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What Makes FleishmanHillard in Brussels Unique: A Diverse Office with 15+ Nationalities and Languages

December 18, 2020
By Haven Hightower

Diversity looks different around the globe. At FleishmanHillard (FH), we believe in the power of perspectives and teams that reflect the world we live in and the stakeholders and clients we serve. Fostered through our FH Perspectives initiative, our best thinking, creativity and results come from the diverse talent and experiences within the agency.

Brussels — the capital of the European Union — is home to 24 official European languages, most of which you will hear any given week in the FleishmanHillard Brussels office. Today, we’re highlighting our Brussels office and sharing what some of our colleagues based there believe make FleishmanHillard a unique and values-driven place to work.

Mette Grolleman, general manager (Home country: Denmark)

“Part of what makes FH Brussels such a unique and special place to work, is the diversity of the people working here. Europe and its many different languages and cultures are embedded in Brussels, as the capital of Europe! Here we are brought together from all over the world, all with a burning passion for politics and for serving our clients to the best of our ability.”

“The diversity is unique, as 15+ different languages are spoken and 15+ nationalities are represented at FH Brussels, all bringing their different perspectives into the work we do. I am immensely proud and grateful to be able to work in such a diverse environment, where we all respect and care for each other, and come together with one common purpose – building a business that respects and values all perspectives – and in that way helps our clients navigate their many different issues the best way possible.”

Robert Wright, senior vice president, Environment and Chemicals (Home country: Ireland)

“Of all the places I have worked and visited on business, there is nowhere which possesses such a wide set of cultural reference points. The fact that we are able to speak to clients and stakeholders – literally – in most or all of those official languages means that the FH Brussels team provides and enables a hub for addressing strategic and business investment issues in the EU, and even globally.”

“In addition to my Belfast version of English, I speak French, Italian and decent Spanish. This allows me to ‘tune in’ to conversations that I might not otherwise be able to. It also allows me to see issues and solutions from other nationalities’ viewpoints, as well as fully appreciate that aligning communications can be a challenge that we should always be aware of and try to manage. I also speak Irish, but tend to use this less in my work context.”

Alexander Tempel, account manager, Financial Services (Home countries: Germany and Spain)

“The diversity in our office is of strategic importance to our work. The fact we that have so many nationalities in our office means we can cut through the noise in multiple markets in Europe and understand their cultural, political and economic dynamics. All of us benefit greatly from this as there is always a colleague who knows more on a particular country. I see it in my day to day work when I service clients from different EU Member States.”

Haven Hightower, account manager, Healthcare (Home country: United States)

“Having such an extensive mix of nationalities in our office gives us a treasure trove of insight into all things – work and non-work related. Be it political, linguistic, cultural or even culinary, there is always someone in the FH Brussels family willing to extend a helping hand to solve any problem or answer any question. This has fostered a culture of learning and exchange that allows us to celebrate our unique perspectives and what we bring to the team.”