Grender quits LLM Comms to join De Luca in APCO role

LLM Communications has lost board director Olly Grender to rival

public affairs shop APCO.

Grender is expected to stand down from LLM in the new year following a

decision last week to join long-term friend and APCO London MD Nick de

Luca in a senior management role.

She refused to comment on the move, but it is understood a client

portfolio has already been established for her when she joins early in

2002.

Although she has never worked with de Luca before, the two are known to

be close friends.

De Luca was a consultant at Westminster Strategy when she led the PR

unit at that firm's then client, homelessness charity Shelter.

The Liberal Democrat stalwart joined LLM two years ago, after five years

at Shelter. Prior to that she worked at Lib Dem HQ as head of

communications for three years, a job that followed a three-year stint

as researcher, press aide and policy adviser to the party's then leader

Paddy Ashdown.

Her LLM appointment led to the agency - a lobbying outfit founded in

1997 by three former New Labour advisers - being rebranded as LLM

Communications in a bid to position itself as a more up-to-date

strategic PR provider.

De Luca refused to comment on the details of the Grender hire, but it

comes just weeks after APCO board director Alan Butler left the agency

to join Burson-Marsteller as a director in its public affairs practice.