May 16, AMSTERDAM – Hill+Knowlton Strategies (H+K), international public relations agency, has promoted Jack de Vries to CEO of the Netherlands. Jack is a public affairs expert who will continue to share his knowledge and network in this new role as the Netherlands offices strengthen their positions globally.

“I am delighted to lead our Dutch operation. Already recognized as one of the leading agencies in the Netherlands, I look forward to working with our clients and colleagues to build on the depth and breadth of expertise that we already offer,” said Jack de Vries.

A former spokesman, strategic adviser and deputy-minister, de Vries has been with Hill+Knowlton since 2011 as a Board Director and leader of the public affairs practice in our Dutch operations. Prior to H+K, Jack had his own communications business. Jack brings over a decade of politics experience, including as State Secretary for Defense in the fourth Balkenende government. He also worked at Boer & Croon Corporate Communication as an associate partner.

Lars Erik Grønntun, global president at Hill+Knowlton Strategies, said: “Jack is an excellent client counsellor and has proven his exceptional leadership abilities during his 8 years with us. He is the natural choice to become CEO and lead our entire Dutch operation.”

A graduate of VU University Amsterdam, Jack has led the H+K PA team to become one of the premier Public Affairs consultancies in The Netherlands. As a Board Director, Jack has been instrumental in the rapid growth of the Dutch operation over the past eight years.

H+K has offices in more than 40 countries worldwide, delivering award winning campaigns to clients across all sectors and disciplines and with a focus on continued innovation for the industry. Recent innovations include Flight School+, a crisis communications training and simulation tool, Better Impact™, a new approach to brand purpose and CSR, and H+K Smarter™, a behavioral science unit.