New job
The foreign minister’s husband becomes a partner at a PR agency
Annalena Baerbock with husband Daniel at the Federal Press Ball in Berlin in 2018. Photo: Eventpress Golejewski/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Annalena Baerbock’s husband, Daniel Holefleisch, joins the communications consultancy MSL. There he will advise clients with a focus on public affairs.
The husband of Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens), Daniel Holefleisch, will join the communications consultancy MSL as a partner in May.
“Holefleisch will advise clients with a focus on public affairs and specializes in political analysis,” said a statement from the agency, which belongs to the German subsidiary of the French group Publicis Groupe. “An address to the management level of the Federal Foreign Office or the Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in the context of his work at MSL is contractually excluded.”
Internationally, MSL says it has around 2,500 employees in over 40 countries who “advise and operationally support customers in their sustainable communication with target groups, intermediaries and stakeholders” and “create local and international influence in the interests of our customers’ companies and brands”.
Holefleisch reports directly to the boss of MSL in Germany, Wigan Salazar, it said in the message published on Thursday. Most recently, Holefleisch (49) worked at the Post, where he held the title “Senior Expert Corporate Affairs” at DHL, and before that he worked for the Greens for 13 years.
The organization Lobbycontrol described the change from Holefleisch as “problematic for several reasons”. MSL sometimes works for foreign governments, “a few years ago for Saudi Arabia,” wrote Lobby Control on Twitter. “Being able to advertise with the husband of the German foreign minister should certainly bring the agency some advantages when it comes to customer acquisition.”