment from global growth equity firm General Atlantic.

On top of his in-house role, Grønntun found the energy to set up a communications and marketing holding company, Paritee, in 2021, which has since acquired PR agencies such as the UK’s Brands2Life and Scandinavian agency Geelmuyden.Kiese Group (GKG), as well as recruiting Jonas Palmqvist, the former chief operating officer of Weber Shandwick in EMEA, as CEO.

Grønntun’s move to Kahoot came after 18 years at H&K, the last decade in senior leadership roles: he joined in 2002 when Gambit, the Norwegian consultancy he founded, was acquired by H&K. Grønntun had served as one of two global presidents since October 2018, when he and Richard Millar were elevated. Jack Martin, H&K’s global chairman until he stood down three years ago, noted that Grønntun “sets an example for what true leadership looks like. As with all great leaders, Lars Erik consistently provides encouragement and inspiration to those around him, and the results of that are clear — he lifts the team up.”