Michel Grunder is Farner’s new Head of Public Affairs

Change in Public Affairs management at communications agency Farner Consulting: Michel Grunder, partner and Head of Farner’s Berne office since 2011, is changing to the Zurich office, where he will be the new Head of Public Affairs, effective 1 October 2018. Dr Daniel Heller, who is also a partner and has been Head of Public Affairs for many years, will now take on a strategic role as Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Michel Grunder, partner and Head of the Berne office, is changing his workplace from the capital to Zurich and follows in Dr Daniel Heller’s footsteps as Head of Public Affairs. The development of the Public Affairs department was initiated by Farner in 2017 with the introduction of new members Andreas Richner, Head of Governmental Relations and Member of Farner’s Executive Board, and Ursula Fraefel, Senior Consultant.

Michel Grunder joined Farner as a Consultant in 2008 and later moved up the ladder to reach a Senior Consultant position. He has now managed the Berne office since 2011 – first as a Member of the Executive Board and then three years later becoming a partner in the company. During this time, the agency’s office in Berne considerably expanded its own client portfolio – notably in the public sector and with different associations.

Michel Grunder made his mark in political consulting and campaigns at all state levels. His integrated, multi-award-winning campaigns for various public-sector bodies particularly stand out, for example for the Federal Commission against Racism, the Federal Office of Communications, the Federal Office for Civil Protection and the successful campaign for TCS, MADE VISIBLE®. He will now work on strategically expanding the area of Public Affairs with this integrated approach of consulting, strategy and implementation.

Roman Geiser, CEO and Managing Partner with Farner: “Michel Grunder and his team turned the Berne office into an important position for the agency. We are very proud of this great achievement. With Michel Grunder as new Head of Public Affairs, the whole agency will digitalise and integrate our political consulting offer further.”

Michel Grunder, partner and new Head of Public Affairs: “Communication in politics has greatly developed over the last few years. Debates have seen remarkable improvements thanks to increased professionalism, media possibilities and new opinion formers. I see these changes as a great chance to expand Farner’s strengths in public affairs, using our creative and digital skills for surprising and highly effective solutions that resonate well with the majority of the public.”

In his new role as Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors, Farner partner Dr Daniel Heller will continue to manage key political and economic clients and will also oversee the Innovation & Startup Communications offer. Furthermore, the new Vice-Chairman will continue to coordinate innovation strategies throughout the agency.

Dr Daniel Heller firmly established the area of Public Affairs over the last 28 years in various positions – first as head of the department, then as a Member of the Executive Board and from 2004 onwards as a partner. In this time, he succeeded in positioning Farner as one of the most established agencies in Switzerland for consulting in political communication and also discovered and cultivated many talents as Head of Public Affairs.

The agency will announce Michel Grunder’s successor as Head of the Berne office in the next few days.