Two of Grayling’s former European directors have launched Lomond Corporate Relations, a new Public Affairs and Corporate Communications consultancy based in Central & Eastern Europe. The Public Affairs industry, in particular, has grown rapidly in the region in recent years and the agency has been established to meet the demand for senior consultants with the expertise of operating internationally.
Lomond’s managing partners are Jan Simunek and Ben Petter, previously Grayling’s CEO and COO for Continental Europe. At different times, both also led Grayling’s network in Central & Eastern Europe and sat on the leadership committee of the agency’s award-winning European Public Affairs group.
Lomond also has a Senior Advisory Board made up of four members:
· Loretta Ahmed, founder and CEO of Houbara Communications
· Lord Chadlington, founder of communications firms Shandwick and Huntsworth and a former adviser to Sir John Major and David Cameron
· Frank Schönrock, formerly co-head of Edelman’s Frankfurt office and Grayling’s European Chair of Crisis & Issues Management
· Małgorzata O’Shaughnessy, who built Visa’s business in Poland and CEE and led the company’s operations across the region for 30 years
Jan Simunek said: “There is real demand out there for consultancies that can offer hands-on, senior-level support, and that can solve business-critical problems. The large agencies in Europe are finding it harder and harder to guarantee this, which creates an opportunity for smaller firms with the right personnel.”
Loretta Ahmed said: “I am delighted to be part of Lomond. Its ethos is very similar to Houbara’s and I see a lot of opportunities for Houbara to advise Lomond’s clients on their presence across the Middle East.”
