Jonas Palmqvist becomes CEO and co-owner of the newly started holding company Paritee. Palmqvist has more than 20 years of experience from leading roles in the communications industry. He most recently came from the role of Chief Operating Officer for Weber Shandwick EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), a region he led and developed by creating the foundations for a new generation of leaders, increased collaboration and focus on integrated communications solutions. He was previously a partner in the award-winning PR agency Prime.

Jonas Palmqvist has broad experience from marketing and strategic communiation, from both Nordic and international customers. In leading roles as COO for Weber Shandwick EMEA, CEO and partner of the successful PR agency Prime, CEO of the consulting company United Minds and CEO of the content agency OTW Publishing, Palmqvist has been central in the industry’s development towards a more highly refined and integrated offering.

Paritee is a new holding company with the ambition to invest in and create a home for unique talent and innovative agencies in the international communications industry. Paritee consists of a team with significant experience. The chairman and main owner is Lars Erik Grønntun, who until 2020 was global president of Hill+Knowlton. Grønntun founded the Norwegian H+K business (Gambit), which was acquired by WPP. Today, Grønntun is COO/CMO for the ed-tech company Kahoot!. The current CEO, Jonatan Fægri, has a background as strategy manager for H+K EMEA, a role he will also transfer to in Paritee. In 2022, the management team will be expanded with more international and transformative leaders.

In September, Paritee made its first investment through the acquisition of Geelmuyden Kiese, one of the largest PR agencies in Scandinavia with 110 employees across Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm. The award-winning agency was started in 1989 by Hans Geelmuyden. Paritee owns 97.5% of the Geelmuyden Kiese group. Jonas Palmqvist will, as CEO of Paritee, take on the role of Chairman of the Board of Geelmuyden Kiese, starting on January 10th.

• Jonas Palmqvist, says: “Paritee is a valuable initiative and I look forward to leading the development towards an international agency platform based on talent, local entrepreneurship and a strong will to create integrated communication solutions. The future belongs to the platforms that can gather talent to solve complex problems at the intersection of technology, strategy and creativity. In an entrepreneurial agency culture, groundbreaking solutions are created – where content is more important than title, where customer relationships get more attention than processes, and collaboration takes precedence over internal structures.

In addition, Paritee is a new model of ownership, an alternative to the traditional and local partner structure or the large, often bureaucratic, global agency networks. We will gather agencies with great respect for local conditions, as equal partners in an international community with a free exchange of ideas. Paritee stands for equality, respect and for creating value”

• Jonas Palmqvist will be an excellent CEO who will ensure Paritee’s growth. The experience of developing Prime into one of the world’s most recognized agencies, and the successful transformation of Weber’s EMEA operations make him the right CEO of Paritee. Palmqvist’s desire to also become a partner underlines the entrepreneurship that is unique to our values, culture and growth. We are now looking for more talent and agencies that share our values and want to be part of our exciting journey!”, Says Lars Erik Grønntun.