Louise Barder, 21C Media Group’s Senior Publicist and Editorial Director has announced her relocation to the UK this July.

Barder will no longer serve in a full-time position at 21C, but will continue to work as a consultant with a special focus on clients, projects, and media throughout the UK and continental Europe. Barder will pass the baton in mid-June to Director of Public Relations Glenn Petry, Publicist Noel Steier, and Manager of Public Relations Emily Walsh. Alongside her consulting role, Barder will resume her work as a  freelance editor.

The decision was made as Barder has both personal and professional roots in the U.K. She previously worked as an editor for the BBC, Oxford University Press and co-founded and directed the award-winning vocal reissues label Romophone.

Barder reflected on her 23 years at 21C and said, “I’m really going to miss working with all my media friends and colleagues in North America, many of whom I’ve known and collaborated with for more than 20 years. I’ve made some close and lasting friendships among you and hope our paths will continue to cross once I’ve crossed the pond. I’m excited about sharing 21C clients’ music and projects with a wider, more international audience, and am really looking forward to reviving old friendships and building new ones in the British and European media. I’m taking this opportunity to look back at some of my favorite memories of my time at 21C to date, many of which are thanks to your dedicated support and coverage of our artists’ incredible work. Thank you!”

Among her favorite memories at 21C are Mikis Theodorakis’s 75th birthday celebration with the Montreal Symphony and Charles Dutoit at Lincoln Center in 2000, Jessye Norman’s 2014 appearance as a guest DJ on NPR Music, and working with Atlanta Opera during the first weeks of the pandemic.