Two Nordic leaders from Geelmuyden Kiese become partners in the international agency group Paritee, which owns communications agencies across Northern Europe and the US. Mikkel Salgaard Bendtsen and Bjørn Richard Johansen join the partnership while continuing in their current roles.

The international agency group Paritee, which among other things owns the Scandinavian society-focused agency Geelmuyden Kiese, is expanding its partnership with two new partners. Mikkel Salgaard Bendtsen, CEO of Geelmuyden Kiese Denmark, and Bjørn Richard Johansen, Commercial Director of the Geelmuyden Kiese Group, both become part of Paritee’s partnership. At the same time, they will continue in their current management roles.

Paritee was founded in 2021 and today employs more than 400 people in six countries and has revenue of DKK 700 million. In just a few years, the group has established itself as a new alternative to the traditional global agency groups and owns agencies in, among other countries, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, the UK and the US.

“We founded Paritee with a vision of creating a new type of agency platform and collaboration model. The platform should connect strong national agencies in a collaboration for mutual benefit and offer clients deep industry expertise and strategic advice across international markets. With Bjørn Richard and Mikkel joining the team as partners, we are strengthening this model,” says Jonas Palmqvist, CEO of Paritee, which is headquartered in Oslo.

From Danish growth leader to international partner

Mikkel Salgaard Bendtsen has had a key role at Geelmuyden Kiese Denmark since 2018 and is today CEO. Under his leadership, the agency has undergone a strategic renewal and clearly positioned itself as a leading adviser within society-focused communications and Public Affairs.

“Mikkel Salgaard Bendtsen is a visionary leader with the ability to combine strategic precision with operational execution. He has been crucial in increasing the relevance and influence of our Danish company. His becoming a partner in Paritee is both a natural next step and a recognition of his major contribution,” says Jonas Palmqvist.

Joining the partnership marks a new chapter for Mikkel Salgaard Bendtsen, who looks forward to contributing further to Paritee’s international development.

“I am proud to become part of the partnership in Paritee. It is a recognition of the strong work we have delivered in Denmark, and at the same time an exciting opportunity to contribute even more to the international development of our community. In Paritee, we have a unique foundation for combining local insight with global reach, and I look forward to helping develop that further,” says Mikkel Salgaard Bendtsen, CEO of Geelmuyden Kiese Denmark and new partner in Paritee.

Nordic industry veteran strengthens Paritee’s commercial focus

For more than two decades, Bjørn Richard Johansen has played a prominent role in the Scandinavian communications market and was previously a co-founder of First House. He also has extensive experience advising on politics, crisis communications, capital markets and corporate strategy.

Since moving to Geelmuyden Kiese in 2023, he has been an adviser to the Board of Paritee.

“Over the past two years, Bjørn Richard Johansen has played a key role in strengthening Geelmuyden Kiese’s position and has made a significant contribution to the development of Paritee’s commercial strategy. His broad experience makes him an important voice in developing Paritee as an international agency collective,” says Jonas Palmqvist.

Media contact
Leif Geiger
Email: leif.geiger@gknordic.com
Mobile: +46-70 431 29 00

About PARITEE

Paritee was founded in 2021 by Chairman Lars Erik Grønntun, former Global President at Hill & Knowlton. The company is led by experienced agency leaders with backgrounds from the global advisory and communications industry. Paritee’s CEO is Jonas Palmqvist, former COO of Weber Shandwick EMEA.

Paritee’s goal is to build a new type of agency network and collaboration model: a platform that invests in leading advisory environments in markets that are strategically important for Nordic, European and global trade. At the same time, strong emphasis is placed on preserving the entrepreneurial spirit of the individual companies through cross-border collaboration focused on client value and professional strength.

Paritee operates at the intersection of public affairs, branding, marketing, communications and corporate advisory. The company has a particular sector focus on technology, energy, defence and security, health and pharmaceuticals, industry, mobility and financial services.

Since 2022, Paritee has acquired Geelmuyden Kiese (Scandinavia), Brands2Life (UK and US), DVA (Sweden) and the LHLK Group (Germany).

More information is available at: www.paritee.com