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Cross Industry

4th Communications & PR Summit

  • 9th – 10th October 2019
  • Germany flag Germany Düsseldorf
  • NH Düsseldorf City Kölner Str. 186-188, 40227

Communication has a crucial role to play in the corporate world. As the complexities of activities increase, it’s more important to leverage technology advancement in corporate communications and build strategies that cut through information overload. With the amount of disruptions communication professionals face every day, there’s a need to balance delivering business objectives and sustainability.

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About

The 4th Communications & PR Summit, scheduled for October 9-10, 2019, in Düsseldorf, Germany, will enable participants to strengthen their skills by learning from leading experts, who will share practical ideas and techniques that will help you succeed. In a time of rapid change, it’s important to keep you finger on the pulse of new technologies that enable successful strategy rollouts and learn tips for safeguarding your corporate reputation in the digital world.

We will cover topics ranging from branding and reputation management, PR and media relations, measurability of KPIs and ROI, and employee engagement. It will also address current trends in AI, mobility, and video. To the point, this Summit will help you develop and execute communications strategies that stand out for all the right reasons.

Who Should Attend

SVPs, VPs, CEOs, Directors, Global Heads, Heads, Team Leaders, Specialists, Managers, Strategists, Planners and Creators specialising in:

  • Government & Public Affairs
  • Corporate Affairs
  • Media Relations
  • Customer Relations
  • Shareholder Relations
  • External Affairs
  • Public Affairs
  • Digital Marketing
  • Branding & Reputation
  • CSR/Sustainability
  • Communications: Corporate, Brand, Internal, External, Integrated, Multi-Channel, Strategic, Marketing
  • Public Relations
  • Investor Relations/Stakeholder Management
  • Community/Advocacy Relations
  • Strategic Alliances
  • Corporate Affairs
  • Agencies/Advertising
  • Engagement
  • Issue/Crisis Management
  • Human Resources/Employee Relations

Key Practical Learning Points

  • Getting the right balance between traditional marketing communication and digital innovation
  • How to build an outstanding reputation when your sector faces negative opinions
  • Executive communications: delivering a human touch to the corporate narrative
  • Building employee advocacy to drive the organisation’s vision and strategy
  • Learn why internal comms is the new PR
  • Best practice examples for successful crisis communication
  • Partnerships to boost reach and effectiveness
  • Communication in the virtual space and the rise of the platform
  • The interplay of communications and politics

Rachel Malcolm, DE

Team Leader, Publishing

HUGO BOSS Founder of 4.0 Creative

Rachel Malcolm leads the publishing team at HUGO BOSS and acts as the brand’s chief editor, responsible for the tone of voice of customer-facing communications worldwide. She also runs her own agency, 4.0 Creative, offering campaign conception and copywriting with a focus on fashion, luxury and lifestyle brands. Rachel moved to Germany in early 2015 after a career in the UK and France working for companies including Burberry and Selfridges. She has a bachelor’s in French and politics, and a CBA with distinction in marketing, organisational behaviour and economics.

Celia Noordegraaf, NL

Head of Corporate Communications

Roche

Celia Noordegraaf studied Dutch language and literature at the University of Gron­ingen, and also earned a master’s in strategic marketing at the university. During her career, she has worked as a marketing and communication manager at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Hogeschool Inholland and the Jeroen Bosch Hospi­tal. In December 2011, Celia was chosen as Communication Woman of the Year by Logeion, a professional organisation for communication professionals. The jury was particularly keen on her gift to connect with the hospital and society with little resources in an innovative and creative way. After her nomination, Celia filled several interim positions from her own company, always challenging the communi­cation function in line with the strategic challenges of the organisation. Currently, she is head of corporate communications at Roche Netherlands.

Jody Sunna, CH

Director of Corporate Communications

Philip Morris International

Jody Sunna joined Philip Morris International in August 2018 as director of corpo­rate communications after nearly a decade at Havas PR North America where she ran both the New York office and the consumer marketing practice. With nearly 20 years’ experience guiding and shaping brands and supporting their corporate, cause and crisis work, Jody mixes a passion for social change with a marketer’s wisdom to ensure that clients see results. At PMI, she and her extended team tackled executive branding, corporate press office management and communica­tions support for the company’s people and culture, inclusion and diversity, illicit trade prevention and sustainability groups. In 2016, PRWeek ranked Jody on its prestigious “40 Under 40” list. She has also been honoured in PRNews’ PR People of the Year competition three years in a row including Agency PR Professional of the Year in 2013. Jody is a graduate of Purdue University and now lives with her family in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Gudrun Herrmann, DE

Head of Communications, Germany, Austria & Switzerland

ByteDance (Tik Tok)

Gudrun Herrmann leads communications for short-video platform TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. ByteDance is a global company with international offices. The company is in the process of hiring and building up a team in the German-language region that will further establish the TikTok brand and drive growth. Gudrun joined TikTok after seven and a half years at LinkedIn, where she was responsible for DACH communications and as­sisted with building the local brand from scratch. Previously she also held positions at global PR agencies Weber Shandwick and Ketchum Pleon.

Guy Britt, SE

Global Head of Co-Worker Communication

Ikea Group

Guy Britt has more than 15 years’ experience leading all aspects of communications and engagement in senior executive roles across a diverse range of sectors including legal, government, not for profit and retail. Guy currently leads the global internal communications function for the IKEA Group to support and enhance the internal communication and engagement network across 30 countries. Guy holds a bachelor of arts in marketing and a bachelor of law from Deakin University, and an MBA from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.

Simona Radu, FR

Global Communications Director

Schneider Electric

Simona Radu is a passionate communications professional with strong experience working in the energy management and automation industry in large organisa­tions. Being with Schneider Electric for over 10 years, Simona has experienced the global and local dimensions of the €25-billion giant, building her expertise in internal and corporate communications, people development and change man­agement. Simona manages a passionate team of communications professionals partnering with the entire organisation on strategic projects and transformations. Simona really enjoys sharing her knowledge, and events that she’s presented at include: EACD European Communications Summit (Berlin, June 2018), BOC IC Conference (London, March 2018), IC Camp (London, October 2017) and we.CONECT Social Biz Collaboration (Berlin, October 2016 and September 2015).

Andrew Hubbard, UK

Senior Internal Communication Manager

Santander UK

Andrew Hubbard is a senior internal communications professional, currently working at Santander UK, one of Britain’s largest banks with more than 14 million custom­ers. A former journalist, Andrew enjoys the storytelling element of internal commu­nications, helping all colleagues in a business understand the role they play, day to day, in the overall direction and organisational strategy. Andrew is an advocate for outcome-driven communications in business, he explains: “Colleagues don’t have time to waste at work, so we always need to ensure that any communication drives an outcome, helps people to do their job and is aligned with the business strategy.”

Miriana Matei, RO

Global Internal Communication Manager

Schneider Electric

Miriana Matei dreamed of being a diplomat. She started practicing diplomacy in press relations, human resources and now internal communication. After 14 years in executive search and HR management in companies such as Genpact and Schneider Electric, Miriana decided to enlarge her area of expertise by taking a leap of faith in global internal communications with the company she loves, Schneider Electric. Since 2016, she has been engaged in people communications, driving three years in a row the employee engagement communications, participating in the launch of the latest most inclusive Schneider policy, called global family leave, and acting as com­munication expert for the company’s new people vision, as well as leadership and all employee events. Miriana is very proud of all her team and colleagues, and believes communicators are connectors and story tellers across the organisation.

Silvie Wemper, DE

EMEA Communications

BASF

Silvie Wemper is responsible for integrated topic steering and internal communica­tions in Europe, Middle East and Africa at BASF. Bringing regional expertise into the strategic dialog with multiple stakeholders is part of her daily work. She holds a post­graduate degree in media and communications studies focussing on challenges and new action areas that digital transformation brings to corporate communications.

João Duarte, IT

Deputy Director, Communication & Outreach

Enel Foundation

João Duarte is currently deputy director of communication and outreach for Enel Foundation, the research-focused corporate foundation of the multinational en­ergy group based in Rome. João is a seasoned PR and communications manager with more than 16 years of experience in the public and private sector, with vast exposure to international contexts. He joined Enel in 2008 and had different roles in the global communications area, having led or directly participated in key projects for the multinational transformation of the group. Before joining the Enel Foundation in January 2018, João was directly responsible for the global rebrand­ing of the Enel Group and the deployment of a new global sponsorship strategy. During his term as head of brand strategy and activation, Enel was acknowledged as the strongest brand in the utilities sector globally. He holds a master’s in com­munications science and was awarded an advanced studies diploma for partial completion of his PhD studies. His academic background led him to lecture for undergraduate and postgraduate courses at different universities, mainly in PR and communication theory.

Patrick Naumann, DE

Head of Newsroom & Planning

Siemens

Patrick Naumann is head of newsroom & planning at Siemens, where he is respon­sible for coordinating the content activities for the B2B company, mainly around the topics of IoT, AI, cybersecurity, energy transition, sustainability or future of work. Before taking on this role, Patrick helped shape the topic of influencer engagement for Siemens, establishing a strategic framework and community of influencers that collaborate and engage with the brand in everyday communications activities. Over the past decade, Patrick has worked in the global communications departments at Credit Suisse and ABB, always with a drive to help support the digital transformation.

Mirelle van der Kreeft, NL

Communications Director, Global Campaigns

DSM

Mirelle van der Kreeft is an expert communication director with over 5 years’ experi­ence in team leadership. Skilled in marketing management, corporate communica­tions, market research, HR management, and change management. She is a strong business development professional with a Master in Business Administration (MBA) with an emphasis on personal leadership from NCOI University.

Kerstin Flötner, DE

Manager

Flötner Consulting

Kerstin Flötner is a senior communications leader with more than 20 years of experience working for leading corporations and brands such as Hewlett-Pack­ard, Bitburger, SCA and Goodyear. She has top-level credentials in international B2C and B2B communications management, including corporate communication, reputation management and crisis communication, marketing and branding, and analyst and investor relations. Kerstin has a proven track record in fostering organ­isational dialogue on digital transformation with key internal and external stake­holders and wide-ranging experience in pro-actively repositioning businesses and brands by expanding communication into the digital world. Flötner Consulting, her management consultancy for communication, provides expert counsel and sup­port for complex communication challenges including corporate reputation build­ing, thought leadership, change management and crisis communication. Before focussing on consultancy, Kerstin worked as a director of communications and PR for Goodyear Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Rachel Malcolm, DE

Team Leader, Publishing

HUGO BOSS Founder of 4.0 Creative

Celia Noordegraaf, NL

Head of Corporate Communications

Roche

Jody Sunna, CH

Director of Corporate Communications

Philip Morris International

Gudrun Herrmann, DE

Head of Communications, Germany, Austria & Switzerland

ByteDance (Tik Tok)

Guy Britt, SE

Global Head of Co-Worker Communication

Ikea Group

Simona Radu, FR

Global Communications Director

Schneider Electric

Andrew Hubbard, UK

Senior Internal Communication Manager

Santander UK

Miriana Matei, RO

Global Internal Communication Manager

Schneider Electric

Silvie Wemper, DE

EMEA Communications

BASF

João Duarte, IT

Deputy Director, Communication & Outreach

Enel Foundation

Patrick Naumann, DE

Head of Newsroom & Planning

Siemens

Mirelle van der Kreeft, NL

Communications Director, Global Campaigns

DSM

Kerstin Flötner, DE

Manager

Flötner Consulting

What our
participants
are saying

“Liked the fact that it was a smaller audience and the interaction was more qualitative”

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Vesselka Voutkova

Vivacom

“I really enjoyed the conference day, meeting new people and sharing my story. Nice to see people are inspired and liked it.”

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Mirelle Kreeft-van-der

DSM

“I had a fantastic time in Germany with you all. Thanks for the opportunity. I enjoy presenting, as you can tell, and speaking about internal communications and engagement - topics I am really passionate about. To know that those who came along enjoyed it, too, means the world to me.”

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Andrew Hubbard

Santander UK