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Read Resumés article about Star PR

Only women at Star PR

Except the Chief Executive and the Finnish country manager - they are men

No one can blame them for not letting women through: at Star PR
94 percent of the employees are women. The Chief Executive and founder David Hesselman and the country manager in Finland are the only two men among 35 employees.

David Hesselman's path to the PR business went through the music industry. He became acquainted with Denniz Pop, and from the second floor at the Cheiron studio he worked with artist pr. With Ace of Base everything happened very quickly.

In 1998 Denniz Pop passed away, and David Hesselman started the PR company Kommun together with his friend Jacob Låftman. The crisis for dotcom companies and Jacob Låftman's passing from cancer lead up to a bankruptcy.

In the next step - with Star PR - everything grew slower. Although today they have 35 employees and offices in Oslo, Copenhagen and Helsinki besides Stockholm. Last year the agency's revenue increased with 38 percent, while the turnover was 29 million.

- The first four-month period this year all four countries ran with profit. It has been rocky to build up the company in four countries but today we work with around 80 percent of our clients in more than one country. Many big companies see the Nordic countries as one single market.

The specialty is marketing PR within fashion, lifestyle, food & beverage, beauty & health, home & design, as well as some high tech. And then we have the fact that it is a female-dominated workplace. 33 out of 35 are women.

No affirmative action

- We can't possibly allocate the other way around. We rely on competence. And if we look for a consultant for our Beauty & Health department, there are not lots of men applying for the job, says David Hesselman.

It does happen that he wonders how it affects the company.

- I think it could be beneficial with a more mixed group with both men and women. Professionally I do not see it as a problem. Perhaps it effects socially the way the workplace functions. But we have very skilled people as staff members.

- Possibly the fact that we are a women-dominated workplace results in fewer men seeking their way to us. But we have had men employed several times, says David Hesselman.

Back in the days at Cheiron there was the exact opposite. Completely run by men.

- But it is a cool business that is "colour blind". Age, sex or ethnicity doesn't matter.

The board of directors for Star PR consist of the four associates, one man and three women.

Men not much interested in details

- Sure, a workplace can benefit from diversity. But for us details are extremely important. And we have experienced that men aren't as interested in details, they want to work with big, strategic issues, says the Swedish country manager and partner Linda Bühlmann.

- If we get 200 job applications for one position, there might be two men among the applicants. And well, we have heard that we are a "girls-agency devoted to shampoo PR" once, she continues.

 - And a man who wants to make a career in the PR business maybe seeks into public affairs or something like that, instead of working with interior decoration, says David Hesselman.

Star PR are going to continue growing in the Nordic countries. Maybe also outside the region, if they find a partner with the right focus. But one thing David Hesselman knows for sure:

- We are never going to be a communication agency. PR is what we are good at and what we want to do.

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