AGENCY NEWS - Current management team acquires Charly PR Belgium
The Belgian office of Charly PR, the Benelux agency for corporate and consumer PR, is stepping into the future with its current management team as its new owners. With Karolien Hessels (21 years at the agency), Camille Vandenheede (10 years) and Johan De Ost (10 years), the Belgian branch of the PR agency is now 100% Belgian — now in terms of both leadership and ownership.
Karolien, Camille and Johan are succeeding Charly Lammers van Toorenburg. Charly founded the agency 32 years ago under the name LVTPR and is transferring the Belgian branch entirely to his management team. Karolien remains Managing Director and becomes majority shareholder, while Camille (PR Director) and Johan (Reputation & Messaging Director) are minority shareholders.
The new owners of Charly PR Belgium
A complementary management team uniting all required expertise in consumer and corporate PR. Karolien Hessels (middle) remains Managing Director. She is also a strategic sparring partner for clients and teams, also for crisis communications. As PR Director, Camille Vandenheede (right) oversees the strategic direction and day-to-day management of client accounts. And as Reputation & Messaging Director, Johan De Ost (left) supports clients in various areas, including strategic messaging (and thought leadership in particular) and reputation management. Karolien and Johan are also experienced media and crisis communications trainers.
The future of our PR agency
"This is a big step for us — and one that I am taking within the very agency where my career began. But above all, it marks a new milestone for Charly PR Belgium," says Karolien, Managing Director. "With our rebranding a few years ago, we made a deliberate choice to set a new, clear course as an agency for both corporate and consumer PR. The fact that we are now continuing that journey as owners shows how strongly we believe in the future of our agency. I look forward to continuing to build that future together with our outstanding team. And I thank Charly for his trust over the past twenty years, and for now entrusting the Belgian branch entirely to us."
Together with team and clients
Following a successful 2025, Charly PR is entering 2026 with a strong mix of both long-standing and new clients, for whom PR Director Camille plays a key role.
"Thanks to a team brimming with enthusiasm, experience and talent, we are very confident about the future," says Camille. "And with this new step we are also strengthening the already high – and in the agency world quite unique — stability of our team. For me personally, after more than 10 years at Charly PR, and working for a diverse range of corporate and consumer clients, this new step gives me even more enthusiasm to achieve great things for our clients."
Further developing reputation and crisis communications
Johan, Reputation & Messaging Director, joined the agency almost 11 years ago — after spending five years each at two large companies. From the client side to the agency side: an atypical switch he has never regretted.
"Charly PR has given me a lot, and I’ve returned that favour by opening my backpack with experience in, for example, internal communications and crisis communications", Johan says. "Both disciplines are now full-fledged services. And Charly Crisis Comms in particular is protecting a growing number of organisations against reputational threats — both proactively, through crisis communications plans and training, and reactively, by providing advice and support during crises. There is still so much to experience in our profession and our agency, and I very much look forward to doing just that as a co-owner."
Strong Benelux proposition
This acquisition does not affect Charly PR's strong Benelux proposition. Benelux clients can continue to count on the offices in Brussels and Utrecht working together as one team.
"Over the past 32 years, I’ve worked with many exceptional and dedicated people," concludes Charly Lammers van Toorenburg. "Karolien, Camille and Johan have developed the Belgian branch with vision, energy and commitment over the past years. Moreover, they know our Dutch team very well, so this deal is preserving our unique Benelux proposition. That’s why I’m handing over the agency to them with great confidence and pleasure."