Cecilie Ditlev-Simonsen is appointed communications consultant with JKL Group AS. – I am looking forward to joining a strong professional environment and to share my skills and experience with JKL’s interesting clients, says Cecilie Ditlev-Simonsen.

Cecilie Ditlev-Simonsen (43) joins JKL on April 15th. Until recently, she was Executive Vice President in charge of communication with the Norway-based aluminium company Norsk Hydro ASA. She has significant experience from communication and brand management, media relations and internal communication. During her five years as Chief Communication Officer with Hydro, she led a team of about 40 persons. She was responsible for the re-branding of Hydro, the company’s 100th celebration world wide and the the internal and external communication in connection with the restructuring of Hydro’s portfolio, including the merger between Hydro’s oil and gas activities and Statoil.

– JKL has interesting clients, some of the best consultants in the communication industry and a very strong position in the Nordic market. I see many opportunities and I am excited to start in my new position, says Cecilie Ditlev-Simonsen, pointing to one particular area where she has experienced a lack of competence within Norwegian agencies and hopes to make a particular contribution:

– The importance of strategic communication to create understanding for management decisions internally is often underestimated. There is a considerable market for this kind of competence, whether the market is up or down, says Ditlev-Simonsen.

The CEO of JKL Group AS, Per Høiby, is pleased to be able to strengthen the team with Cecilie Ditlev-Simonsen.

- Our strong professional environment becomes even stronger with Cecilie’s appointment. She adds considerable knowledge and a unique experience from communications within large organizations and companies, says Per Høiby.

Today JKL has approximately 120 consultants on a Nordic basis and offices in Oslo, Stockholm, Gothenburg, Helsinki and Brussels.

Previously, Ditlev-Simonsen has been Communications Manager of IBM Norway and IBM Nordic AB, Executive Vice President of the Norwegian State Railways and a managing consultant with Korn-Ferry International/Futurestep. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University in the United States and has worked as a reporter for several USnewspapers.

For further information, contact:
• Per Høiby, telephone (+47) 99 45 52 25, per.hoiby@jklgroup.com
• Cecilie Ditlev-Simonsen, telephone (+47) 41 55 92 50