Lene Balleby: new communication chief for DRF

Photo Scanpix/Kristeligt Dagblad

Yesterday Lene Balleby formally began her appointment as chief of communication for the Danish Royal Family. Balleby is experienced and comes from a job as communication director (communication and culture) at the Danish Embassy in Washington D.C., which was a job she took over from now retired DRF communication chief Lis M. Frederiksen in 2003.

Lene Balleby grew up in Ringkøbing in an ordinary nuclear family. She is married to economist Erik Brink Andersen and has had two daugthers late in life who are now 10 and 7 years old . The family lives in Hellerup, and if time allows it, the new communication chief will spend time skiing in the winter holidays, her favourite sport.

In 2008 she will have her hands full, starting with the New Year Courts, the upcoming official visit to Mexico by Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik, the wedding of Prince Joachim and Marie Cavallier and Crown Prince Frederik's 40th birthday.

Kristeligt Dagblad "Kongehusets nye spindoktor" - The royal house's new spin doctor
02. Jan 2008 Lene Balleby has just begun her position as communication boss at the Royal Court. She has many communication positions behind her and looks forward to her new job with enthusiasm...Lene Balleby has a big interest in the monarchy, and she has in fact already got a taste of how it feels to handle the press in connection with Denmark and the Danish royal house. She has just returned last year from the position as head of the communication and culture section at the Danish Embassy in Washington. Belleby managed the media storm in the spring of 2005 when Denmark was front and centre of the world's media in connection with the Muhammed cartoon crisis (instigated by newspaper Jyllands Posten), and she was also instrumental behind the scenes organising royal and state visits. The job she took on at the embassy in Washington was from Lis M. Frederiksen in 2003, who left at the time to become information officer at the Royal Court. When Lene Balleby takes this new position it will be the second time she follows Lis M. Frederiksen. This is more of a coincidence rather than the embassy job being a requirement for the job of trust with the DRF. In the new job it becomes Lene Balleby's responsibility to protect the royal house's private life and like a number of others also an adviser to the court. She is also commissioned to develop internal communication within the organisation of the Royal Court as well as taking care of the Queen and the Royal Family. Lene Balleby is was educated as a teacher, but developed an early interest in media communication. She therefore aquired journalistic qualifications in 1987 and has also done management studies at the Scandinavian International Management Institute in Copenhagen. She subsequently became communication manager in the media group Egmont and deputy head in Hafnia's information department. According to former colleagues Lene Balleby is completely right for the job as communication chief for the royal house. They recognise her as extroverted and diligent and grounded at the same time. She is a family person with a capital F, but also a work horse with a bit of flair...

Fyens Stiftstidende "Ny på slottet" - New at the castle
Since 2004 Lis M. Frederiksen has had the post as information manager of the royal house, where she has had to handle the difficult mixture of the court, the press and the public's interests in the royal family. The other day the 64-year-old Lis M. Frederiksen had her last working day, and she was replaced by the 50-year-old Lene Balleby, who has the position from the beginning of the year...She comes from a position as Embassy Council at the Danish Embassy in Washington, where she drew positive attention among other things by managing the media storm of the Muhammed cartoon crisis... and which is a job requiring something special (etc. similar to above)