INTERNATIONAL: Former Lufthansa director joins B-M in Germany

FRANKFURT: Gabriele Velte, who quit as communications director of

Lufthansa in July after just six months, has joined Burson-Marsteller as

chief of corporate communications for Germany.

Velte will be responsible for all corporate communications in Germany

and becomes part of the B-M management team. She will report to European

chairman for communications, Per Heggenes, and will oversee a team of

12.

The post was made vacant by the departure of Christian Kroos to Citibank

in the summer. It had been filled by director Michael Rust until Velte’s

appointment.

Harel Seidenwerg, MD of Burson-Marsteller in Germany, commented that

Velte preferred working for a PR agency: ’She learnt that working in a

company was totally different from a PR agency and she is a PR

person.’

Prior to Lufthansa, Velte helped to build up Germany’s largest PR

agency, Kohtes and Klewes where she was a managing partner and headed

the Frankfurt office.

Velte’s appointment comes as Burson-Marsteller aims to expand worldwide,

with Germany being a major focus.